After immense pressure from animal rights groups, Southwest Airlines has agreed to break ties with its long-standing corporate partner, SeaWorld.

For the last 25 years, Southwest Airlines has been in a partnership with SeaWorld, the controversial marine animal theme park criticized for keeping captive orcas. Southwest planes have been painted to look like SeaWorld’s orcas, which is kind of endearing if you’re a 7-year-old on your first flight. But not so pleasant if you happen to have seen the film “Blackfish” and know that those intelligent animals kept by SeaWorld live in pools so small it’s equal to humans spending their entire lives in bathtubs.

According to Mashable, “Officials at both companies said Thursday that the partnership wouldn’t be renewed at the end of the year when the current contract expires.”

But the airline was under pressure after “Blackfish” caused a swell of support for Tilikum, the male orca featured in the film. Animal rights groups held rallies at Southwest’s headquarters and provided a petition urging the airline to trade its SeaWorld partnership for something less cruel.

SeaWorld is suggesting that the decision wasn’t one-sided and that the park wanted to end the relationship as well. And according to Southwest, the company is refocusing its efforts on “international service.”

But there’s no question that Southwest was feeling the pressure to end its relationship with the theme park. Even if it’s not going to credit animal cruelty for its decision, it’s a victory for animal lovers and another blow to SeaWorld, which has been hit by petitions, protests and decreased sales as a result of “Blackfish.” The first quarter of 2014 hit SeaWorld with a revenue loss of 11 percent.

“Champagne corks were popping at PETA today when we heard that Southwest will no longer support SeaWorld and will repaint its planes,” Ingrid Newkirk, President of PETA said in a statement. “The second I heard the good news, I knew that I’d be booking my next trip on Southwest.”

Find Jill on Twitter @jillettinger

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SeaWorld has been in hot water ever since the documentary “Blackfish” came out last summer. And now, the marine park is being accused of drugging its killer whales.

An affidavit filed in Ontario Superior Court of Justice, and leaked to BuzzFeed, claims that SeaWorld routinely gives benzodiazepines—drugs found in Valium and Xanax—to orcas suffering from mental health issues as a direct result of being in captivity.

Jared Goodman, Director of Animal Law at the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), told BuzzFeed that the veterinary records show that “orcas at SeaWorld are given psychotropic drugs to stop them from acting aggressively towards each other in the stressful, frustrating conditions in which they’re confined instead of funding the development of coastal sanctuaries – the only humane solution. ”

According to BuzzFeed, SeaWorld spokesperson Fred Jacobs defended the medication in an emailed statement: “Benzodiazepines are sometimes used in veterinary medicine for the care and treatment of animals, both domestic and in a zoological setting,” Jacobs said. “These medications can be used for sedation for medical procedures, premedication prior to general anesthesia, and for the control of seizures. The use of benzodiazepines is regulated, and these medications are only prescribed to animals by a veterinarian. Their use for cetacean healthcare, including killer whales, is limited, infrequent, and only as clinically indicated based on the assessment of the attending veterinarian. There is no higher priority for SeaWorld than the health and well-being of the animals in its care.”

But critics of SeaWorld say the drugs are only necessary because the highly intelligent animals aren’t able to deal with spending years—decades in some cases—in captivity. It’s the reason Tilikum, the orca at the center of the “Blackfish” documentary, has killed humans, his former trainers state in the film. Tilikum has spent more than 30 years in captivity and been linked to the deaths of three humans.

Orca Research Trust founder, Ingrid Visser, told BuzzFeed the drugs are likely treating a condition “caused by captivity,” and that their violence stems directly from stress as opposed to an inherent animal trait. “They do not cope with being kept in these tanks. They survive to some degree, but they don’t thrive to any degree,” Visser said. “They show stereotypical behaviors that are abnormal, repetitive behaviors like head bobbing, chewing on concrete, and self mutilation by banging the side of their heads on the side of the tank, and there isn’t a single orca living in captivity where you cannot see one of these behaviors, and in many of them you see multiple examples of these behaviors.”

Activists and animal rights groups are calling on supporters to use the hashtag #EndSeaWorld on Twitter and Instagram to help bring awareness to the plight of captive marine mammals.

Find Jill on Twitter @jillettinger

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When Smith first tuned in to the film, he wrote, ”Finally watching @BlackFishMovie. Holy. S**t. This is depressing. I’m never going to a zoo or aquarium again.”

The film clearly stuck with the director, who took to the Twittersphere again the next day, writing:

“15 hrs since watching @BlackFishMovie and the mother orca screaming for her child still haunts me. Please, @SeaWorld: time to #EmptyTheTanks.”

The Blackfish Effect plows on! – Amanda Just

This article appears courtesy of Ecorazzi

Ecorazzi covers news and gossip on celebrities and notables in support of the environment and humanitarian causes. You can follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

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The critically acclaimed and Oscar-nominated documentary “Blackfish” is making huge waves in the case against SeaWorld.

Willie Nelson. Trisha Yearwood. Heart. REO Speedwagon. These are just some of the musicians who’ve recently cancelled performances at SeaWorld, the aquatic marine park targeted in the film “Blackfish.” The musicians reportedly asked to sever ties with SeaWorld because of the negligence highlighted in the film. A viral petition on Change.org asked the musicians to cancel their appearances.

Pulin Modi of Change.org told CBS that “It’s this larger snowball effect where, in pop culture, SeaWorld has become a prime target for people who are concerned about cruelty to animals.” And it’s snowing icebergs at the theme park these days.

It’s not just musicians cancelling their performances. Soon after the film was released, Pixar announced it was rewriting the ending of the forthcoming follow-up to “Finding Nemo.” The original ending for “Finding Dory” has the characters going to live at a marine park. But the tragedies at SeaWorld illustrated in “Blackfish” changed all that, and the ending has a new direction, reports the Los Angeles Times. After meeting with “Blackfish” director Gabriela Cowperthwaite, Pixar executives said they “didn’t want to look back on this film in 50 years and have it be their ‘Song of the South,’ a reference to the 1946 Disney musical that was widely viewed to be racist.”

Even schools are reneging on planned field trips to the theme park, reports the Malibu Times, “Administrators at Point Dume Marine Science Elementary School cancelled an annual spring field trip to SeaWorld last week after students and parents complained of unethical treatment of orca whales alleged at the park in the controversial new documentary ‘Blackfish’.”

And the latest blow came earlier this week when Blackstone Holdings sold 19.5 million shares of its SeaWorld stock for more than $500 million.

Still, despite the rippling backlash, SeaWorld holds firm to its practices, saying in an email the film “paints a distorted picture,” reports CBS.  “This is a coordinated campaign of digital harassment and does not in any sense represent the opinions of the American public. A far better measure is the number of people actually coming to SeaWorld,” the company wrote in an email.

It’s impossible to know how many families have changed their vacation plans as a result of the film, but it’s sure to have an impact, despite SeaWorld’s claims. And if the film—which is on the Academy Awards “short list”—makes it to a final nominee or takes home an Oscar next February, there’s bound to be even more buzz about the film, and activists hope, fewer visitors to the park.

“Blackfish” tells the tragic story of Tilikum—the largest orca in captivity—linked to the deaths of three people. Released in July in select cities, the documentary also aired on CNN in October. Former SeaWorld trainers featured in the film believe the animal has suffered psychological and emotional damage as a result of living in captivity for three decades and killed as a result of the traumas suffered. In the film, his plight is summed up by Jane Velasquez Mitchell: “If you were in a bathtub for 25 years, don’t you think you’d get a little psychotic?”

If SeaWorld wants to mitigate the “Blackfish backlash”, it can take cues from the film’s director. In a recent interview with the LA Times, Cowperthwaite acknowledged that releasing these animals back into the wild might not be a realistic option, “You can’t just dump these mammals back into the ocean. They don’t know how to hunt; their teeth are broken from biting on steel gates, so they wouldn’t last very long,” she said. But SeaWorld and other marine theme parks could redefine their business model and help support healthy orca populations by ceasing captive breeding first and foremost. And, she adds, “you can return [the orcas] to the ocean and have a controlled environment like a cordoned-off cove with a net as a sanctuary, and they could feel for the first time the natural rhythm of the ocean and have infinite environmental stimulation and be able to be killer whales for the first time.”

Keep in touch with Jill on Twitter @jillettinger

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The shocking must-see documentary “Blackfish” tells the tragic story of a SeaWorld trainer killed by one of its orcas, the six-ton male named Tilikum and the even more tragic tale of why we continue to keep orcas in captivity.

As “Blackfish” highlights, SeaWorld’s cash-Cetaceans come with a steep price. Injuries and casualties are frequent occurrences when working with captive orcas. Senior SeaWorld orca trainer Dawn Brancheau, killed in 2010 by an orca named Tilikum, was the inspiration for the film, and her death has fueled campaigns around the world charging SeaWorld to release captive orcas for reasons Jane Velasquez Mitchell summed up in one sentence: “If you were in a bathtub for 25 years, don’t you think you’d get a little psychotic?”

Velasquez Mitchell’s bathtub reference isn’t far off: In the wild, orcas will swim about 100 miles per day; even the most spacious SeaWorld stadium pools can’t compete with the open ocean. The forced families SeaWorld creates cause intense fighting and bullying between the orcas. Numerous scenes in the film show severe cases of “raking,” a way in which the animals cut each other with their teeth. It’s also  a problem far less common in the wild (so is human death—there are no reported deaths related to human contact with orcas in the wild).

To understand our fixation with SeaWorld and captive orcas, we can look to Ric O’Barry—the “Flipper” dolphin trainer-turned activist (featured in 2009’s Academy Award winning film, “The Cove”). O’Barry was instrumental in creating a cultural fascination with captive marine animals. (Dolphins have had some recent victories though, with India just declaring them “nonhuman persons” and banning all dolphin shows.) Although he has now dedicated his life to bringing awareness to the plight of captive dolphins, it’s not difficult to see the pain of regret still lingering in the lines of O’Barry’s face.

SeaWorld opened its doors in 1964, the same year “Flipper” took to the airwaves. At the top of its list of attractions were the killer whales—iconic orcas with names like Shamu and Namu—taught to perform with humans. Attracting millions of visitors to the theme parks around the country for a chance to get splashed by a killer whale, the crowds became enamored with these massive prisoners who seemed to love nothing more than jumping on cue, as long as buckets full of fishy rewards were involved. Billions of dollars in revenue have been generated by our fixation with captive orcas, and, most notably, the ability to train these giant mammals to perform. SeaWorld has distorted facts about orcas to make it appear as though captivity gives them a better, longer life. (Maybe they’re marketing team could do some PR work for Guantanamo?) Experts in the film say wild orcas live about as long as humans, but SeaWorld drops that number down to 25-35 years, which is the average lifespan of an orca in captivity.

“Blackfish” boldly details the tragic capture of orcas in the late 1960s and ’70s—a SeaWorld commissioned practice of essentially kidnapping babies from their mothers. One of the most memorable scenes from the film is an emotional confession from a former whaler who helped capture the orca babies. Orcas spend their entire lives with their families; and each group has its own language, experts in the film explain.

The orca brain is highly developed for emotional connections, too. Unlike human brains where reason and logic are enhanced, orcas (and presumably other Cetaceans) are wired for strong emotional connections. Another one of the most heart-wrenching scenes in the film is when former SeaWorld trainers tell the stories of separating mother and baby orcas (born in captivity). The mothers made sounds never before heard—long range sounds—in efforts that seemed clearly pointed towards reunion with their calves. They sulked and moaned for days.

The film’s strengths come from both excellent researching—the video clips and perverse SeaWorld promo videos are absolutely priceless—and, more notably, the number of former SeaWorld trainers who have since become eloquent voices for the animals. Many of the trainers worked with Tilikum, who is the largest orca in captivity. Brancheau’s death marked the third death involving Tilikum (which is the Chinook word for “friend”).

But experts and the trainers who knew him say Tilikum isn’t a ruthless killer, but rather a confused and stressed animal who has been living in captivity for more than thirty years. He’s been a valued performer for SeaWorld, but is most valuable to the company as a sperm donor. He’s sired more than 20 offspring—more than half of the orcas in captivity–according to the film.

SeaWorld made attempts to mitigate any negative press resulting from the film. The New York Times reported that the company sent “a detailed critique” of the film to some fifty movie critics. Tactics used by SeaWorld “might conceivably include informational advertising, a Web-based countercampaign or perhaps a request for some sort of access to CNN, which picked up television rights to “Blackfish” through its CNN Films unit and plans to broadcast the movie on Oct. 24.”

Like “The Cove,” “Blackfish” succeeds in capturing just how intelligent and emotional these animals are. And, more importantly, just how barbaric our treatment of them is. It can be difficult to argue about whether or not eating meat is an ethical human practice, but the discussion about ending the practice of keeping captive whales seems pretty cut an dry. Towards the end of the film, one of the trainers tearfully suggests that in 50 years we’ll hopefully look back on keeping orcas in captivity as a barbaric practice. But, hopefully, Tilikum doesn’t have to wait that long.

“Blackfish“ is currently playing in select theaters.



Keep in touch with Jill on Twitter @jillettinger

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