San Diego First United Methodist Church ~ In Real Life ~ Friday, 1 November 2013 ~ “Blackfish” ~ Reverend Mary Allman~Boyle

San Diego First United Methodist Church ~ In Real Life ~ Friday, 1 November 2013 ~ “Blackfish” ~ Reverend Mary Allman~Boyle

In Real Life or In Reel Life? Many of you know that I love movies. Last night John and I watched Blackfish. It is a must see: Blackfish http://www.magpictures.com/blackfish/

The real life story of the capture of orcas (aka Killer Whales) is extremely disturbing. The orca community protects the young when pursued. They stay near the captors after the young are captured. Unlike many humans, they do not flee when in danger for fear of capture or torture of themselves. The first disciples cannot even make that claim. Instead they cannot leave their young and mourn sorrowfully their loss. 

The forced incarceration includes punishment when the young do not quickly learn the trade (of performing for human enjoyment). Often they are paired with an older orca. If they do not catch on quickly to the routine, both are punished with no food. The whales are stored in modules at night and the young are bitten by the punished and hungry older orcas. So whales that have come from various herds and waters are grouped indiscriminately together. They are not family and fight with at each other in their captivity.

The plot thickens when they snap and from their trauma become aggressive and strike out at trainers. This tragic story has been covered up for decades.  So here is where real life and reel life intersect. In the 80’s we had family out from the east and took them to Sea World. Of course we needed to take in the Shamu Show. The female trainer tapped a stick on the water, but apparently Shamu was not responding appropriately.  Then she tapped again and he went into his routine. Upon circling correctly, the trainer dove into the water. And then it happened. Shamu took her by the foot and dragged her to the bottom. After what seemed an indefinite period he allowed her to rise. She gasped for air, then was taken down again. This happened several times. Finally she was near the front glass wall. This time when released she threw herself over the wall onto the concrete below. She was completely terrorized. Her leg was bleeding and you could see that she knew she narrowly escaped death. Our stomachs were in our throats all of this time. The crowd was crying and screaming. It was an awful experience. I watched for accounts in the paper but found none.

I have never gone back to the Killer Whale Show. At that time, I realized how dangerous a trainer’s life is. Until now, I never realized how traumatizing the life of an imprisoned whale. How psychosis can easily set in. How aggression and trauma can breed lashing out. This aggression is not natural and does not occur in the wild. What lessons for our human incarceration can be learned? Isolation, punishment, separation from family, inhumane treatment does not beget whole, healthy people or animals. 

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First United Methodist Church

2111 Camino del Rio South

San Diego, CA 92108 United States

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