The Blackfish effect: How one documentary made a difference

The Blackfish effect:

Sea world is a hugely successful chain of ocean-based theme parks that use marine mammals such as Sea Lions, Dolphins and, most famously, Killer Whales to entertain millions of visitors every year. This successful corporation had been incredibly profitable for decades since it originally opened in 1964 and was known as a place of fun and enjoyment. That is until a poignant documentary called Blackfish was created.

Blackfish is a film directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite that aimed to expose one violent Killer Whale called Tillikum, who stays at one of the Sea World resorts and has been involved in the deaths of 3 people. The documentary discussed the violent behaviour of Tillikum, along with other Whales that have been shown to act aggressively towards humans. 

It also revealed how inappropriate the tanks used to hold the Whales were in terms of size (especially when compared to the large oceans that is their natural habitat), the cruel practice of keeping certain members of this highly social species in solitary tanks, and the many other devastating effects the conditions provided for these large animals by Sea World are having on these intelligent creatures, leading to the injuring and death of Sea World staff members. 

Once this film was released in 2013 and became incredibly popular, SeaWorld, a place that was famous for giving people close encounters with huge marine mammals, as well as for raising awareness for conservation, had been exposed as a prison for some of the most widely admired organisms on Planet Earth. 

Famous musical artists such as Willie Nelson, Bare Naked Ladies and Tricia Yearwood who had performances schedules at certain Sea Worlds venues pulled out once the Blackfish film had been released. The attendance of Sea World had decreased by 1 million visitors in 2013 and has continued to decrease since then due to the bad publicity produced by the documentary. The company also reported a 60% drop in stock price and a loss of 2 million dollars in 2014. 

Sea World has been and continues to battle this revealing documentary by attempting to debunk the claims against them, and has recently discussed its plans to increase the size of Whale tanks to show they are taking measures to improve the quality of lives of the animals (although conservationists are aiming for the entire corporation to be closed down instead).

However Sea World has truly felt the full effect documentaries can have, and the seedy underbelly of this company has been exposed to millions and is unlikely to recover any time soon.

-Thomas Glen
Facebook.com/goodnaturepage

Photo: Orlando Sentinel MCT—Getty Images