Thursday, April 10, 2014

Documentary

It's Thursday and that can only mean one thing... it's Theater Thursday! This week's featured movie isn't technically a movie, it's a documentary... Blackfish.

Originally, I wasn't going to watch it. I kept hearing about it and then I learned what it was and still hadn't planned on watching it. I've been to Sea World twice in my life. I love wildlife animals like the ones that are kept in zoos, aquariums and places like Sea World. Then after I kept hearing and hearing about it, I finally gave in and watched the documentary.

Personally now that I've seen this, I will definitely think twice about ever going to Sea World again or at least any place that has whales. I get that there is always two sides to a story but the news and the evidence that's available to anyone who wants to look it up is very compelling.

Blackfish is a documentary that interviews many former employees of Sea World who were direct trainers to the killer whales. These were also the most visible people because they were in the shows that take place in front of thousands at the Shamu shows. What I didn't know when I was at Sea World and you may not know as well is that Shamu isn't really Shamu anymore. Out in the wild these whales can live the lifespan of basically a human 60-70 years. In captivity they are living about 20 years. So Shamu from the 1980's... he's not really the real Shamu anymore. He's a whale... a killer whale who was captured in the wild and brought into a marine theme park.

In captivity these whales are dying after just a few decades. They are also showing aggressive behavior towards fellow whales held in the tank and their trainers. Several trainers have been injured and killed while working with the whales and during live shows. Think about it... would you be mad if someone put you in basically a bathtub and said spend the next 50 years here until you die. Um yes! Those huge tanks Sea World has... their a bathtub size compared to the ocean that's out there.

So if you get the time watch this documentary. It'll definitely make you look differently at Sea World and how the whales must feel.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I have heard about this one, I may check it out....

Leeann @ Join the Gossip said...

I am not a fan of zoos, Sea World, etc. because I feel so bad for the animals. I've been to both, of course, but the older I get the more I realize how sad it would be to be trapped in a small area. I kind of understand the zoo because they study and help them reproduce, but Sea World also makes them do tricks. It's sad to me.

Why Girls Are Weird said...

My coworker refuses to see this because she said she doesn't want to stop going to Sea World. Ugh. Makes me mad. If we keep giving those people money then they will keep harming those animals.

This documentary was amazing. What They're doing is not.

Selma @ Crazy Little World Of Mine said...

I didn't want to watch it but I wanted to be able to talk about it when it came up in a conversation (and it came up plenty), so I did. I always knew what was going on so it wasn't a major shocker for me but it's still terrible.

LaNeshe said...

It's definitely on my to watch list