Killer TV Shows

Did you watch “Blackfish” on CNN last Thursday? If not, you missed a doozy! Not for the first time, we learned that dolphins and whales are intelligent animals that are self-aware, have close family and community ties, and, in the case of so-called “killer whales” (Orcinus orca), have larger, more complex brains than we humans.

The captivity and mistreatment of killer whales was the subject of the Blackfish special, as well as the weekly “Crossfire” TV show that preceded it. (Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich was actually conciliatory!) The culprit, in this case, was SeaWorld, the multi-million dollar entertainment company with franchise aquariums around the world, including San Diego.

Prisoners in our maximum-security penitentiaries receive better treatment!

In nature, there has never been a recorded case of a killer whale attacking and killing a human. There have been numerous attacks and six deaths in captivity. That’s not surprising, given the conditions of the whales’ confinement, unnatural environment, dependence on humans for food, and separation of family members. In nature, killer whales remain with their mothers for life.

In  2010, a 12,000-pound orca named Tilikum tore apart (“killed” is too tame a word for it) SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau. She was Kilikum’s third victim, over a period of years in which SeaWorld persisted in calling the deaths regrettable accidents caused by the trainers. Kilikum had been held captive in not much more than a large bathtub for decades, since his capture and separation from his mother when he was three years old.

Like all marine mammals, killer whales are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). SeaWorld hasn’t heard.

Killer whales are the most widely distributed marine mammals in the world. Depending on their resident, transient, and offshore locations, some feed on fish, others prefer seals, porpoise, even sharks. They depend heavily on underwater sound for orientation, feeding, and communication. Different populations have their own vocalizations. Even within the same population, dialects are known to exist.

In Biology 101, the teacher suggested that we aren’t the brightest species on the planet. If intelligence is based on how well a species adapts to its environment, we may be the dullest bulb in the building. We harm our environment, kill members of our own species, and claim our superiority over every other creature on earth. Au contraire, mon frère.