Friday, August 30, 2013

Gudrun

No other story of an animal's life and death has effected me like the story of Gudrun. 


She was a creature defined by misery; her sadness was palpably recognizable to the people who worked with her. Cynthia Payne, an animal trainer who formerly worked with Gudrun at SeaWorld said, 
"She seemed to possess a sadness of the soul, unlike anything I had ever seen."



Once she was free. She swam alongside her mother in Icelandic waters when she was still very young. In 1976, she was captured by a ship called The Gudrun. Sea World personnel were aboard the ship. 

"She was named after the ship that captured her...I felt that explained everything." Payne recalled.

Gudrun was brought to the Dolfinarium Harderwijk in Holland, were she performed as the theme park's main attraction. Her only companions were bottle nosed dolphins.



In 1987, Dolfinarium Harderwijk contacted Sea World in Orlando Florida about the possibility of a "breeding loan." The Dolfinarium had no male Killer Whales with which to breed Gudrun. Their proposition was this: they would loan Gudrun to SeaWorld in order that she be bred with the male whales there. The calves born would be split between Harderwijk and SeaWorld, one after another.


SeaWorld agreed. To temporarily replace the Gudrun at the Dolfinarium, SeaWorld provided four false killer whales, which they had obtained from a Japanese mass capture. 



Gudrun's introduction to Florida included being "raked" and put in her place by the dominant female Katina. Sea World wasted no time breeding her; as David Kirby explains, "She was locked in a back pool with the aggressive Kanduke, who chased her around the tank, trying to penetrate her over and over, and often succeeding."

Kanduke was a moody, melancholic Transient Orca whale-- which means he was a different kind of animal than Katina and Gudrun. he was from a different part of the world, with a different language, whose family pods ate small mammals rather than fish. SeaWorld's captive breeding resulted in the first "half breeds" of Transients and Residents in thousands of years. 

Taima, a little girl, was born to Gudrun one stormy summer night in a pool at SeaWorld, 1989. Taima grew to be a defiant,"difficult" whale that would sometime intentionally disobey orders from her trainers.

(Gudrun and her firstborn, Taima)

On hot summer nights in Orlando, swarms of mosquitoes could be seen hovering around the blowholes of sleeping Orca whales, like clouds in the dark. It was one of these tiny creatures that proved to be the demise of the great beast Kanduke: he died in 1990 of a disease transmitted by a mosquito bite. 

Kanduke had been their only male. The bull Orca had to be replaced in order for SeaWorld's breeding program to survive. They wasted no time in purchasing a male killer whale from a small, dying Canadian marine park. This whale had a dark past that SeaWorld would keep hidden from their own trainers.

His name was Tilikum.

No one who worked directly with him at SeaWorld was told by management that he had drowned a Sealand trainer earlier that year, 20 year old Keltie Bryne.

(Tilly and Gudrun)

Unlike Kanduke, Tilly was gentle with Gudrun and her calf. He was an Icelandic whale, like she was; perhaps they had shared a similar culture in their lives before capture. Whatever the reason was, Gudrun and Tilikum spent much of their time together harmoniously. 

Astrid van Ginneken, M.D., Ph.D, had a special connection with Gudrun, and spent a lot of time with her. In David Kirby's book, she recounts how Tilikum and Gudrun bred: 

“He would swim behind her, and Gudrun would be in the lead, and she would look back at him, as if to say, ‘You’re still following me, right?’ And then he would swim up to her and caress her with his head, or he’d roll over and take her on his chest. It was so romantic. Afterwards, they were completely content, resting side by side. It was totally different from Kanduke.”

Gudrun soon became pregnant a second time, this time with Tilikum's calf. 


The baby was named Nyar. She was born deformed and disabled, with severe medical problems. Gudrun rejected the calf, and tried to drown her. SeaWorld separated the mother and calf. Because of her birth defects and mental disabilities, she was unable to learn tricks, and had trouble swimming correctly, so she could not perform in shows. Nyar spent most of her time with her father, Tilikum, who "treated her with great gentleness." 

The breeding continued, and Gudrun became pregnant once again by Tilikum, a third and final time. 


Gudrun was beautiful. She had maintained a perfectly straight dorsal fin, which was rare in captivity. Her perfect physicality made her SeaWorld's premier model for tourist pictures. The pregnant whale would be made to come up out of the water and hold a pose for many minutes at a time, while guests took souvenir photos on top pf her. The immense pressure of her weight was on her unborn calf. 

Towards the end of her pregnancy, Gudrun began eating less. When she went into labor, caretakers were unable to detect a heartbeat in the unborn baby, and it was presumed dead. Unable to expel the baby on her own, veteranarians had to manually extract the calf. Gudrun hemorrhaged severely. As David Kirby explains, 
"The pain must have been unearthly... She remained motionless in one spot, unprotected by shade, so staff lovingly lavished her back with zinc oxide"

The calf was stillborn. Gudrun dead baby was taken out of her, then from her. 



After the senseless loss of her freedom and then then of her child, she seemed to simply give into that misery which had for so long defined her. After four days of quiet mourning, nearly motionless in the water, Gudrun swam over to the gate that divided her from her sickly child, Nyar.
" Gudrun gently nudged Nyar’s rostrum through the bars, as if to ask for an overdue rapprochement"
 She nuzzled the calf she had once tried to kill, perhaps to say "I'm sorry," perhaps to say "goodbye."

Gudrun died a few hours later. She was presumed to be about 19 years old.


This is the life story of your performing Shamu, of the smiling whale on your postcard, the one with the toddler on it's back. Upon closer inspection of these joyful theme park attractions, you will find animals lives cut short and marked by suffering.






I have done my best to recount Gudrun's story here, confirming and compiling information from multiple sources. I am grateful to the people who have been willing to share their experience first hand with Gudrun, to Cynthia Payne and to John Jett, Jeff Ventre, Sam Berg, Carol Ray and to David Kirby. I hope her story continues to be told, and helps change peoples perception of Killer Whales in captivity.

For reference:

Former trainer Cynthia Payne gives her testimony via Voice of the Orcas
http://voiceoftheorcas.blogspot.com/2013/07/meet-cynthia-payne-another-former.html


"A Killer Show" David Kirbry
http://www.humanesociety.org/news/magazines/2012/07-08/a_killer_show_page_2.html


"Whale of a Business" PBS Frontline, inside SeaWorld:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/whales/seaworld/gudrun/


Former Trainer Sam Berg recalls Gudrun
http://theorcaproject.wordpress.com/2011/02/18/exclusive-interview-former-seaworld-trainer-samantha-berg/


Cetacean Inspiration: Dirty Little Secrets: SeaWorld History
http://cetaceaninspiration.wordpress.com/2011/11/25/dirty-little-secrets-seaworlds-history/


TAKE PART: Seven reasons they should be free 5. The Tragedy of Gudrun
http://www.takepart.com/photos/7-reasons-orcas-and-captivity-dont-mix/5-the-tragedy-of-gudrun


Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Shady SeaWorld Q&A video


Bro, its a VLOG!

"I got straight up lied to at Sea World. The fault cannot be placed on the employees themselves, because many of them simply do not know better. They have been fed false information from corporate and asked to pass it on. As I say in the video:

"Sea World, as a corporation, has to come up with alternative, pleasant-sounding answers to difficult questions, because if those questions were answered truthfully, there would be an outcry. The information is too disturbing. So their solution to that is to lie to their employees, and have their employees lie to park guests without being aware of it."



One of the things I forgot to address in full detail was "breeding." In the park, I was told by employees that reproduction was a clear sign that the animals were happy and emotionally content in captivity. He failed to mention, (or maybe didn't even know) that  SeaWorld has an artificial insemination program that it uses to breed whales. Not to be super crude, but they had trained their bull male, Tilikum, to present his genitals to trainers. Semen is then collected and injected into females.

Wala! You've got brand new baby whales.

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

For the sake of the Dolphin



It's 5 am when my alarm goes off. My body is numb and unresponsive, unwilling to move from the warm curve of my husband where I've settled. I stumble around and find my contacts, a hair tie, a bra. I shower. I'm headed downstairs for the coffee maker.

Its still dark when I pull up to the hotel. Familiar faces greet me, they know I'm coming by my loud heels on the tile. Many a "Buenos dais" are exchanged as I enter by the break room to clock in. There on the time clock, nicely placed, is a little plush dolphin.

I flash back to what I must have been dreaming about last night.

Blue water turning red, like a plague out of Exodus.

I pick up the toy and stoke it. "Whose is this?" I ask some of the ladies from housekeeping, who are enjoying their coffee nearby.

"Lost and found, Mami. No one claimed it. It's yours now." 

"Its so cute," I say, pressing it against my suit jacket.

Geradlo is a good friend at work, always smiling, always making me smile. He only knows a little English, and I know even less Spanish, but we always manage to talk anyway. He asks me what I'm going to name it.

"I don't know, what do you think I should I name her?"

"Umm... Flipper!" He smiles.

Flipper.

Kathy.

I place her in my purse and tuck it away in the back office.




It's been about a week since I was introduced to the work of Ric O'Barry, the Dolphin Man. His testimony is astounding, raw, and challenges conventional thinking about the "animal soul."

This guy captured and trained the 5 main dolphins that played Flipper in the 1960s TV series. His life changed radically the day that Kathy, one of the dolphins that most often played Flipper, died in his arms. He knew that captivity was causing her to become depressed. "You could see it in her. I knew she was tired of suffering," O'Barry says. "She was living a miserable life and she was tired of being miserable."

One day, she swam into Ric's arms. She looked him in the eye, purposefully.

Now here is the interesting part: each breathe a dolphin takes is a decision. They're not like us, who breathe without thinking; they have to intentionally surface, inhale and exhale.

That's why O'Barry is convinced that Kathy committed suicide in his arms. She looked at him, took a breath, and then chose not to take another. He let her go, and she sunk to the bottom of the pool, lifeless.

Ric O'Barry's life took a sharp 180 degree turn. The very day after Kathy's death, he was in jail for attempting to free captive dolphins. And that wasn't the last night he's spend incarcerated for the cause. The freedom and safety of dolphins has been his relentless mission since that crucial moment. He travels around the world, fighting for dolphins that are caged or killed, getting thrown in jail, getting out, doing it again.

He's basically a total badass. 



My dog Henry is curled up on the couch between us. I have strawberry frozen yogurt in one hand and the remote in the other, trying to figure out how to work the DVR. Katelyn is a bit more tech savvy than I am, and is able to find the "search" option quicker.

Documentaries:

C, O, V, E.

We are unprepared for what we are about to see, to say the least. 

The TV flashes images of a remote Japanese town called Taiji, and a little cove there, protected by angry Japanese fishermen holding up signs which read "NO CAMERAS." The film picks up like an espionage thriller as Ric and his team engineer ways to get video equipment past security in and into the secretive cove. 

They successfully film the mass slaughter of dolphins, corralled and netted into the cove by Japanese fishermen. The blue water turns bright red.

I can see the goosebumps on Katelyn's arms.




My mind begins recounting all that I have researched about the minds of cetaceans.  The information I have found out so far is nearly unbelievable. 

I always knew dolphins and whales were smart, but I didn't exactly know how smart. 
I found out that they are cultural, emotionally complex, self controlled, perceptive and aware.
Their brains are highly evolved. They use tools. We have every indication that they use and pass along language, and even call each other by name.

Neuroscientist Doctor Lori Marino has spent much of her time studying the magnificent minds of cetaceans. "In addition to showing impressive capacities in the communicative, social, and learning domains, dolphins are among the few species who, thus far, have shown convincing evidence of self-awareness."


Blood, like a red cloud, billows behind her as she frantically flops and jerks in and out of the water. She is desperate to escape the slaughter, and she is in pain. She comes up for air, struggling hard, then goes under. She appears once more, briefly, before disappearing under the red water forever.


The brains of cetaceans (dolphins, porpoises, whales) and the brains of primates are the two most highly evolved and complex on earth. They are both substantially large and have undergone increases in complexity. Dr Marino suggests it may not be that one species is "smarter" than the other, but rather, that cetaceans and primates have distinctly different types of intelligence, due to "different evolutionary trajectories taken towards neurological complexity." In other words, the brain of the dolphin and the brain of the human both evolved to be high functioning, but in different ways.  (1)

" (Cetaceans) provide an example of an alternative evolutionary route to complex intelligence on earth," she says. 

A spear is driven through the Paralimbic Cortex, slowly.

There is a part in the whale and dolphin brain that is not present in the human brain. It is known as the Paralimbic Cortex.

The Limbic System, which is the area of the brain responsible for handing emotional information, is actually larger and more spread out in dolphins than it is in humans. Dr Denise Herzig concludes that "the dolphin brain may have more of a ‘global connection' to [emotional] information".

Not only that, but  "dolphins possess a higher neocortical-limbic ratio than the average human, suggesting that their control over their own emotions is greater than what we experience." (2)

A mother nestles and clings to her calf, knowing that in moments, she will be slaughtered. Her baby will likely be taken and sold, living out the rest of his life in captivity.




As I come home from work that night, I grab my plush "Flipper" doll, Kathy, and hold her to my chest. I wonder what God must think as he looks upon the earth he has given us to protect and cherish, and sees those bloody beaches. Boats full of mutilated dolphins, whose mercury poisoned meat will soon fill the bellies of unaware Japanese school children. Sensitive and glorious animals that we could not just appreciate and admire, but that we steal and cage and profit from.


It's not alright by me.



On September 1st, the annual dolphin hunt will commence in Japan. That's only a few days away. Efforts are being made to stop this, and not in vain, but there is a long way to go. You can start with some of the source material below.

Me? I'm thinking I may organize an art show. Art has a way of speaking to people. An art show, complete with cupcakes, wine, and deep conversation. 
I've already getting a head start.


Please watch The Cove, and please take action by visiting Ric O'Barrys website.

He is the founder of the Dolphin Project, and they are making a huge difference for dolphins worldwide.







Friday, August 16, 2013

Justifications for Captivity


Ever since becoming 'anti captivity," I've tried to thoughtfully consider all sides of the issue, including what faithful patrons of marine parks might say. I mean, there are literally millions of them. They must have some good reason for approving of Shamu and his shows, right? Something other than him being cute and funny?

When I visited SeaWorld a little over a month ago, I was trying to think up justifications to make myself feel better. It was hard.

So far, I haven't been able to find any solid justification for keeping sentient, social, wild animals in small isolated cages and making them perform circus tricks. Here are my responses to some of the justifications I've encountered so far.

1. "Cetacean captivity is educational to the public." 



So, I was just at SeaWorld. I spent close to 10 hours there. During my visit, I learned zero things about wild animals. I was paying pretty good attention to the Shamu Show-- there were plenty of bright colors and cheesy music (complete with trainers in spandex dancing) and orcas making funny faces, sticking their tongues out. But I missed any part of the show where they tell you even one fact about the animals natural habitat, behaviors, diet, or anything. So... there's that.

Let's get real. It's kind of a joke to suggest that these theme park shows are "educating the public." Unless what you're trying to teach your kids  is that it's cool to keep self aware beings cramped and isolated for the sake of entertainment and financial gain. Because in the end, that is the primary goal: entertainment and money making. That will always have the priority over education. That's why SeaWorld is a Theme park and not a lecture hall.

 Jerye Moorey wrote an excellent article on cetacean captivity. In it, he makes this point:

 "Most disturbing is the number of people mis-educated by marine parks. Of the
millions of people who visit marine parks, many leave with a distorted perception of
cetaceans and marine ecosystems in general. The largest marine parks employ a
number of professional educators; however, the contents of educational materials are
carefully chosen to support the marine park agenda. The fact that marine
parks dismiss scientific findings which disagree with industry agendas demonstrates
clearly that marine parks do not present the "best current scientific knowledge" and
therefore present misleading information to the public as fact.

2. "Our scientific understanding of Orca Whales has improved since studying them up close in captivity."



Before the 1960s, few people had any common knowledge of Orca Whales. They certianly did not think Orcas had the potential to be gentle when interacting with humans. Dr. Paul Spong was one of the first to study these animals in captivity, at the Vancouver Aquarium in the late 1960s.  He is the founder of the OrcaLab, which is centered on the philosophy that it is possible to "study the wild without interfering with their loves or their habitat." When asked what the most important thing he learned from studying captive whales, he replied, "that these highly social,  highly intelligent animals certainly should not be held in captivity."

It was the same answer given by E-x SeaWorld trainers Samantha Berg and Carol Ray nearly 40 years later.

SeaWorld itself is not exactly a bastion of academic study. Dr Jeff Ventre, MD, and ex-Seaworld Trainer, gave this statement to "Orca Aware:"

"Prior to going to medical school, I did two tours of duty at 'Shamu Stadium' in Orlando, FL, USA in the late 1980's and again in the mid 1990's. During that time no research occurred. The vets and animal training staff did spend time trying to figure out how to manually extract semen from male killer whales (and eventually wrote a paper on artificial insemination, AI) but it was only done to create more captive killer whales. None of that work benefits wild animals. The other two scientific papers that I am familiar with were written by SeaWorld veterinarians because two young male killer whales died quickly from an unknown illness. As it turned out, they were both killed by mosquito bites at ages 14 and 20. In 1990 the transient male Kanduke died of St Louis Encephalitis, and in 2007, Taku died of West Nile Virus. Whales in captivity spend many hours each night logging at the surface, with their backs exposed. Mosquitoes, which are abundant in Florida, Texas, and California, are attracted by the CO2 exhaled from the whales' blowholes. Orca in captive environments are easy targets, unfortunately. Confinement for them is both inhumane and immoral."


3. "Not all captive Orcas are dangerous. Tilikum is the only one that has killed his trainers."



This ones easy. "On December 24, 2009, 29-year-old Alexis Martínez died during a rehearsal for a Christmas Day show at the Loro Parque Park in Spain. The 14-year-old male orca, Keto, who was born at SeaWorld Orlando Florida, reportedly rammed Martínez in the chest, rendering him unconscious."

There are nearly uncountable violent attacks by captive whales on their trainers. But if you really feel like you need to count, read this huge list on Wikipedia of near deaths. 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killer_whale_attacks_on_humans

But if you're really in favor of the idea that Tilikum is predispositioned for violence, rest easy knowing that the majority of SeaWorld killer whales now have his DNA. He is their resident sperm bank.


4. SeaWorld works to ensure the safety of their employees.



Good! I'm glad they are trying their hardest. Unfortunately, despite these "best efforts," people have been mauled, attacked, dragged to the bottom of pools, had limbs broken, nearly escaped death, or been killed. So... trying their hardest is not good enough.

5.  Tilikim didn't mean to kill Dawn. He was playing with her.




Dawn Brancheau was dragged into the water by a wild animal, rammed, bruised, dismembered, and partly eaten. She was attacked. To insinuate anything less-- worst of all that it was somehow her own fault-- is insulting to her legacy, and ignores the facts of the case.

6. SeaWorld does a lot of good for marine mammals, rehabilitating them and releasing them back into the wild.



I do not want to undermine the importance of this. I am thankful to SeaWorld for the good that they do. I am glad it is a part of their mission, and hope that it eventually grows to become their primary focus.

The thing is, it's not their primary focus. Making money as an entertainment company absolutely is. That means when it comes to sacrificing the freedom of the smartest animals they have for a profit, they do not mind.

It is good that they so positive rehabilitative work with animals. But they are also the forerunners in an idustry that does tremendous harm to cetaceans.

Doing one good thing doesn't erase when you do bad things.


7. You have a dog, right? Isn't that kind of the same?




Someone actually said this to me. I realized then that some people need to be patiently walked though the basics.

Whales are not Shih Tzus. Not even sort of.

Dogs have been domesticated since before we have recorded history. They evolved, through human breeding, to live alongside and with us as domestic, cohabiting companions. Your Spaniel is no longer a wild wolf, in other words. It is a house pet. It doesn't long for its pack in the woods.

And your Spaniel bares even less resemblance to the super intelligent, highly social wild whale that was taken out of the ocean and separated from its kind. We must learn to treat specific issues specifically.

8. Most of the captive whales SeaWorld owns are born in captivity
.



Yeah, that's almost worse. They're suppose to be born in the wild with their pod, able to stay by their mothers side for their whole lives, in a pod with their aunts and grandmother, swimming hundreds of miles a day. Instead, the farthest they ever see is a few feet across their pool. They are almost certainly separated from their mothers, bred young, and have a tenancy to die in their teens.

I think the most effective thing for us to campaign against may be the breeding done at SeaWorld. That is where the problem is bleeding out-- that is what will perpetuate captivity. It will never stop until the breeding stops.








Thursday, August 15, 2013

Freedom



We often find a picture of ourselves in animals. At least I do. Ironically, the animal kingdom has a lot to teach us about our own humanity.


 Sometimes its a metaphor for a higher spiritual theme. Others, its something warm and familiar we recognize in the foreign, natural world; something we connect with. Sometimes its glimpse of something pure and lovely-- just enough to shake us up to the idea that there more to life than meets the eye. 

Lately, I've been ruminating on the concept of "freedom." I watch videos of whales in the wild, moving, as if in slow motion, in and out of the green liquid landscapes. Their fins tower out of the water like black sails, then disappear beneath the surface. A young one will pop out beside its mother, then like peek-a-boo, appear on her other side. They move together, as if to some rhythm only they can hear. Their might and grace are perfectly balanced, their delight hangs so heavy in the air around them you can almost see it's shine. Even though I'm only looking at a computer screen, I get chills seeing them free- I get an ache in my gut wishing they all were.



Any time I think about freedom I draw parallels to my spiritual experiences. My faith has a lot to do with freedom. The whole idea is being set free from guilt, fear, and emptiness-- free to experience the fullness of joy in God. Part of my soul reacts to the idea of setting Gods creatures free. We all recognize that there is something innately good about "the captive being set free." That's true of mankind, of cetaceans, of myself. I want to see creatures that were born free swimming with no walls dividing them. But I also want freedom in my own heart.



I think part of the key is to value freedom. 

True freedom. I'm not talking about the cheap idea of "freedom" so many people mistakenly hold: that is, to do whatever you want, without moral bounds, even to your own determent, regardless of whether you're correct or incorrect in your thinking. Those, really, are chains disguised as freedom, and I have no interest in that.


I want freedom that no one can take from me. Down to my bones. In my soul. I want peace that doesn't depend on shifting circumstances. I want to swim deep, to drink it all in, to laugh like a ransomed prisoner.





My dad calls me "little lioness." I'm not sure how insulted I should be by that, but I kind of like it. He means that I'm strong willed and passionate, and when an injustice gets my attention, you're going to hear about it. But there's another animal I've been listening to, hoping to learn from, who may help me calm my restlessness.

I wrote this in a journal sometime last week. 






Little lioness, with hot breath roaring,
and thunder in your belly, swelling,
You bare the wet and ivory daggers
 for the justice of your cause
 In the heat, in the red of the kill, you’re panting,
Longing for water.
Quiet the swell and turn your head
Be for a moment like the whale,
Who is at once fierce and wise.
She plunges the depths in song, unthreatened, unafraid.
She knows her might, and chooses gentleness.
She owns nothing, wants for nothing
Her riches are her joy
She is never alone, never threatened
For all other creatures are lower than she.
For the endlessness available to her,
For her birthright to roam, unhedged,
For the uninterrupted wonder she is woven into,
She sings
She praises, she glories-- by her very being-- by her enjoyment of breath, and by her nature--
For this she was made, for this she lives, unquestioning and purposeful
If you have been made free,
Be free
Sing, rejoice! Swim in the depths unburdened
Share amongst the others what is delightful and right.
Be immersed in the divinity of your purpose,
For what you have been granted is good.
 You are plunged into the water
Born, reborn

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Blackfish

 
 
 
Sunday afternoon, we put on our freedom gear and headed to the Enzian Theater to watch the documentary we'd been so eagerly awaiting: Blackfish.

 
The Enzian, by the way, is amazing. If you live anywhere around Maitland you should make this one of your hotspots. And look! Apparently, its 5 bucks for Bloody Marys and Vodka OJs.
 

We ordered food and sat down to watch the show. My heart raced.
 

 
Once again, nothing could really prepare me for the weight of what I was about to see. I honestly feel that you cannot watch this film and walk away unchanged. I was certainly instilled with an even stronger sense of urgency to do something for Orca Whales. The film is structured, informative, heart wrenching, challenging, and difficult to argue with.
 
 
Everyone interviewed was directly involved with the subject. Scientists, Marine Mammal PhDs, eyewitnesses of attacks, and even a sailor who participated in Orca Whale captures. Many former SeaWorld trainers also appeared in the film. Their palpable, raw honestly and firsthand experience with captive animals was, I believe, the heart of the film. They had an obvious love for these animals, and courageously spoke up for them in this new context.
 
 
 
 
We all watched as a white haired sailor, covered in tattoos and folding his arms, told the story of "the worst things he's ever done:" capturing infant Killer Whales out of the wild and tearing them away from their mothers. He said that as they screamed for each other, he had begun to cry, but had continued his work.
 
 
 
 
The whales that died in the process were cut open, filled with rocks, and sunk to the bottom of the ocean. "At the time, I didn't think of it as illegal as much as a PR thing," he said.
 
 
 
 
I think the point where I lost it was when a former SeaWorld trainer told the story of Kasata's calf, Takara, being taken from her. The trainer said that she had "naively assumed" that the mother and calf would be kept together, because in the wild, Orcas never separate from their young. She was allegedly mocked by management, and Takara was ripped from her mom and shipped to a different sea park in another part of the country.
 
 
 
Kasata proceeded to wail, shriek and mourn for the entire night. The noises she was making were unlike anything they had heard before. When they brought in an expert to analyze the sounds, he found that they were long range calls-- she was trying for her scream to be heard at far distances, maybe far enough for her baby to hear them and return to her.
 
 
 
Even as I typed that last sentence my heart broke. How on earth can we accept this.
 
 
 
Of course, the film also focuses on how the inhumane treatment of captive Killer Whales has led to animal violence against human trainers. Multiple dead and wounded people make it pretty clear pretty fast that this is not a safe or good idea.
 
 
 
The film covers the following deaths:
 
The death of Keltie Byrne, who was killed by Tilikum in Marine Land of the Pacific in 1991
 
The death of Danile Dukes, a man found dead and torn apart, draped naked over Tilikums body after sneaking into the park in1999
 
The death Tim Zimmerman in Loro Parque, who, after he was killed by a killer whale, "looked as if his chest had exploded."
 
The death of Dawn Brancheau, an experienced SeaWorld trainer, who was dragged into the water and killed by Tilikum in 2010.
 
More incidents were shown, including Ken Peters being repeatedly dragged to the bottom of the pool by Kasatka and held there. The video for that is here:
 
and a longer list of incidents is here
 
 
And of course, please watch the Trailer.
 
 
We will definitely be back to see it again soon...
 
 
 
 
 
Click the link to watch my good friend Katelyn and I discuss our reactions to Blackfish.
 
(Oh you know, we're just chillin in a corner of Barnes and Noble on the floor, drinking our Starbucks coffee and making a weblog on an i phone about saving the whales.)
 
I swear... I've accidentally become a hippie.
 
But when a cause is as obviously important as this one... maybe it's time we all went a little hippie.