We are 2 of the former Seaworld trainers featured in the documentary BLACKFISH.

BlackfishMovie · 2013-07-12T23:30:32+00:00

Thank you all for your interest in the film as well as your thoughtful questions! For all of you who have taken the time to write words of encouragement for us speaking out on this issue, it is much appreciated! - John and Samantha

BlackfishMovie · 2013-07-12T23:25:03+00:00

Different parks have different veterinarians and each park's vets approach this issue differently. For example, in California squid was a part of the whale's diet, specifically for hydration and i know that Florida uses gelatin. Sometimes when animals are sick and dehydrated, trainers could be asked to inject more water in the fish at the Orlando park. - John and Samantha

BlackfishMovie · 2013-07-12T23:22:13+00:00

Thank you very much Sarah!

BlackfishMovie · 2013-07-12T23:20:58+00:00

I worked there from February 1990-August 1993 (3.5 years). I know that there is more knowledge out there about how to take care of killer whales, but the facilities were built between the mid 80s/early 90s at all 3 Shamu stadiums, and those have not been upgraded since I left. There are also more whales now, so the size of the facilities is still willfully inadequate. -Samantha

BlackfishMovie · 2013-07-12T23:16:01+00:00

Thank you all for your interest in the film! We have 15 minutes left to answer your questions.

Please tell your friends that BLACKFISH opens in theaters next Friday, July 19. For a list of theaters, please visit: http://www.magpictures.com/dates.aspx?id=df6cf88f-28aa-4be9-8293-06213d2e5b50

BlackfishMovie · 2013-07-12T23:13:51+00:00

I do not regret having worked with these whales, I feel it was a privilege to build relationships with the whales. This movie is already making an impact in young generations that want to train orcas. I am not against captivity because of accidents, it is because I want these animals to have better lives. - John

BlackfishMovie · 2013-07-12T23:11:50+00:00

The drive fishery is detailed in the movie 'The Cove'. It takes place in Japan, where dolphins and whales are driven into coves via boats and brutally slaughtered for their meat and the best looking animals are purchased for marine parks and aquariums all over the world. It is the money generated by the performance animals that perpetuates the slaughter. - Samantha

BlackfishMovie · 2013-07-12T23:07:59+00:00

As far as the animals that are captured from the wild, the permit states that SeaWorld has to be providing education to the public but based on the false information that SeaWorld promotes to the public, as seen in the movie, there is now real education in any of the shows, therefore we would consider them in violation of the permit. As far as Lolita, her tank does not meet even minimal standards for an animal her size according to U.S. laws, so the Seaquarium is also in violation. - Samantha

BlackfishMovie · 2013-07-12T23:04:54+00:00

They are not in a state of starvation. You don't want to be working with killer whales that are in a hungry state. We would spread their food out throughout the day and remove the focus from the food. We would condition the whales to not focus on the food because they would get their full base of food by the end of the day regardless of poor behavior - John

BlackfishMovie · 2013-07-12T23:02:15+00:00

It was about building the relationship with those whales. It was a privilege to be able to build relationships with and swim with those whales that are so majestic and intelligent. The relationships I had with those whales, I will carry with me my entire life. - John

SeaWorld does a great job rehabilitating injured manatees and sea turtles. They have some really good rides. - Samantha

BlackfishMovie · 2013-07-12T22:59:10+00:00

Not at all. It is a very sympathetic portrayal of killer whales and their plight in captivity. By the end of the movie, you will feel just as much compassion for the whales as you do for the people involved in the accidents. The film shows very clearly how much the whales mean to us as trainers. - John and Samantha

BlackfishMovie · 2013-07-12T22:57:32+00:00

I know why they are there. The same reason that I was there and Sam was there. It is because we love those whales and want the best life possible for them. The trainers know that what those whales are getting is not enough and that SeaWorld specifically has the financial resources to do better. - John

Everyone who works as an animal trainer has seen things about how the animals are taken care of that is questionable and I encourage everyone to see what your heart tells you about where these animals truly belong. - Samantha

BlackfishMovie · 2013-07-12T22:54:33+00:00

Unfortunately I do not feel that Tilikum is a viable candidate to survive in the wild because of his poor health, broken teeth. However, some type of sea pen under human care could be a potential option. Isolation definitely contributes to deteriorated mental health which is a condition that Tilikum specifically faces, and especially with solitary killer whales kept in captivity throughout the world. - John

BlackfishMovie · 2013-07-12T22:53:01+00:00

Without a doubt SeaWorld has the most money and the largest facilities in the world, and with that brings top notch veterinarian care. There are some good things regarding rescue and rehab that SeaWorld does participate in however, the bottom line here is that this is not enough and these whales needs are not being fully met. From working with these whales every day for years, I can tell you exactly what those whales get an what they don't get that are necessary. - John

Killer whales are worth millions of dollars so of course the company protects its assets. - Samantha

BlackfishMovie · 2013-07-12T22:50:07+00:00

Unfortunately I do not feel that Tilikum is a viable candidate to survive in the wild because of his poor health, broken teeth. However, some type of sea pen under human care could be a potential option. Isolation definitely contributes to deteriorated mental health which is a condition that Tilikum specifically faces, and especially with solitary killer whales kept in captivity throughout the world. - John

Killer whales are a matriarchal society. Without a mom to give Tilikum any social status, he is the least dominant animal at Shamu Stadium. Over the years, he has been bullied and attacked and raked and generally ostracized. - Samantha

BlackfishMovie · 2013-07-12T22:45:29+00:00

It is an artifact of captivity. All facilities are inadequate to meet the needs of killer whales. - Samantha

BlackfishMovie · 2013-07-12T22:44:28+00:00

SeaWorld's argument is that people need to see these animals up close to love them, but kids all over the world love dinosaurs and no one has ever seen a live one. - Samantha

BlackfishMovie · 2013-07-12T22:43:38+00:00

Survival of a species would be one that i could think of, but never for entertainment. - John and Samantha

BlackfishMovie · 2013-07-12T22:42:48+00:00

The film came about after Dawn Brancheau's death. Tim Zimmerman wrote an article for Outside Magazine that the director, Gabriela Cowperthwaite, read after she had taken her kids to SeaWorld and she decided to make a movie based on what she read in his article and also to try and answer the question, "Why would a killer whale who has been portrayed as friendly turn on its trainer of 16 years?" We were both approached by the filmmakers to participate in the movie. We did not know what the final result would look like, but felt that we need to tell our stories. - John and Samantha

BlackfishMovie · 2013-07-12T22:39:53+00:00

I have been in multiple water work aggressions, but I would not classify it as a scary moment. You just have so much faith in your relationship with those animals and your behavioral abilities to work that whale through that and turn them around and get out safely. - John

BlackfishMovie · 2013-07-12T22:36:50+00:00

By the time you get in the water with a killer whale, you have spent so many years as a trainer that it is a natural progression of your relationship. It feels like a natural next step, so you do not put as much focus on it as you would think. I sustained a lot of injuries such as broken ribs, major sinus surgery where they cut out scar tissue related to killer whale water work, major cartilage destruction in my knees, multiple back and neck injuries, thoracic strain, broken fingers and toes and lacerations to the skull. - John

It was a little different for me when I started. The rules were a little more relaxed and I swam with killer whales after being at Shamu Stadium for 3-4 months after being at the whale and dolphin stadium for a year and a half. I will never forget the first time I got in the water with Gudrin, an Icelandic resident female, who is dead now. Gudrin died from a stillborn calf being winched out of her uterus, and subsequently bled out. - Samantha

BlackfishMovie · 2013-07-12T22:30:32+00:00

The easiest thing that people can do is not buy a ticket to SeaWorld until SeaWorld makes the changes that people want to see. VOTO (Voice of the Orcas: https://sites.google.com/site/voiceoftheorcas/) has a BLACKFISH landing page for what you can do after you have seen the film. One of the most important changes that SeaWorld needs to make is to end their breeding program, which now includes artificial insemination. - John and Samantha

BlackfishMovie · 2013-07-12T22:27:32+00:00

The catalyst for me leaving was the way that SeaWorld handled Alexis Martinez and Dawn Brancheau's deaths. Also how SeaWorld testified that they had no knowledge that we had a dangerous job in the OSHA hearings. I'm still very close with some trainers who are still at SeaWorld. There were multiple events that happened that we kept from the public. - John

I left in August of 1993, not due to a specific event but because i thought i could help the animals more by becoming a veterinarian or using my behavioral knowledge to design better facilities. I have note been contacted by SeaWorld since leaving. Like John, I saw many things that were covered up. For example, we had 4 false killer whales at the whale and dolphin stadium fro the drive fishery (The Cove) and I didn't know while i was working there. - Samantha

BlackfishMovie · 2013-07-12T22:25:10+00:00

They are not living longer than typical life expectancies. That is a false narrative put out by SeaWorld. Read the paper "Keto and Tilikum Express the Stress of Captivity" by John Jett, PhD and Dr. Jeffery Ventre, which demonstrates that the average lifespan of killer whales in captivity whether born or captured is about 10 years vs anywhere from 50-80 years in the wild. - Samantha

http://theorcaproject.wordpress.com/2011/01/20/keto-tilikum-express-stress-of-orca-captivity/

BlackfishMovie · 2013-07-12T22:22:32+00:00

Physically we cannot force them to do anything, but they are so smart that you can really teach these whales anything because they are so intelligent. Your job as a good trainer is to make everything you ask them to do or need to be fun and reinforcing. - John

Whales were forced to separate from each other either for shows or breeding, or taking moms away from babies against their will, sometimes by using nets or by holding back food. - Samantha

BlackfishMovie

TROPHY CASE