SeaWorld response
Who were the recipients of the letters from the Oceanic Preservation Society and The Orca Project?
Blackfish (film)
SeaWorld Entertainment refused to take part in the production of "Blackfish", and later claimed the film was inaccurate, saying in a statement:SeaWorld responded further with an open letter rebutting the claims. The Oceanic Preservation Society and The Orca Project, a non-profit focusing on orca in captivity, responded with open letters criticizing SeaWorld's claims. Marine researcher Debbie Giles also offered rebuttals to SeaWorld, finding its assertions inaccurate. SeaWorld also created a section of its website titled "Truth About Blackfish," addressing the claims stated above and highlighting other problems with the film: The implication that SeaWorld separates mothers and very young calves, pointing out that Tillikum was not collected by SeaWorld; that Takara was 12 years old when moved and Kalina was moved when she was over 4 years old. The inclusion of a SeaWorld video of a female trainer riding a killer whale, while one of the cast members, Samantha Berg, talks about her experience at Shamu Stadium, pointing out that the segment implies that Berg had relevant experience when the video used in the film was actually shot 10 years "after" Berg had left SeaWorld (The trainer depicted in the video is not Berg but rather a current SeaWorld employee at the time of "Blackfish"'s production). The film's use of animal rights activists who have aggressively campaigned against marine mammal display and have no expertise with killer whale behavior in captivity, specifically Howard Garrett, Lori Marino and Ken Balcomb; the film's reliance on statements by David Duffus, a professor of geography whom Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) Judge Kenneth Welsch found "has no expertise in the training of captive killer whales." The film's use of false and misleading statements about the circumstances of Brancheau’s death, specifically the opening sequence's separate generic training and performance footage edited together and synched with actual 911 calls, "to mislead the audience into believing it is viewing the actual footage of Ms. Brancheau swimming with Tilikum prior to the fatal incident," when the opening sequence does not depict either Brancheau or Tilikum, or even an attack, and that no one was ever allowed to swim in the water with Tilikum, including Brancheau; and the use of an edited recording of an EMT technician, subsequently proved to be mistaken, suggesting that Tilikum swallowed Brancheau’s arm during the attack. On February 27, 2014, SeaWorld filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Labor, claiming the Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigator who investigated Brancheau's death had behaved unethically by aiding the filmmakers. Cowperthwaite denied claims of improper collaboration. In March 2014, Cowperthwaite responded with rebuttals to several but not all of SeaWorld's website claims and challenged SeaWorld to a public debate.