Dane-Animals Rights- Black Fish- Period 4

The release of Blackfish was a big one. As tragic as Tilikum's story is, it is a story that must be told, and it is heatbreaking that Tilikum's agony, his frustration, etc. went ignored by the general public until now. Before it was only a small group of people, animal rights activist, who were aware of the harms of keeping not just orcas, but the majority of other animals in captivity. Humans are animals, no more superior than Orcas, snakes, deer, etc. that is an undeniable biological fact. With that said, to exploit other spices as entertainment slaves as if they have no other purpose than to serve us in conditions that do not suit them is a disgrace. All animal activist like myself want is for animals to be treated humanely, and to be left where they belong as beings instead of objects to be sold. As the film stresses, an animal so intelligent and emotionally active should not be kept in a bathtub for 30+ years.

By watching Blackfish, I became more aware of a very significant and ignored issue. I've always opposed keeping animals in captivity and Sea world, but I was unaware of the way in which these animals are caught. Humans tend to humanize all animals. If a child is put up for adoption, and adopted, than it will eventually overcome it. If a Orca whale is taken from its family, mother and habitat at the equivalent age, than they will be severely traumatized for the rest of their lives, in a way in which humans cannot comprehend simply because we are humans and whales are whales. 

My utter disgust of sea world has only grown stronger. In the article I was sent, a representative of sea world tried to argue that keeping Orca's in a bath tub for their entire lives is okay because they are fed and do not need to hunt.

That is the equivalent of saying that I would prefer to be locked up in a 5x5 jail cell and have all my meals handed to me through a metal slot in the door. Not to mention the food portions are way to small for a 5000 lb. whale. Hunting is not a chore for whales. Orca whales have the natural instinct to hunt, they teach their young's to hunt, in the same way humans learn to walk and work. 

Sea World, as much as it emphases that it assist animals, saves them, returns them to the wild, etc. that still doesn't justify the pure emotional abuse they put Orca Whales through, and other animals held captive at sea world.

There was a time where the slave trade was the norm, where segregation was the norm, where male dominance was the norm. Society cannot progress to its truly civilized potential until no beings are considered property by any measure. The film is a stepping stone to that progression, and it is a eye opener for society.

"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way it treats its animals" ~Ghandi.