BLACKFISH IS NOT A DOCUMENTARY -
It's a one-sided propaganda film!
Blackfish was majorly an Opinion piece, and It employs false and emotionally manipulative sequences, misleading information and even straight-up lies, as well as doctored footage to go along with the emotionally manipulative sequences.
First, Let's Take a Look at the Former Trainers interviewed in the Film:
First, Let's Take a Look at the Former Trainers interviewed in the Film:
they used people who haven’t worked at SeaWorld in over a decade and have had a minimal amount of time with Tilikum or killer whales in general
8 misleading information & lies on Killer whales
in "blackfish"
#1: Life Expectancy - The film claims that female killer whales in the wild can live to be over 100, this is not true. Only 1 Orca lived to be 100 (estimated of course) and that was "Granny" (or J2) - According to NOAA, Male Killer Whales live to be 30-35 years on average and Females Live to 50 years on average. Life Expectancy really depends on the ecotype of killer whale as well - The most recent study on life expectancy of southern resident killer whales is that females live between 30 and 46 years and males 19 to 31 years.
(Sources: Paper from the Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat; (See BF Index #4)
(Sources: Paper from the Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat; (See BF Index #4)
The Oxford University Journal of Mammalogy has released a new peer reviewed study which finds that SeaWorld’s killer whales live just as long as those in the wild. (OXFORD STUDY: CLICK HERE
#2: Separation of mother and calves - First things first, The Film, implies that "Wild Orcas never leave their mothers and are with them for their whole lives." - The Film offers no scientific basis for this statement, If no adult offspring ever leave their mother, there would be no genetic diversity necessary for survival or separate pods of killer whales. It is estimated that there currently exists thousands of pods of killer whales in the wild. Now, as for SeaWorld - Mother and Calf separation has occurred BUT only in Extreme social situations - such as a mother rejecting her calf or the calf was disruptive from its mother - The Film used the "Kasatka - Takara separation" - using footage of baby Kalina to imply that Takara was a baby when separated from Takara - Takara was 12 years old, an adult female with her own calf, who was moved with her! Mother and calf separation happens when only forced to for the welfare of the animals and was when a calf or offspring was independant from the mother or a young adult! Many of SeaWorld's Orcas Live with their offspring - Ex. Kasatka still resides with her offspring, Nakai, Kalia and Makani. Katina lives with Nalani and Makaio. Takara lives with her calves, Sakari and Kamea.)
#3: Collapsed Dorsal Fins - In the film, Mr. Ventre claims "less than 1%" of wild killer whales experience Dorsal fin Collapse. There is no scientific evidence to support this claim of less than 1 percent. To the contrary, there is scientific evidence that nearly one-quarter of adult male southern resident killer whales in the wild have collapsing, collapsed or bent dorsal fins. It is estimated that 1/4 of the male New Zealand population of animals have collapsed dorsal fins as well - as told by Dr. Ingrid Visser herself - Evidence: Ingrid Visser Paper (1998) (See BF Index #38) HERE
The Dorsal Fin is Made of Collagen, which is similar to Cartilage. There is no bones. Dorsal fins also have weight to them. When the Orca spends lots of time at the surface, over time (presumably years) - The Fin will take another form or fall under its weight due to GRAVITY and lack of specific water pressure. Genetics may also play a Role. Dorsal Fin Collapse may be more common in human care - due to spending their time with trainers and doing more slide out behaviors BUT Dorsal Fin Collapse occurs in WILD ORCAS are well and more than just "1%" - It occurs about 15-20% depending on the Ecotype. The majority of Dorsal fin Collapse or a bending fin happens in Maturing or Older Males (since they're fins can grow to 6 ft) as well as older females. Dr. Todd Robeck, Vice President of Theriogenology spoke of dorsal collapse during a recent roundtable discussion on The Voice of San Diego. Also present was Dr. Naomi Rose of The Animal Welfare Institute. Dr. Robeck has worked for SeaWorld since 1985. While Dr. Rose strongly opposes SeaWorld’s business model, they both agreed, through their medical and professional opinions, that dorsal bending and collapse is not a symptom of physical or mental illness, hydration, overall health, or welfare. This phenomenon is simply the affect of gravity over time on the fibrous connective tissue that makes up dorsal fins and tail flukes. When the animal spends more time at the surface, the dorsal will collapse. This has zero affect on the orca’s health, welfare, and agility.
#4. No Killer Whale has done harm in the Wild - This is false. There are documented instances of killer whales attacking humans in the wild.
• In the 1910s, the Terra Nova Expedition recorded that killer whales had attempted to tip ice floes on which an expedition photographer and a sled dog team were standing.
• On June 15, 1972, 43-foot-long (13 m) wooden schooner Lucette (Lucy) was holed by a pod of killer whales and sank approximately 200 miles west of the Galapagos Islands. The group of six people aboard escaped to an inflatable life raft and a solid-hull dinghy.
• On September 9, 1972, a Californian surfer named Hans Kretschmer reported being bitten by a killer whale at Point Sur. His wounds required 100 stitches.
• In August 2005, while swimming in four feet of water in Helm Bay, near Ketchikan, Alaska, a 12-year-old boy named Ellis Miller was "bumped" in the shoulder by a 25-foot transient killer whale. The boy was not injured.
• During the filming of the third episode of the BBC documentary "Frozen Planet" (2011), a group of orcas were filmed trying to "wave wash" the Film crew's 18-foot zodiac boat as they were filming. The crew had earlier taped the group hunting seals in the same fashion. It was not mentioned if any of the crew were hurt in the encounter.
No Wild Animal is 100% harmless...
• In the 1910s, the Terra Nova Expedition recorded that killer whales had attempted to tip ice floes on which an expedition photographer and a sled dog team were standing.
• On June 15, 1972, 43-foot-long (13 m) wooden schooner Lucette (Lucy) was holed by a pod of killer whales and sank approximately 200 miles west of the Galapagos Islands. The group of six people aboard escaped to an inflatable life raft and a solid-hull dinghy.
• On September 9, 1972, a Californian surfer named Hans Kretschmer reported being bitten by a killer whale at Point Sur. His wounds required 100 stitches.
• In August 2005, while swimming in four feet of water in Helm Bay, near Ketchikan, Alaska, a 12-year-old boy named Ellis Miller was "bumped" in the shoulder by a 25-foot transient killer whale. The boy was not injured.
• During the filming of the third episode of the BBC documentary "Frozen Planet" (2011), a group of orcas were filmed trying to "wave wash" the Film crew's 18-foot zodiac boat as they were filming. The crew had earlier taped the group hunting seals in the same fashion. It was not mentioned if any of the crew were hurt in the encounter.
No Wild Animal is 100% harmless...
#5: Rake Marks & Violence among Orcas - The film implies that "Rake marks aren't natural" - This is False. Rake marks are a way of showing who is in charge. Females will rake male Killer Whales with their teeth as a way to balance and establish their social structure and pod structure. This happens in the wild and this happens in captivity. It doesn't happen "worse" in captivity because "they can't get away" - Wild Orcas barely move away themselves when a more dominant whale rakes them! Raking is also a form of "horseplay" among younger orcas. Dr Ingrid Visser states in the same document as about Dorsal fin Collapse, “Scarring on cetaceans has been recorded for a wide range of species with many of these scars attributed to inter-male aggression [citation omitted], but prolific scarring has also been reported on females of some species. [citations omitted]. The extensive scarring of the two adult male killer whales reported here cannot be positively attributed to one sex or the other, but it is highly probable that conspecifics [the same species] caused the parallel tooth rakes, due to the spacing of the rake marks. Scheffer (1969) reports a killer whale marked with regular lines suggesting scars made by the teeth of another killer whale. . . It is likely that any other killer whale involved in a mutually aggressive interaction would also show some scarring. . .Rake marks from killer whales are not uncommon on other species of cetaceans, e.g., . . . humpback whales, . . . gray whales, . . .bowhead whales. These scars all resemble those reported on the two adult male killer whales in this paper."
#6. All Captive Whales Have a Bad Life - This was more of an Opinion than anything but still sort of a Lie as well. Orcas at SeaWorld receive the best zoological care and needs. SeaWorld's orcas perform in shows as a part of their exercise and mental simulation. People against captivity also like to say, "The whales are bored, depressed, stressed out, etc." When there is not even ANY Physiological research to back that up. For one, Before or after shows or interactions with the trainers, SeaWorld's orcas are playing with enrichment toys, participating in research, doing training sessions to also simulate them physically and mentally, or they are sleeping, which "activists" claim is "logging" and abnormal behavior. Killer whales sleep with their blowhole surfaced and unlike dolphins don't exactly swim much when in a resting state. The trainers LOVE these animals. They share a unique relationship with the whales. They are not "forced" to do tricks! How are you going to force such a huge, highly intellgent animal to do any behavior? With mutual trust, respect and love - as well as positive reinforcement (Rewarding) as you do with dogs or horses. Bonding with any animal takes time. Also, Their "tricks" are Natural behaviors you'll see in wild orcas. Shows are far different than how it was in the 70s or even the 90s. The shows are themed more naturally and are purposely to educate you. If the animals did not want to perform in shows they would easily not do it. When you give killer whales plenty of fish and they have had their fill for the day, what else are you going to give them? More fish? These animals are actually lucky that they are PROTECTED from more SERIOUS threats in the Wild - Pollution, Oil spills, Disease introduced by humans or harmful pathogens, Starvation and being injured by Boats...
They receive the highest vet care in the nation. They are Loved by everyone - from the trainers or the vets who work with them each day.
(Another Good source on Care of Marine Mammals in Human Care HERE)
They receive the highest vet care in the nation. They are Loved by everyone - from the trainers or the vets who work with them each day.
(Another Good source on Care of Marine Mammals in Human Care HERE)
#7. Orcas in captivity are deprived of food in training - The Film also implied that ALL Marine parks or Aquariums use food deprivation on their Orcas to force them to do behaviors - At the time, It was showing footage of Tilikum at Sealand of the Pacific as well as one of the former Sealand trainers admitting depriving the whales of food. The Film FORGOT to separate the situation casing it to imply to SeaWorld doing this to their whales as well. SeaWorld's killer whales eat around 80 to over 100 pounds of different varieties of Fish - including Herring, Smelt, Salmon and Cod.
- HERE"S A VIDEO ALL ABOUT IT -
- HERE"S A VIDEO ALL ABOUT IT -
#8: SeaWorld's Orcas can be Reintroduced into the Wild to Sea pens - This claim isn't just in "Blackfish" - All anti-captivity people and Animal Rights extremists promote this. The Reality is that These Orcas CANNOT be released into the Ocean For SEVERAL REASONS -
• 90% of Orcas at SeaWorld were Born in Human Care - therefore they have No adaptation to the Ocean's waters, which in unfiltered unlike their current environment. They also lack knowledge to hunt their own food or swim against a current.
• Sea Pens are surrounded by netting mostly - This risks the Orcas of getting tangled in the netting and drowning themselves.
• Sea Pens also contain no water treatment or filtering systems - This risks the Orcas of exposure to harmful bacteria and pathogens in the waters of the ocean, and risks them more of getting sick.
• Sea pens have nothing protecting the bottom and the Ocean of course contains rocks, dirt, sand, etc. - Orcas in managed care haven't experienced those objects and may "explore" them by consoming them. In fact, a Orca named Nami - who was captured in Taiji by a Japanese marine park - was kept in a Sea pen at first - where she swallowed stones and sand before being transferred to a marine park where she died of a shut down digestive system - over 100 stones were found in her stomach after she was in that Sea pen.
• Sea pens are Still Captivity and Separates the animals from interacting with their actual wild counterparts.
• SeaWorld Orcas are Healthy where they are - Research and the USDA have confirmed so - There is no need to place them in a Sea Pen.
• Lastly, Sea pens are extremely expensive {The cost of building such pens could reach $5 million each, with staffing costs of up to $500,000 a year for each pen, according to experts}. & decent ones are even smaller than SeaWorld's show pool!
Here is a diagram of Keiko's sea pen:
• 90% of Orcas at SeaWorld were Born in Human Care - therefore they have No adaptation to the Ocean's waters, which in unfiltered unlike their current environment. They also lack knowledge to hunt their own food or swim against a current.
• Sea Pens are surrounded by netting mostly - This risks the Orcas of getting tangled in the netting and drowning themselves.
• Sea Pens also contain no water treatment or filtering systems - This risks the Orcas of exposure to harmful bacteria and pathogens in the waters of the ocean, and risks them more of getting sick.
• Sea pens have nothing protecting the bottom and the Ocean of course contains rocks, dirt, sand, etc. - Orcas in managed care haven't experienced those objects and may "explore" them by consoming them. In fact, a Orca named Nami - who was captured in Taiji by a Japanese marine park - was kept in a Sea pen at first - where she swallowed stones and sand before being transferred to a marine park where she died of a shut down digestive system - over 100 stones were found in her stomach after she was in that Sea pen.
• Sea pens are Still Captivity and Separates the animals from interacting with their actual wild counterparts.
• SeaWorld Orcas are Healthy where they are - Research and the USDA have confirmed so - There is no need to place them in a Sea Pen.
• Lastly, Sea pens are extremely expensive {The cost of building such pens could reach $5 million each, with staffing costs of up to $500,000 a year for each pen, according to experts}. & decent ones are even smaller than SeaWorld's show pool!
Here is a diagram of Keiko's sea pen:
2 of the biggest FAKE SCENES in Blackfish
1. Former Trainer Samantha berg "rode a killer whale"
This sequence of the film misleads the audience into believing that Ms. Berg is the trainer depicted as riding the whale (i.e. engaging in “waterwork” with the whale) thereby making it appear that Ms. Berg had relevant experience. In fact, the trainer is not Ms. Berg, it is Holly Byrd, and is footage recorded at SeaWorld more than 10 years after Ms. Berg left SeaWorld. SeaWorld has no record of Ms. Berg doing waterwork with killer whales. Ms.Berg, as stated before worked primarily with dolphins, beluga whales and sea lions, and had very limited experience with killer whales. LIER ALERT.
The Trainer Holly Byrd had this to say:
For the complete footage and EVIDENCE it is Holly doing waterworks with The Orca -
HERE is the Behind the scenes of Believe - where they filmed Holly experiencing her first waterworks session with Katina - (STARTS AT 25:10 in)
HERE is the Behind the scenes of Believe - where they filmed Holly experiencing her first waterworks session with Katina - (STARTS AT 25:10 in)
2. the "crying" mother whale - kasatka & takara's "SEPARATION"
One of the most well-known and most talked about scenes of the film is the scene about Kasatka "crying" for Takara after being separated. So many things were just Fake and awfully edited in this scene.
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First of all, in the footage you see the killer whale opening it's mouth and you hear killer whale calls. Killer whales DO NOT make noises through their mouth, it is completely through their blow hole so that is all inaccurate. Those calls that you hear were recorded from wild orcas and were just put in with the footage. Secondly, Takara was an ADULT Female, not a baby when she was transferred to SeaWorld of Orlando and had a calf of her own moved with her. Takara was moved to balance San Diego's social structure. SeaWorld has not seperated a calf from it's mother in 25 years.
Hargrove also stated that SeaWorld brought in a scientist to analyze the vocals. “They were long ranged vocals . . .looking for Takara.” - LIER ALERT! SeaWorld did not call in a scientist to analyze Kasatka’s vocals. There was no "looking for Takara" or vocalizing of trying to find her evidence.
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First of all, in the footage you see the killer whale opening it's mouth and you hear killer whale calls. Killer whales DO NOT make noises through their mouth, it is completely through their blow hole so that is all inaccurate. Those calls that you hear were recorded from wild orcas and were just put in with the footage. Secondly, Takara was an ADULT Female, not a baby when she was transferred to SeaWorld of Orlando and had a calf of her own moved with her. Takara was moved to balance San Diego's social structure. SeaWorld has not seperated a calf from it's mother in 25 years.
Hargrove also stated that SeaWorld brought in a scientist to analyze the vocals. “They were long ranged vocals . . .looking for Takara.” - LIER ALERT! SeaWorld did not call in a scientist to analyze Kasatka’s vocals. There was no "looking for Takara" or vocalizing of trying to find her evidence.