We love to be entertained. Entertainment comes in countless varieties, and new forms of entertainment are always being dreamed up. A major form of entertainment that has blossomed during the past few decades is entertainment that involves large and generally dangerous animals. The film Blackfish explores one aspect of this kind of entertainment, the Sea Park, examining Sea World in particular. Blackfish shows us a side of this entertainment that most of us have never considered before, which is the repercussions that come from using and exploiting wild animals for entertainment. As the film continues, we begin to ask ourselves about the ethics involved in such entertainment. Gradually, it leads us to the idea that using living creatures solely as objects of entertainment is damaging to them, and diminishes the respect we owe them.
As
humans we have a stewardship over the earth, and a responsibility to every
creature that resides in, on and under it. Nature is powerful. Nature contains
incredible intelligence. When nature is messed with, it can strike back with
full fury. As such, it deserves our respect. John Jett, (former Sea World
trainer) said about the orcas in Blackfish
“When you look into their eyes you know that somebody is home. Somebody is
looking back.” The same is true of several animals, from domesticated dogs and
cats, to orcas to elephants to lions. These animals may not be as intelligent
as we humans consider ourselves, but there is definitely “somebody home”. When
this is forgotten or cast aside, real problems begin to arise.
Many
orcas that perform at Sea World and similar parks are captured from the wild at
a young age and then trained in captivity to perform. A scene in Blackfish shows a group of hunters (for
lack of a better term) capturing the young orcas from their family groups. One
expert describes it thus:
“As soon as they had caught the young
orcas they dropped the nets and the others could have left, but they stayed.” A former hunter also recalls, “The whole
family is just sitting there calling out to their young ones and it’s then that
you understand what you’re doing…. It’s like kidnapping a little kid from its
parents.”
Are
these the lengths we are willing to go through simply for entertainment? A
neurologist interviewed in Blackfish also
talks about the mental capabilities of orcas and the fact that they have the
capacity to feel emotion, and as mentioned above, they are very social
creatures. So why do we only think of them in terms of Shamu, doing flips at a
Sea World show? When we put them, or any wild animal for that matter, in terms
of a mindless performer, we lose a large portion of the respect that we as
stewards of this earth owe them. And, as evidenced in Blackfish, they fight back.
A
large part of Blackfish focuses on the
story of Tilikum, an orca who has killed three people in the course of his
captivity. He is an extremely large whale, which makes him an impressive
addition to the Sea World “collection”. His size also makes his performances
extra exciting because of the big splashes and fun tricks he is able to
execute. However, he has what we will call a “history of violence”. When people
get stressed or scared or mad they lash out. Well as it turns out, so do orcas
(as well as several other animals). This makes perfect sense when we remember
that these are living, intelligent creatures that have the capacity to form
families and feel emotions. Tilikum is no different. As Blackfish goes over his life, there are several things that would
make any human lose it, so of course an animal who, although very intelligent does
not have the same control over its emotions as we humans do, would snap, and
react violently. The real tragedy is that the trainers, probably the people who
objectify these animals the least, are the ones bear the brunt of their attacks.
The trainers and former trainers interviewed in Blackfish explain how important “their” animals are to them and
many of them truly understand and believe in the intelligence they see in these
animals.
Now,
entertainment in and of itself is not a negative thing. As well as Sea World
and other similar parks do play a major role in conservation efforts, which is
definitely commendable. However, the problems arise when the animals kept in the
captivity of their parks are only recognized for their commercial and
entertainment value, as opposed to their inherent value as living and
intelligent creatures.
What
it all comes down to is an appreciation for life, in every shape and form in
which it exists. As we come to appreciate the incredible value of every living
thing, it will be easier for us to recognize the difference between
entertainment and objectification. When we see the world through a lens of
appreciation instead of the expectation for entertainment, we will be able to
find the inherent beauty in every life on this earth.
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