by Marleah Augustine

Blackfish
directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite ( review from IMDb)

Notorious killer whale Tilikum is responsible for the deaths of three individuals, including a top killer whale trainer. Blackfish shows the sometimes devastating consequences of keeping such intelligent and sentient creatures in captivity.

Blackfish is a shocking, unflinching, heartbreaking look at orcas in captivity. I was introduced to orcas when I watched Free Willy as a child: this modern classic first alerted me to the plight of killer whales and it has been an issue that I’ve followed off and on into adulthood. This documentary includes video footage of trainer injuries at SeaWorld and other parks around the world, as well as footage of orca capture in the wild. Former SeaWorld trainers are interviewed, focusing on Tilikum, who still performs in SeaWorld shows regularly.

Yes, it’s a sad film. Yes, it’s difficult to watch. But it’s also important to see in order to recognize some of the real issues going on with humans and animals today.

Marleah Augustine is the Adult Department Librarian at the Hays Public Library

You can see more of her blog here http://hayspubliclibrary.wordpress.com