Blackfish – definitely one to watch

Blackfish is a documentary about the dangers that killer whales, that are kept in captivity, pose to their trainers. It is an expose of the “accidental” deaths that occurred at Sea World. Being interested in all things aquatic I thought I would give it a watch. It is a harrowing tale. The documentary isn’t as disturbing as I thought it would be but it makes a very strong accusation that Sea World is covering up deaths and saying that it is a trainer accident. Now, one thing that is not given is Sea World’s own opinion. They refused to give an interview for the documentary. This gives a very one sided view. However, the evidence presented is very strong. I don’t think that I could be happy being locked up in a cage, with no real stimulation and being asked to perform tricks daily. There is something not quite right about it. I suggest that you watch the documentary and decide for yourself whether it is right or not.

I have never seen a killer whale, or any other kind of whale for that matter, with my own eyes. I remember on a trip to Florida in 1992 I begged my parents to take us to Sea World, but we never went. Instead my father bought us a pass that allowed us access to the Magic Kingdom and its affiliated sites. I never got to go and see an animal show, however I quickly forget all about it when I was surrounded by Disney.

There seems to be a lot of these parks all over the world. When I was living in Italy there was Zoomarine, in Malta there is the Marine Park, and in the Bahamas there is the Dolphin Experience. These are all places where they train animals to perform and bring them into close contact with humans. I have been on the Stuart Cove’s Shark Dive, but these are truly wild animals and I don’t feel that they are in the same category as captive animals. Shark baiting is a discussion for another day.  So with all these opportunities around me, I have never been to one of these “parks”.

I am a firm believer that you have to experience, to have personal knowledge, of something to be able to talk intelligently of it. That is why I have tried so many different things over the years – also it is fun trying new things. I know that I don’t want to go to a park where animals are kept in captivity to put on shows. I don’t think that it is right. This is one of the reasons why I scuba dive. I can get to see the animals in their natural habitat and enjoy them being free. Most sea life is not interested in us, and will happily let us watch as they go about their daily business. Come scuba diving and see the animals how they really are.