The film Blackfish by Gabriela Cowper Thwaite, released in 2013, focused on a captive Orcas by SeaWorld. When the Orcas got separated from her family at the age of 2 years, he was rehabilitated by SeaWorld. The confinement of the Whale which was later named Tilikum for over 20 years caused the Orcas immense frustration causing the whale to kill over 3 human trainers (Brower). I believe that these animals have been denied the will to exist naturally in their environment. They are confined and denied of provisions that are paramount to their well-being such as movement by being confined in tanks. While some of these acts are meant to rescue the animals from their preexisting bad conditions such as isolation from family members, the well-being of the animals is not always the core reason behind these rescues as some of these facilities use these animals for profit. Are there better ways that facilities can rescue animals and allow people to enjoy nature without causing harm to animals and posing a danger to human beings?
The film Blackfish has received a lot of criticism from different individuals in the society. SeaWorld claims that the information that is on film is false and cannot be relied on. Other animal lovers across the world prove otherwise. The killing of three animal trainers by the Whale Blackfish in the 20 years that the whale has been with SeaWorld proves otherwise (PETA). A whale is a wild animal that lacks the human intellect, and when frustrated due to confinement, the whale killed three of its trainers. In response to the film, SeaWorld decided not to confine any more Orcas and the generation in their facility is expected to be the last. The orcas will be rescued and released back to the wild to coexist naturally with its family members.
The article “Dolphin Selfies and Performing Whales” by Laura Bridgeman in 2013 demonstrates how dolphins and other wild animals are becoming negatively affected by the new overly narcissistic culture. People are becoming more obsessed with social media popularity. A selfie with a dolphin, for instance, will receive more likes and comments on the social media platform. In the article, Bridgeman reports how a dolphin in Argentina died after being passed around for people to take selfies. In Costa Rica, turtles are denied the chance to lay eggs by tourists who step into their nests for the perfect selfie (Bridgeman). Who is to blame for the plight of these animals and the overly narcissistic culture in the social media?
The article brought a lot of reaction over the social media with most people demanding justice for these animals. In my opinion, I believe the death of an animal for a selfie is rather selfish. Where is the humanity in the human population? The narcissist culture that has been reinforced by social media is to blame for the misfortunes of these animals as well as the human conditioning which is keener on popularity (Bridgeman). People are tender towards animals and seem to have a soft spot for them. This causes them to want to have a deeper emotional connection with animals which is evident in the desire to take selfies with them. Most people mean no harm to these animals, but they fail to comprehend the delicate nature of these creatures. The media has also played an important role in this perception as the most connection between human and nature is made through pictures (Bridgeman). It is as a result of these notions that animal shows by facilities such as SeaWorld have become popular. The media has played a major role in the plight of these animals and are left with the challenge to change the perceptions of the public towards the wild.
Works cited
Bridgeman, Laura. "DOLPHIN SELFIES AND PERFORMING WHALES: HOW OUR CULTURAL NARCISSISM IS KILLING THE PLANET." Sonar 2 March 2016. Web. <http://wearesonar.org/2016/03/02/dolphin-selfies-performing-whales/>.
Brower, Kenneth. "Opinion: SeaWorld vs. the Whale That Killed Its Trainer." National Geographic 4 August 2013. Web. <http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/08/130803-blackfish-orca-killer-whale-keiko-tilikum-sea-world/>.
PETA. "‘Blackfish’: The Documentary That Exposes SeaWorld." Sea World of Hurt 2016. Web. <http://www.seaworldofhurt.com/features/blackfish-documentary-exposes-seaworld/>.
