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Georgina Anderson
Berrett
ENG1010
SeaWorld
Since its release in 2013, the documentary Blackfish has caused controversy with SeaWorld
and its use of killer whales in captivity. The documentary introduces us to the 12,000 pound orca
named Tilikum who was captured in 1983 and placed in an aquarium. Since his captivity,
Tilikum has killer three of his trainers. The death of his trainers and the documentary centered
around him has caused many different opinions to arise about the captivity of killer whales. The
general public and animal rights activists believe that keeping killer whales in captivity is too
risky for the people who train them and compromises the emotional and physical wellbeing of
the whales. There are many scientist and organizations that support the opposite opinion which is
that whales in captivity are not only healthier, but are also a great resource for research and conservation.
On February 24, 2010, SeaWorld (Zimmerman, Killer in the Pool; Associated Press,
Whale Kills Trainer) trainer Dawn Brancheau was leading the Shamu show with the six-ton
killer whale Tilikum. Dawn interacts with Tilikum and gives him the opportunity to show off the
many tricks that he has learned since being a performer at SeaWorld. During the relationship
session of the show, Dawn lay next to Tilikum to talk to him while stroking his back. It was just
moments later that Tilikum did something unexpected. He grabbed Dawn Brancheau by the ponytail and yanked her into the pool. Brancheau fought hard to get away from Tilikum but she
was no match to the giant marine animal. Tilikum kept dragging and shaking Brancheau violently throughout the pool. Tilikum had Brancheau in his mouth and it took several trainers to

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pry his jaw open. When the paramedics had arrived it was too late, Tilikum had killed his trainer.
This wasnt the first time that Tilikum had killed someone (Zimmerman, Killer in the Pool). In
1991, a marine biology student accidentally slipped into a pool with the killer whale. Tilikum
and two other orcas dragged her to the bottom of the pool and drowned her. Late one night in
1999, a 27 year old man snuck into the pool with Tilikum. Several hours later trainers found the
mangled parts of a man body hanging over Tilikums back. The deaths and countless numbers of
injuries inflicted on trainers has caused people to question the safety of the trainers and observers. Its hard to tell what may have triggered Tilikum into killing his trainer, but Tim Zimmerman says in his article that inspired the documentary Blackfish that the attack was likely due to
boredom or the pent-up frustration due to confinement (Zimmerman, Killer in the Pool).
Orcas are very social creatures that spend their entire lives with their families while swimming
over 100 miles per day. The years of confinement could have caused his attack which makes
killer whales even more unpredictable and untrainable. After Brancheaus death, Jean-Michel
Cousteau, the president of the Ocean Futures Society, made a statement saying, Maybe we as a
species have outgrown the need to keep such wild, enormous, complex, intelligent, and freeranging animals in captivity, where their natural is not only unnatural; it can be pathological.
Maybe we have learned all that we can from keeping them captive (Zimmerman, Killer in the
Pool).
The death of SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau and the Blackfish documentary have caused
many people and animal rights activist to question the emotional and physical wellbeing of killer
whales in captivity. Research over the past several decades shows that captive animals suffer
from increased psychological and physical stress. A 2003 study by Ros Clubb and Georgia Mason of Oxford University discovered that large carnivores kept in zoos showed pacing and other

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behaviors that indicated psychological and emotional stress resulting from the species inability
to follow migration and roaming patterns (Issitt, 1). Unlike domestic animals, wild animals are
not bred to live in captive spaces. Living in captivity has shown increased signs of aggression
and frustration towards humans and other animals. Killer whales are some of the most difficult of
all species to hold adequately in captivity (Noonan, 394). The killer whale shows a high degree
of social complexity in the wild which makes it even more difficult to adequately care for them
in captivity (Noonan, 394). In the wild, orcas spend their entire lives with their pod (family).
They swim over 100 miles a day and male orcas stay by their mothers side until the day they
day. They also have a unique way of communicating with one another while each pod speaks
their own language. Due to the complexity of their natural lifestyle and habitat, keeping such a
large and unique animal in a small pool causes psychological harm. After Tilikum was captured
at the age of 2, he was held in a concrete tank for over a year until being transferred to Sealand, a
public aquarium in Canada. Paul Spong, the director of OrcaLab did part time research at
Sealand before Tilikum arrived. He said this about holding orcas in holding tanks, If you pen
killer whales in a small steel tank, you are imposing an extreme level of sensory deprivation on
them. Humans who are subjected to those same conditions become mentally disturbed (Zimmerman, Killer in the Pool). The recent controversy with SeaWorld has uncovered allegations
of animal abuse at SeaWorld parks. Animals rights experts have claimed that SeaWorld takes
newly born whales from their parents to remove their teeth with power drills. SeaWorld has denied these accusations (Issitt, 1).
While most people believe that keeping killer whales in captivity does more harm than good,
there are researchers that believe that killer whales in captivity are healthier and live longer than
those in the wild. With the release of Blackfish, SeaWorld has disputed claims that captive killer

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whales dont live as long in captivity as they do in the wild. In March 2015, SeaWorld released a
ad with the title, Fact: Whales live as long at SeaWorld (Carroll, Jacobsen, SeaWorlds Orca
Claim). Dr. Douglas DeMaster of the Alaska Fisheries Science Center has compiled data that
compares the survival rate among captive and wild marine animals. In his 1995 paper, he found
that captive orcas had a 94 percent chance of surviving in captivity compared to the 98 percent in
the wild. Later on in 2013, he found that the annual survival rate for captive and non captive
killer whales had both become 98 percent. SeaWorld currently has several whales in their 30s
and one in its 40s (Carroll, Jacobsen, SeaWorlds Orca Claim). Daniel Stanton, a Sr. Biological
Scientist said in his article about the fate of orcas at SeaWorld that most killer whales in captivity
live happy and healthy lives in human care and that most dont know any different because they
were born and raised in human care (Truth About The Fate of Orcas).
Orcas at SeaWorld have given scientists the opportunity to study and research these large
marine animals. SeaWorld recently made a $1.5 million partnership with The National Fish and
Wildlife Foundation through the Killer Whale Research and Conservation Program. The support
of these organizations is part of SeaWorlds pledge to fund research and conservation to killer
whales in the wild. Recently, SeaWorld made a decision to stop captive orca breeding and focus
on a more natural habitat display for the animals. Research biologist Dawn Noren has been studying female killer whales and isnt happy about the change. The end of the breeding program
will cause SeaWorld orca population to dwindle and researchers will lose the chance to collect
health data and research growth on the large marine animal. As the animals age, scientists say,
research will be limited to geriatric orcas (Chicago Tribune, Scientists Not Happy with Decision). Brad Andrews, SeaWorlds chief zoological officer who has been with the company since
1986, said that SeaWorlds way of using shows has educated and inspired visitors while helping

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conserve the environment and support wildlife. The advances that SeaWorld has made in veterinary care has made it beneficial to rescuing sick marine animals (Zimmerman, Killer in the
Pool). Despite the criticism from animal rights activists, SeaWorld has made huge strides in
helping the community understand and preserve the life of marine animals.
When I was younger, I had the opportunity to go to SeaWorld and experience the popular
Shamu show that everyone raves about. I remember sitting towards the back and being awed by
the beauty of such a large animal yet intimidated by the strength of it. I couldnt understand how
an animal so large and powerful could still gracefully swim in the water and interact so gently
with its trainer. I didnt know much about aquariums or zoos at the time and assumed that all of
the animals were there because they werent well enough to live in the wild on their own. Later
on, I watched the documentary Blackfish and it changed my mind about animals in captivity. After researching the different opinions about killer whales in captivity, I still believe that killer
whales should live in a habitat more natural to their environment. Im still very grateful for the
opportunity to have seen Tilikum at SeaWorld during my visit, but I would love to have seen him
in an environment that caters to his needs and not the profit and entertainment of others. Seeing
him sparked a desire for me to one day see the amazing marine animals in their natural environment one day.

Cowperthwaite, Gabriela. "Watch." Blackfish. N.p., 2013. Web. 26 Apr. 2016.

Carroll, Lauren, and Louis Jacobson. "SEAWORLD'S ORCA CLAIM HOLDS WATER; But
the assertion that killer whales survive as long in captivity as in the wild needscaveats." Tampa
Bay Times [St. Petersburg, FL] 30 Mar. 2015: 1B. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 12
Apr. 2016.
Issitt, Micah. "Counterpoint: Confinement Of Wild Animals Is A Form Of Cruelty And Should
Be Prohibited." Points Of View: Zoos & Circuses (2016): 1. Points of View Reference Center.
Web. 18 Apr. 2016.

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Noonan, Michael. "On The Behavior And Welfare Of Killer Whales In Captivity." Journal Of
Applied Animal Welfare Science 16.4 (2013): 394. PsycINFO. Web. 14 Apr. 2016.
"Research." Research. SeaWorld, n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2016
"Scientists Not Happy with SeaWorld Decision to Stop Breeding Killer Whales." Chicagotribune.com. N.p., 4 Apr. 2016. Web. 19 Apr. 2016.
Stanton, Daniel. "The Truth About The Fate of the SeaWorld San Diego Orcas." Awesome
Ocean. Awesome Ocean, 11 Nov. 2015. Web. 14 Apr. 2016.
"Whale Kills A Trainer At SeaWorld." New York Times 25 Feb. 2010: A17(L). Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 12 Apr. 2016.
Zimmerman, Tim. "The Killer in the Pool." Outside Online. N.p., 30 July 2010. Web. 29 Apr.
2016.