CNN: Blackfish

[return to the red]

Anybody else watch this last night?

Very interesting and quite shocking really. Some things about Sea World I was well aware of but many weren't.

ie. I always thought the "trainers" were marine biologists but nope, just fill out an application, go through the training and Baam! Orca Trainer!

[calgarygringo]

One thing I thought after watching is that this whole story was all about the almighty dollar. Everything was focused around making money and nothing about the blackfish or safety of the trainers.

[Cali Panthers Fan]

I find it annoying that a documentary has such a bad misnomer. Black-"mammal" is much more appropriate, even though I'm aware that they have a nickname of blackfish.

As for the movie, there's no doubt that in the process of handling animals some mistakes are made. What I find ridiculous is the "whale psychologist" saying exactly how whales feel about certain things. Just a bit of a stretch IMO.

[metallicat]

I haven't watched the documentary or seen the movie yet, but IMO, and with very few exceptions, large mammals like whales should not be held in captivity. Leave them be in the ocean where they belong.

[Dan02]

Well if we're going to be honest here then why should we hold any animal in captivity and not leave them in their natural habitat where they belond?

[metallicat]

Agreed. I'd move to close all zoo's to the public if I was PM.

Actually, it's probably not that simple. Obviously zoo's do good things, but in general I dislike that animals are kept in captivity. Very simplistic viewpoint, I know.

[return to the red]

I think there is a lot to be gained by providing people the opportunity to view animals up close and in approved and properly managed facilities.

[Red Slinger]

There are some zoos that focus on animal rehabilitation, saving endangered species and public education. As long as the animals in those facilities are well cared for and kept in a pseudo-natural environment then I think they serve a positive function.

However, I think those facilities are in the minority of zoos around the world. Keeping large, intelligent, social animals like Orca in a marine park smacks of animal cruelty for the sake of entertainment and profit.

[Mr.Coffee]

Shutting down all zoos would be pretty stupid. National geographic did an article on endangered species and how some zoos have saved some species from extinction that otherwise would be due to humans. Zoos also contribute a lot of understanding and knowledge through study about various species and how best to preserve them.

Should all species be in little prisons for viewing? No... But it's not so cut and dry.

[Russic]

It really isn't as simple as we'd like it to be. In a way it's a bit like sweatshops. On the surface of course they're wrong and you could make an argument to shut them down, but what would the ripples from that look like? From a conservation standpoint the Calgary Zoo on its own does a ton of work, and most importantly, it's work that likely wouldn't be completed by a government body. When resources are strained and you have to worry about re-election, starting up a hippo sanctuary and creating jobs in Africa is pretty low on the priority list.

That all being said, animals should be kept in a manner that is as close to their habitat as possible. While elephants are awesome, it's good to see the zoo admitting their situation isn't ideal in Calgary and sending them somewhere more fitting.

I haven't seen the movie and know very little about whales, but I would assume their situation is somewhat similar.

[fundmark19]

If there were no zoo's there would be no more whooping cranes. This isn't the only species a zoo has saved it is just one I know off the top of my head. The crane population was down to around 16 I believe at one point.

http://www.calgaryzoo.com/media-rele...hooping-cranes

[KTrain]

I don't have any issues with zoos as long as a primary part of their mandate is conservation and rehabilitation of animals.

It's when the animals are asked/forced to perform that I don't like. There's no need for it.

[Vulcan]

Originally Posted by Cali Flames Fan

I find it annoying that a documentary has such a bad misnomer. Black-"mammal" is much more appropriate, even though I'm aware that they have a nickname of blackfish.

As for the movie, there's no doubt that in the process of handling animals some mistakes are made. What I find ridiculous is the "whale psychologist" saying exactly how whales feel about certain things. Just a bit of a stretch IMO.

My youth was spent in an isolated logging camp on Sonora Island. They had a regular route in front of our camp and we called them "blackfish". The name comes from the natives and is part of the Chinook jargon, of which their expressions were still pretty common on the coast in those days. So "blackfish" is not just some nick name, it has a long history.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinook_Jargon

[Mr.Coffee]

Just watched this tonight. And if you're in the mood to kinda be depressed, well is this show for you! That is if you can stand the 8 million commercials. Letting aside the fact that it seems odd that CNN, which I think one would be hard pressed to legitimately call a "news program" anymore is showing this, i think they do a good job of showing why these animals probably shouldn't be kept in small pools and forced to perform.

I can't recall how many attacks they describe, but you'd have to be an idiot to not understand that these mammals display frustration or emotion with their situations. No "psychology" involved here. The one part, where they show the film of the whale after separating it from it's calf, and it's just sitting there motionless in a corner screaming out long range calls for it's baby... Yeah. That was actually kind of tough to watch actually. Let alone the multiple trainers that were maimed or killed because the whale finally was pushed to its' breaking point. Meanwhile there is a whale that killed a trainer, has show aggressive behavior on multiple occasions, but because Sea World makes money the whale is STILL performing??? Bizarre.

Anyway kind of interesting, pretty depressing. I'm not sure if killer whales are endangered or not, but clearly Sea world isn't so much in it for the research and preservation as they are for the dough. So I'd have to say I disagree with that kind of little animal jail cell system.

[TurnedTheCorner]

[Mr.Coffee]

I don't get it

[RedMileDJ]

Just watched it tonight. It completely changes my outlook and respect for Sea World.

When I was 12 I went to Sea World in Florida. I thought I was learning a lot. Now I feel like I was lied and fooled into believing something.

I seriously feel like this part of my life was all a sham.

[Minnie]

I just turned this on - it's the last 15 minutes. But I notice it's on again, in 15 minutes, so I just set the PVR to record it.

[RedMileDJ]

It's on from 7 to 9 and then 10 to 12 tonight.

Here is the schedule. Your guide may not be correct.

http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/saturday.html

[nik-]

I'd like to see this. Too bad Shaw put CNN in a ######ed "all news" package. Who the hell buys 10 news channels in a package? What a stupid package.