Did captivity turn Tilikum into a killer? Documentary says orca was 'kept in dark tank for up to 14 hours a day' and 'bullied by other whales' before it went on to drown a SeaWorld trainer
A new documentary about the captivity
of killer whales who perform for tourists at theme parks has questioned
their treatment and speculates whether it drives the animals to murder
their trainers.
Blackfish, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January, examines the history of whales taken out of the ocean for the purpose of entertainment - and makes a case of why they should be left in the wild.
It focuses on a 12,000lb orca named Tilikum, who in 2010 dragged its trainer Dawn Brancheau to her death in front of horrified tourists at SeaWorld in Orlando, Florida.
In interviews promoting the film, Blackfish director Gabriela Cowperthwaite says that something never seemed to sit
right with her when she took her sons to SeaWorld in San Diego.
Ms Cowperthwaite told the Sarasota Herald-Tribune: 'Shamu Stadium always seemed kind of garish and unsettling, but I went with the flow. I would see hundreds of people laughing and smiling and I'd think, "Could something that makes everyone this happy be that bad?"'
And when trainer Dawn Brancheau was killed by Tilikum on February 24, 2010, she knew something had to be done.
Brancheau, 40, died after she was grabbed by the orca and dragged under water, where she was held until she drowned.
The film was shown earlier this month at the Sarasota film festival - located about 130 miles from SeaWorld Orlando.
A chilling trailer for the film plays actual 911 calls of the incident, including one where a male caller says: 'A whale has eaten one of the trainers.'
The film premiered in January at the
Sundance Film Festival and has since been picked up for a nationwide
release set for July 26.
Following Brancheau's death, SeaWorld was fined for health and safety breaches, but Tilikum and other whales at the Orlando park have continued to perform.
The documentary focuses on Tilikum’s life, showing how he was forcibly separated from his family after being captured in 1983 near Iceland.
It claims the Orca was bullied by other whales as a calf, and was kept in a small dark tank for up 14 hours at a time.
The film claims these conditions left the whale deeply traumatized and effectively turned it into a killer of humans.
Watch the trailer here
It points out that there are no
recorded attacks on humans by killer whales left in the wild whereas
Brancheau, one of SeaWorld’s most-experienced trainers, was the third
person Tilikum had killed.
In 1991, the whale killed a young trainer called Keltie Byrne in a Canadian park and eight years later drowned a man who had stayed behind at SeaWorld and jumped into the pool with the animal.
The death of Brancheau, and the horrific injuries she suffered, led to calls by animal activists for Tilikum to be freed from captivity.
SeaWorld said the killer whale would not be able to survive on its own and temporarily retired him from performing in their show called Shamu.
Trainers were also banned from going into the water with the performing animals.
Former SeaWorld trainers are featured in the documentary which was one of the hits at the Sundance film festival earlier this year.
For her film, Ms Cowperthawaite
was also able to secure home movie footage shot by trainers that showed
'near misses' where killer whales have threatened or injured trainers.
Cowperthwaite was only able to obtain them because the U.S. government sued SeaWorld following Brancheau’s death and they became accessible to the public.
She claims in the film that SeaWorld, which operates 11 theme parks and brings in close to $1.5billion a year in revenue, classified aggressive behavior by the whales as trainer error.
SeaWorld did not return an email from
MailOnline for comment, but told the Herald-Tribune: 'Based on our very
preliminary review, Blackfish appears to repeat the same unfounded
allegations made many times over the last several years by animal right
activists.
'Importantly, the film fails to make the most important point about SeaWorld: the company is dedicated in every respect to the safety of our staff and the welfare of the animals.'
The parks have had to deal with legal fallout over Brancheau's death, which occurred in front of horrified spectators.
A lawsuit that accused SeaWorld of enslaving whales was dismissed in February 2012.
It was reported last week that SeaWorld could raise as much as $540million in an initial public offering of its stock.
SeaWorld Entertainment Inc. and its owner, the private equity firm Blackstone, hope to sell 20 million shares for $24 to $27 per share, according to a SEC filing last Tuesday.
Blackstone Group LP will sell 10 million shares, and SeaWorld will issue 10 million.
The banks managing the deal could also buy another 3 million shares, which would raise total proceeds of the deal.
SeaWorld plans to use its share of the IPO proceeds to repay debt and pay a fee to Blackstone, which bought it in 2009 for $2.3billion.
The private equity firm will still have a majority stake in SeaWorld after the IPO.
SeaWorld plans to list on the New York Stock Exchange under the 'SEAS' ticker symbol.
Blackfish, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January, examines the history of whales taken out of the ocean for the purpose of entertainment - and makes a case of why they should be left in the wild.
It focuses on a 12,000lb orca named Tilikum, who in 2010 dragged its trainer Dawn Brancheau to her death in front of horrified tourists at SeaWorld in Orlando, Florida.
Tragedy: The documentary focuses on a 12,000lb
orca named Tilikum, pictured with trainer Dawn Brancheau, who in 2010
dragged the woman to her death in front of horrified tourists at
SeaWorld in Orlando, Florida
Ms Cowperthwaite told the Sarasota Herald-Tribune: 'Shamu Stadium always seemed kind of garish and unsettling, but I went with the flow. I would see hundreds of people laughing and smiling and I'd think, "Could something that makes everyone this happy be that bad?"'
And when trainer Dawn Brancheau was killed by Tilikum on February 24, 2010, she knew something had to be done.
Brancheau, 40, died after she was grabbed by the orca and dragged under water, where she was held until she drowned.
The film was shown earlier this month at the Sarasota film festival - located about 130 miles from SeaWorld Orlando.
A chilling trailer for the film plays actual 911 calls of the incident, including one where a male caller says: 'A whale has eaten one of the trainers.'
Director: Filmmaker Gabriela Cowperthwaite says
that something never seemed to sit right with her when she took her sons
to SeaWorld in San Diego
Film: The documentary premiered in January at
the Sundance Film Festival and has since been picked up for a worldwide
release set for July 26
Following Brancheau's death, SeaWorld was fined for health and safety breaches, but Tilikum and other whales at the Orlando park have continued to perform.
The documentary focuses on Tilikum’s life, showing how he was forcibly separated from his family after being captured in 1983 near Iceland.
It claims the Orca was bullied by other whales as a calf, and was kept in a small dark tank for up 14 hours at a time.
The film claims these conditions left the whale deeply traumatized and effectively turned it into a killer of humans.
Watch the trailer here
Swimming killer: Tilikum continues to perform at SeaWorld, despite being responsible for the deaths of three people
Grisly accident: Dawn Brancheau was killed in front of horrified tourists during a show at SeaWorld in Orlando, Florida
In 1991, the whale killed a young trainer called Keltie Byrne in a Canadian park and eight years later drowned a man who had stayed behind at SeaWorld and jumped into the pool with the animal.
The death of Brancheau, and the horrific injuries she suffered, led to calls by animal activists for Tilikum to be freed from captivity.
SeaWorld said the killer whale would not be able to survive on its own and temporarily retired him from performing in their show called Shamu.
Trainers were also banned from going into the water with the performing animals.
Former SeaWorld trainers are featured in the documentary which was one of the hits at the Sundance film festival earlier this year.
Regulations: Following Brancheau's death, trainers were banned from going into the water with the performing animals
Cowperthwaite was only able to obtain them because the U.S. government sued SeaWorld following Brancheau’s death and they became accessible to the public.
She claims in the film that SeaWorld, which operates 11 theme parks and brings in close to $1.5billion a year in revenue, classified aggressive behavior by the whales as trainer error.
Captivity: Following Brancheau's death, SeaWorld
was fined for health and safety breaches, but Tilikum and other whale
continue to perform
'Importantly, the film fails to make the most important point about SeaWorld: the company is dedicated in every respect to the safety of our staff and the welfare of the animals.'
The parks have had to deal with legal fallout over Brancheau's death, which occurred in front of horrified spectators.
A lawsuit that accused SeaWorld of enslaving whales was dismissed in February 2012.
It was reported last week that SeaWorld could raise as much as $540million in an initial public offering of its stock.
SeaWorld Entertainment Inc. and its owner, the private equity firm Blackstone, hope to sell 20 million shares for $24 to $27 per share, according to a SEC filing last Tuesday.
Blackstone Group LP will sell 10 million shares, and SeaWorld will issue 10 million.
The banks managing the deal could also buy another 3 million shares, which would raise total proceeds of the deal.
SeaWorld plans to use its share of the IPO proceeds to repay debt and pay a fee to Blackstone, which bought it in 2009 for $2.3billion.
The private equity firm will still have a majority stake in SeaWorld after the IPO.
SeaWorld plans to list on the New York Stock Exchange under the 'SEAS' ticker symbol.