Research Paper On Blackfish

Orcas, more commonly known as killer whales, are known to live in large communities or family groups that consist of up to 40 individual orcas living, hunting, and communicating together as one unit (National Geographic). They are dependent on each other in all aspects of life and have more complex emotions and feel more in-depth than humans can imagine. Capture and separation of individuals from their pods not only has psychological effects on the one orca but on all within the pod. Freeing orcas from captivity is important because orcas have been abused socially, emotionally, and physically for over half a century.

Ideas that are powerful effectively influence and evoke cognition of the audience, hence composers aim to present powerful ideas in their documentary. Blackfish is a documentary which concerns the captivity of Tilikum, an orca held by SeaWorld involved in the deaths of three individuals, and the consequences of keeping orcas in captivity. In the documentary "Blackfish" composed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite, the idea of animal cruelty is explored. Through various documentary and cinematic techniques and emotional appeals, Blackfish exemplifies their argument and engages its audience in the discussion of the Marine Park industry and the effect of animal conservation.

Some people argue that keeping orcas in captivity is not a problem, yet they do not realize some of the limitations and dangers orcas suffer when kept in captivity. One reason is that these unpredictable, thirty-foot long creatures are usually kept in a tank that is too small for them, compared to the ocean where they can swim freely. In captivity, space is limited. According to one expert, “orcas can swim up to 100 miles per day- a phenomenal amount, in comparison to the exercise they receive in captivity” (Cronin). While in captivity, an orca has to keep swimming in circles or float, unable to exercise adequately in a confined space. The small tanks also prevent orcas from living in their natural group sizes, or pods. “In the wild, killer whales typically travel in pods of between five and 30” (Melissa). In captivity, fewer than five whales are kept together, an imbalance that makes the whales more aggressive towards one another. This can lead to dangerous, territorial situations in which captive

When I was seven years old, I sat on the helm of my father’s fifteen foot fishing boat, the cold salty Puget Sound spray stinging my feet as the tall and proud fins of Orca pods K, J, L rose from the depth and split the choppy waves. Orcas have long ensnared the imagination and fear of people throughout the world. Native American tribes have held Orcas in high regard and some tribes have even view them as the protector of mankind. However, the awe and fear of this apex predator has changed over time. With the rise of the animal captivity for human enjoyment, Orcas have now played a different role in the human world. From the beginning of the century, Orcas began to be captured and sold into major sea animal parks for entertainment. Recently,

The effect on orca whales being held in captivity is not the greatest, and the history between humans and the whales that are held in captivity is also not very good. It is a subject that many scientists are working together to learn about. Even though the orcas help to educate kids by doing live shows and by helping them understand that they need to save the orca whales that are endangered, orcas should not be held in captivity because many accidents have happened between humans and the captive orcas and it is not good for their health. Another name for the orca whales is the scientific name, “orcinus orca”, or the name that you probably hear most often

The effect on orca whales being held in captivity is not the greatest, and the history between humans and the whales that are held in captivity is also not very good. It is a subject that many scientists are working together to learn about. Even though the orcas help to educate kids by doing live shows and by helping the kids understand that they need to save the orca whales that are endangered, orcas should not be held in captivity because many accidents have happened between humans and the captive orcas and it is not good for their health. Another name for the orca whales is the scientific name, “orcinus orca”, or the name that you probably hear most often which is “killer whale”. These killer whales have been known for attacking humans,

The 2013 Documentary Blackfish directed by Gabriela Cowparthwaite brings us the story of Sea World, Orcas or also known as “Killer Whales”, and the death of Dawn Brancheau who was a the senior trainer at Sea World. The documentary presents many emotional feelings us humans have toward these Orcas, everything from from love to anxiety to fear to wonder. In the wild Orcas are viewed as beautiful, majestic and charismatic beasts that have never harmed a human being, but in captivity Orcas have the persona of vicious killers. Blackfish raises question about these intelligent animals, do Orcas kill because they are in captivity? Do Orcas finally lose patience’s with its trainers and react to end the nonsense humans have forced upon them?

Such as the fact of the tanks that the orcas are in are equivalent to a six foot tall adult man living in half of a volleyball court. And with these animals being practically equal to us, “. The size of an orca's brain relative to an orca's body is second only to humans” that these captive orcas display, “ physiological and behavioral indicators of severe stress and

Although Orcinus Orca Whales are commonly referred to as Killer Whales because they are known as powerful predators who “relentlessly [batter] their prey for hours at a time” (Robert L. Pitman), Orcinus Orcas are actually the largest members of the dolphin family. According to the MarineBio Conservation Society, Orcinus Orcas can “reach a maximum length of over 9m and can weigh up to 7,257kg” (MarineBio.org) , which is equivalent to a weight of 15998.9 lbs and about 29.5ft in length. Killer whales can be found in all parts of the ocean and in most seas from the Arctic to the Antarctic (NMFS: NOAA Fisheries). Considering the physical size of Orcas and the size of their natural habitat

The Killer Whale, otherwise known as Orca, and scientifically known by its genus Orcinus, has captivated the imagination and hearts of millions of people around the world. Having the largest brain of any mammal its size, the Orcas cognitive abilities are only rivaled by their highly elaborated emotional processing system; gregarious in nature, Orcas are easily considered to be the most socially bonded mammal on the planet. These mythological creatures, however, were not always considered to be the gentle, sentient beings that we know today. In fact, these mythical beasts were once so feared, as recently as 1973, US NAVY diving manuals warned of ferocious attacks on humans; even launching slaughters to protect north Atlantic military bases from potential security risks. It was not until the brief life and death of the first captive Orca named Moby Doll, and the first marine park SeaWorld, that public perception began to change. While in part, captivity has played a significant role in the understanding of the species, research conducted on the wild Orca has provided us with substantial evidence to challenge the quality of life in captivity; forcing the examination of the emotional, psychological and physical effects on the captive Orca.

take a world - famous whale watching tour and marvel at beautiful "Killer Orca Whales" up close! Where else can you enjoy an exhilarating boat adventure, take in the spectacular sites of the Pacific coast and marvel at the beauty of these mammals up close and personal.

A case study that I find compelling to write about is the letter SeaWorld wrote to the public due to outrage from the documentary Blackfish. For some background information, Blackfish was released on Discovery and Netflix. It shows the harsh reality of how killer whales were initially captured to be put in captivity, the unnatural habitats that the whales live in, the damaging effects of captivity on the whale’s brain and lifespan, and other facts that brought heavy backlash on SeaWorld. SeaWorld released this letter in hopes of persuading the public that the conditions weren’t what they seemed in the film. However, this was difficult if not impossible for them to do because the documentary had such strong evidence, even going

Captivity causes many health problems in orcas. Female and male killer whales can grow up to thirty-two feet long and weighing up to twenty-two thousand pounds. Many of these whales are thrown into small tanks that are as long as themselves. The tanks are filled with water and mixed in with chemicals that the whale is not used to; this results in blindness and many skin problems. Almost all orcas in captivity die from stress-related diseases. Some examples are ulcers, pneumonia, heart defects, and malnutrition. Orcas are known as divers, since their tanks are around twenty-six feet wide and forty feet deep, they have no room to dive and have no other choice but to go

Orcas have been slowly depopulating since the rise of orca captivity and the rise of whale hunting from countries like Japan, Norway, and even other high commercial fishing countries. Whale hunters use harpoons to hunt these creatures for food and game while some orcas are slowly losing their natural instincts as they swim in a small pool (compared to the ocean), to perform for humans. There are all sorts of things that impact orcas, but which situation is better for them in the long run? Whether they are in aquariums or in the ocean, there is always going to be a threat. This controversy has been around for the past 15 years and the death of many orcas and trainers has created two sides; people who support the release of orcas from aquariums

These are just few of the dozens of spooky things discovered, some may have explanation, although only few were proven. While lots of things are discovered throughout the years, there are still hidden mystery lies beneath the earth that are waiting to be revealed. Only time