I always heard that SeaWorld was not a business worth supporting, and after watching Long Gone Wild I can tell why! This documentary released in 2019 and directed by William Neal covers issues involving orcas in captivity at places like SeaWorld. Some of the clips of the orcas are very hard to watch, especially knowing how intelligent they are (though of course, intelligence is not the reason they should have moral consideration as we know). This post will be a short run-down of the information from the film.
Historically, people viewed orcas as very dangerous creatures and weren’t very interested in them. It wasn’t until Ted Griffin, the owner of the Seattle Marine Aquarium, wanted to catch one and put them on display and swim with them in a show. After catching the male orca Namu, Ted would do just that which gathered a lot of media attention and began to change the public’s perception about orcas. He later captured a second female orca and tried to incorporate her into his show but the new orca did not get along with Namu. So, Griffin sold her to owners of a recently opened marine park in San Diego, California. That marine park was SeaWorld and that orca would be named Shamu (which is “She” and “Namu” combined). Shamu would later be the stage name of performing orcas going forward at SeaWorld parks.
Rather than educating the public on the orcas and animal science, SeaWorld has generally focused more on the entertainment value of their shows. Like Griffin did in the Seattle Marine Aquarium, SeaWorld would put on shows with trainers and have the orcas perform tricks for the audience (to the detriment of the animals, similar to the circus). During these shows the trainers were in the water with the orcas, who are many times the size of a human being. Because of this size difference it really is not difficult for an orca to accidentally hurt their trainers. Most notoriously, an orca named Tilikum killed seasoned SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau in 2010 which became the subject of the documentary Blackfish. That death not only started a new public perception about captive orcas, but also lawsuits.
There are plenty of issues of orcas being in captivity besides the potential dangers to trainers, but also issues with captivity to the orcas themselves. Since they are so intelligent they are prone to boredom and depression. They also do not have enough space to move, they are kept hungry so they will be more willing to perform tricks for food, they have no sun protection, are separated from their children who get sent to other marine parks, among some other issues. We would not put up with these issues on humans and we shouldn’t do it to other creatures that are able to suffer.
After Blackfish, people began to boycott SeaWorld and other marine parks that held whales and dolphins captive. It’s interesting to note how awareness really can bring change, even if that awareness came from a documentary. Long Gone Wild spoke about how some lawmakers began to introduce laws to ban orca captivity in California and Florida. But, SeaWorld initially opposed California legislation to end orca captivity. After Blackfish hurt attendance and its reputation, it announced in 2016 that it would end orca breeding, and California later wrote that ban into law. A similar Florida bill died after SeaWorld lobbied against it . This is a good direction and obvious progress which may have never happened if not for Blackfish and those that decided to boycott and put pressure on the business. However just because SeaWorld is phasing out orcas does not mean that all are safe. Not only are captive orcas an issue in the United States, but Russia and China began opening up many marine parks and had even less safety measures in place and care for the animals themselves. It’s already difficult to make change in one’s own country, but it’s another thing to try and make change in another one.
As for The Whale Sanctuary Project which are featured in the documentary, are constructing the first sanctuary for captive whales. They are still developing it in Nova Scotia, Canada, but will be a great addition to the world to help these animals live more fulfilling and healthy lives if other whales are rescued in the future.
I thought Long Gone Wild was a good watch and first-dive into the subject of captive orcas. I now plan to watch Blackfish (and maybe convince my wife to join me) to learn more about Tilikum and the documentary that really began to change the public’s perspective on animal rights issues. It really angers me how people can be so cruel to such intelligent animals capable of suffering, and unfortunately orcas are not the only animals to have humans inflict suffering on for the sake of entertainment.
Key Takeaways:
- Orca captivity for entertainment began in the 1960s, and the public’s first sympathy came from seeing people interact with the whales.
- Public pressure after Blackfish pushed SeaWorld to end breeding and theatrical shows, but the existing orcas remain in captivity.
- Captive orca trade has shifted toward Russia and China where oversight is weaker.
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