Mayrose Gravalec-Pannone- Junior at Saint Michael's College- Reaction to "Blackfish"

How do you think CNN's "Blackfish" has influenced the public opinion of SeaWorld?

I think that the fact that Blackfish was screened at the Sundance Film Festival and that it was made available on Netflix allowed it to have a wider viewership, so I think that the film has been able to get a wide range of the public to see the deep psychological damage that humans do to animals in zoos and aquariums for their own enjoyment.

SeaWorld recently filed an appeal against the new ruling that trainers must be behind a barrier while interacting with the orcas- how do you feel about this law and what do you think the chances of SeaWorld winning the appeal are?

I think that this law is the first step in eventually getting the public to see the inherent dangers to both animals and humans that amusement parks like Sea World pose. However, I think given Sea World's enormous monetary resources it will be able to hire lawyers and lobbyists that will most likely succeed in appealing the law.

What social effects can you imagine the public experiencing if animal captivity ceased to exist? In your opinion, would this be a negative or positive change and why?

I  think humans would be forced to take a more active role in experiencing nature and wild animals in their natural habitat. At the end of the film, former Sea World trainers are shown going on a whale watching boat and viewing orcas in their natural habitat, and they were able to derive as much or more enjoyment than guests at Sea World. I definitely think this would be a positive change, since humans are already so far removed from nature and thinking about where animals come from, particularly in the context of farms and meat production.