![]() "To promote its bias that killer whales should not be maintained in a zoological setting, the film paints a distorted picture that withholds from viewers key facts about SeaWorld - among them, that SeaWorld is one of the world's most respected zoological institutions, that SeaWorld rescues, rehabilitates and returns to the wild hundreds of wild animals every year, and that SeaWorld commits millions of dollars annually to conservation and scientific research," it said. The SeaWorld statement was sent to 50 film critics. ![]() "'Blackfish' is billed as a documentary, but instead of a fair and balanced treatment of a complex subject, the film is inaccurate and misleading and, regrettably, exploits a tragedy that remains a source of deep pain for Dawn Brancheau's family, friends and colleagues," SeaWorld said in its statement, which was first reported by Variety in Hollywood. A few days before its debut at Lincoln Center and nationwide, SeaWorld issued a scathing, point-by-point rebuttal to the film's premise in an effort to blunt criticism. Now that "Blackfish" is going national, SeaWorld has gone on the offensive. When "Blackfish" debuted at the Sundance Festival, SeaWorld initially ignored the documentary, hoping it would fade quietly. In one instance, after SeaWorld removed a young calf to another amusement park, its mother grieved for days, emitting high-pitched, wailing sounds that trainers hadn't heard in the 30 years this female orca had been in captivity. In fact, one of the surprising aspects of "Blackfish" - beyond its horrifying depictions of the potential dangers of interacting too closely with orcas in captivity - is its explanation of what happened when SeaWorld separated young calves from their mothers. Even their DNA is different, depending on what part of the world they inhabit. Marine biologists and others studying orcas in both captivity and the wild, for instance, have learned that orca communities and families are vastly different in various parts of the world. Marine biologists have learned in the recent decades that orcas may also be quite evolved, with a highly sensitized sense of family and community. They're nearly mythological creatures who hunt other large creatures of the sea (like dolphins, sea lions or even other whales) in groups. "Īs Hargrove noted, Orcas are apex predators, like grizzly bears, gray wolves or African lions. "And then when she started to find out these things that had been covered up and SeaWorld had not been entirely truthful about …she just felt like, 'I have this information and I have a responsibility now to put this film out.' She's said in interviews that she ended up going in a totally different direction. ![]() ![]() It was more of a philosophical piece about the relationships between man and an apex predator," said Hargrove, who left SeaWorld before shooting for "Blackfish" began. "The director, Gabriela Cowperthwaite, started off with one movie in mind. ![]() He also hopes that the film director's decision to shift focus midstream in the making of the documentary (to chronicle what may have really happened to Dawn Brancheau) will lead to reforms in both trainer interactions and the way orcas are treated in captivity. John Hargrove, an ex-SeaWorld trainer who is featured in the film and was at the Lincoln Center premiere, told me he's disappointed SeaWorld continues to blame trainers for mistakes in such "water works" accidents. A case brought by the federal Occupational Health and Safety Administration now bans in-pool interactions - known as "water works" - between trainers and killer whales. Former trainers in the film claim that this isn't possible because Tilikum had been "desensed" to ponytails. SeaWorld maintains that Brancheau got too close and allowed the killer whale to pull her in by her ponytail. SeaWorld has said publicly that the trainer made mistakes when she was killed by the SeaWorld orca, Tilikum. The film also goes to great lengths to illustrate why SeaWorld may have deceived the public about the true nature of what happened in the tragic death of one of its most highly skilled orca trainers, Dawn Brancheau, in 2010. At its heart, "Blackfish" chronicles why SeaWorld, a large, publicly traded corporation that makes billions of dollars off the killer whales at the center of its amusement park system may have covered-up or lied about threats posed by orcas in captivity - both to the trainers who literally risk life and limb, as well as to the killer whales themselves. ![]()
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