A Large Right Whale On Tohunga Beach

In the documentary “Blackfish”, directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite, she discussed the harmful events that have occurred when keeping killer whales contained for show and entertainment purposes. Cowperthwaite argued the fact that the killer whales become aggressive when held captive in an area too small for them and separated from their families. Throughout the documentary there were many horrifying stories about the attacks told by people who had saw the tragedies first-hand.

The black fish or killer whale, is a very dangerous apex predator with a diet that consist of many animals in its environment. These animals are very unique with its sharp and long array of teeth, one very famous orca whale was Tilikum, who was captured in Iceland as a baby and taken away from its parents and sent to an aquarium/amusement park called sea land, sea land was relatively new and with all of its orcas it became very popular in the general area. Yet Tilikum showed much distress its first years living at the park after being attacked by many of the older female orcas who were upset with Tilikum after not performing a trick properly, which left all the orcas with no food for a period of time. As the park seemed to deem it necessary so Tilikum

The origin of modern day whales, a mystery that has puzzled paleontologists for years, may have just been solved with the discovery of an ankle bone. This discovery might sound simple and unimportant, but the bones of these ancient animals hold many unanswered questions and provide solid proof of origin and behavior. The relationship between whales and other animals has proven to be difficult because whales are warm-blooded, like humans, yet they live in the sea. The fact that they are warm-blooded suggests that they are related to some type of land animal. However, the questions of exactly which animal, and how whales evolved from land to water, have remained unanswered until now.

“ The story of the whale is so remarkable, that were there not so many witnesses, I would not venture to tell it, lest I be accused of exaggeration.”

Blackfish is a shocking film that reveals a lot of information regarding Sea Worlds famous known “Killer Whales”. These enormous whales are highly trained by trainers of Sea World who perform for thousands daily. The film uses the tragic tale of Tillikum to support their many claims and an investigation of the Sea World

process. With the remaining dead whales, they cut them open and fill them with heavy objects to

The rhetorical situation of the documentary is presented by director and writer Gabriela Cowperthwaite when she brings to light the history of Seaworld and it’s famous orca, Tilikum by recruiting former trainers and whale experts. The context of the film is explained when it dives into the orca attacks, the most recent victim being Dawn Brancheau who was killed by Tilikum in 2010. The principle aim to this documentary is that orcas should not be held in captivity because it is detrimental to their mind citing past incidents throughout Tilikum’s life. I found this “text” to be effective because it highlights the developed brain of an orca, former incidents with Tilikum, and consistent concealment of blame from

Blackfish Impacts “Seaworld's whale performances may never be the same.” The film was wanting to be created because of the accident in 2010 with Dawn Brancheau and the Orca, Tilikum. The author of the CNN article, Gabriela Cowperthwaite said, “something about a ponytail, something about her slipping and falling, something about how this almost never ever happens because in these parks, the animals are happy and the trainers are safe.” , but when the researchers dug up the dirt on Sea World, it was released to the public in Blackfish, making them lose 84% in revenue and 2% in attendance.

    The dates of events and occupations of the witnesses addresses the credibility of the sources and the logical sense of the incidents. In 1983, a male killer whale was captured in the North Atlantic Sea. Already 2 years of age, he was 11.5 feet long. This was Tilikum who later injured two trainers and killed one, Dawn Brancheau. Dave Duffas, an OSHA expert witness whale researcher, commented that killer whales are unpredictable animals and trainers should stay out of their proximity to avoid death. This evidence persuades the audience that killer whales can be dangerous and violent to people.

Marine parks around the world introduce the public to an animal that they would never encounter on their own. Seeing the majestic whales perform and listening to what the trainers share about the killer whale educates large groups of people about killer whales and creates excitement about the wild animal. However, some of the information being shared may not be accurate. Marine parks exist to make a profit. It would be in their best interest to tell the public bits of information that would keep them interested in the illusion created by the performance….that the killer whales are happy,

In 1970, a man by the name of John Crowe was a diver and he would go out and capture baby killer whales for Sea Land theme park, which is now Sea World. To capture the whales, they used speedboats, bombs, aircraft, and nets. He explained how the whales knew they were being captured so the pods would separate the moms and babies together and males would go in a different direction. The aircrafts could see where the mom and babies were so the speedboats were directed that way. John explained how when they captured a baby the moms and the other whales would stick around the boats crying and communicating back and forth. He starts crying while saying he felt like he was kidnapping, and that he did not realize what he was doing was wrong until that

Case #1, page 60: The Gray Whale versus the Makah Tribe, their decision to hunt the whale to instill pride in the traditions of its culture to younger generations, and the environmental impact of this action upon the sustainability of the gray whale population.

The orca or “killer whale” is a highly intelligent and self aware creature. In the wild, they are regarded as gentle and friendly, only in captivity do they live up to their nickname “killer whale”. No reported deaths have been documented in the wild, but 4 deaths have occurred while in captivity. Tilikum the orca is arguably the most infamous of captive orcas. He was captured in 1983 when he was 2 years old. Because of the stress of being deprived of everything natural and important to him, Tilikum has been involved in 3 deaths during his time in captivity. Conditions for orcas in captivity such as, small tanks, horrible health conditions and inadequate social interaction, breeds aggression. Seaworld likes to make believe they care about their orcas when, in reality, they view these intelligent creatures as nothing more than underwater cash cows. Orcas do not belong in captivity, they are going to continue to be a danger to both themselves and humans as long as they are being held prisoner.

Rhetorics, like pathos and ethos, successfully convey the documentary’s message. John Crowe recalls the capturing of killer whales involving bombs, nets, aircrafts, and chasing them into coves. Those who did not survive were inhumanely sunk using rocks and anchors. Kateena was found shaking, crying, and screaming using long range vocals when her daughter, Kaleena, was relocated to a new park. In addition, the use of former

They move by swinging their tails. Though they are heavy , they move quickly. In winter , they will swim from the Arctic Ocean to the South Pacific . In South worm sea area, whale mother gives birth to whale baby. Then in summer, they will return their home.