So what could possibly cause such a colossal shift in perception of the same animal, in such a short amount of time? The answer lies not only within what caused the initial shift in views, but also what caused the shift in perception we are witnessing right now. And that answer, is connection. It’s one thing to observe an animal out in the wild, catching a glimpse of a dorsal fin or a fluke for just fractions of a second. But the ability to be in close proximity to an animal like a killer whale touches you in a very special way.
Right about the time that the general public started to become less fearful of orcas, was the same time that people were getting the chance to actually see these animals up close. This was due to the rise of the business of cetacean captivity, which began in the late 1960s, and would continue until the early 1990s. The first orca to ever be publicly displayed was Namu, who was accidentally captured in a fishing net in 1965. He was towed back to shore in a makeshift seapen, and lived out the remainder his life at the Seattle Aquarium until his death on July 9, 1966,
Despite Namu’s short life span in captivity, entrepreneurs saw quite the opportunity in the display of cetaceans, especially orcas. From the last 1960s to 1988, approximately 117 orcas were captured, first off the coast of the pacific northwest of North America, and later off the coast of Iceland. Some of the more famous Icelandic orcas include Keiko (the star of the movie Free Willy, which sparked a movement to free the really “Willy”), Katina (the mother of the first successful calf ever born in captivity, named Kalina), and of course, Tilikum.
As the industry evolved through time, eventually breeding programs, spearheaded by SeaWorld, took the place of and eliminated the need to capture wild killer whales. Of the 61 orcas currently living in captivity, 33 were captive-born (This number is slightly skewed, because Russia has captured 12 orcas over the past four years). Having had orcas in human care for over 50 years, scientists have been able to perform groundbreaking research on these animals, and billions of visitors have been given a unique, up-close view of killer whales. The majority of the credit goes to SeaWorld, who has set the standard for training techniques, medical care, enrichment and everything in between. Mark Simmons, a man with vast experience working with all aspects of cetacean life, once called SeaWorld the "Harvard" of the marine mammal zoological world."
Ironically, as much as SeaWorld has helped the public image of killer whales over the years, having orcas in their care has lead to an enormous amount of scrutiny and financial trouble in recent years. The world, its perception of orcas and cetacean captivity was forever changed on February 24, 2010, when veteran-trainer Dawn Brancheau was killed while working with an adult male named Tilikum. After finishing a “Dine With Shamu” training session, Dawn went to lie down in the shallow waters with Tilikum as part of a “relationship session,” a common type of interaction the trainers and whales participate in. Dawn’s ponytail drifted off the shallow ledge and into the pool, and Tilikum proceeded to grab it, and pulled Dawn into the pool. It’s very likely Tilikum believed he was in possession of a toy, as his behavior once Dawn was in the pool with him corresponded to his aggressive and possessive behavior he displayed with his toys (aka EEDs, environmental enrichment devices, such as large balls and ropes).
What one must understand is the Tilikum was not born at SeaWorld, nor did he live his entire life under their care. He was collected from the waters off the coast of Iceland in 1983, and was purchased by Sealand of the Pacific. It was not until 1992 that Tilly was transferred to SeaWorld Orlando, where he would spend the remainder of his life. He had never been trained for waterwork (where a trainer will interact with a whale in the water) nor had he received any waterwork desensitization training (where a whale will slowly be desensitized to having a trainer in the water. Such training is usually conducted in a medical pool, which is shallow and has a floor than can be raised and lowered as needed).
In the aftermath of the tragedy, a “documentary” called Blackfish (primarily funded by PETA and CNN, among others) was released, which was highly critical of marine parks, such as SeaWorld. The main focus of the film was Tilikum, and attempted to tell (at least part of) his story, from his capture up until the moment of Dawn’s death. The movie also criticized Loro Parque, another marine park, who also houses killer whales, some of whom are owned by SeaWorld. Yet as controversial as the film was, indisputably the largest effect the movie had was bringing “legitimacy” the radical anti-captivity agenda. Suddenly, PETA’s stars were all over the news and social media, spewing their propaganda. To this day, you will not hear a story in the news about SeaWorld, or anything to do with cetacean captivity without the mention of Blackfish.
As much credit as you can give to SeaWorld for changing the public image of orcas back in the 1960s, it is equally responsible for the shift of opinion that is happening right now. Ever since February 24, 2010 (the day of Dawn’s death), the world has been forever changed. SeaWorld’s mission, since the beginning, has been to educate and inspire the next generation of conservationists, and for better or for worse, that’s exactly what they’ve done. However, what people have been inspired to do as a result may not have been exactly what SeaWorld intended originally.
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