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Sarasota News Leader April 19, 2013 Page 75 tured in the wild by hired hunters and shipped to water-theme animal entertainment parks in North America and Europe. There, the mammals have been trained to perform tricks. They also have been bred, sold and traded among parks. their trainers, it focuses on the fatal attack by notorious orca Tilikum on experienced SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau in 2010. The film challenges SeaWorld's official account of the events leading to Brancheau's death, contending that Tilikum did not pull her into his tank by her ponytail — which she was supThe documentary combines professional and posed to have tied up in a bun — but that he amateur footage and interviews with former dragged her into the pool by her arm. SeaWorld trainers, marine biologists, theme park attendees and others to examine the Blackfish also dives into a six-month U.S. Octensions many believe have resulted from cupational Safety and Health Administration practices employed by some of the sea parks. (OSHA) investigation following Brancheau's Throughout the film, the clear assertion is that death, which resulted in a May 2012 ruling restricting the intelligent, emotionally devel- by an administrative law judge that SeaWoroped orcas to artificial and cramped habi- ld trainers must be separated from orcas by tats with other somewhat arbitrarily select- a protective physical barrier during perfored whales deprives them of innate physical, mances. psychological and social needs, causing them Brancheau's death is not the only aspect of Tito become unusually aggressive to each other likum's life noted in the film, however. Blackand to humans. fish follows Tilikum from the time he was Although Blackfish documents numerous cas- captured near Iceland in 1983 at two or three es of orcas in theme parks harming or killing years of age to his current life in captivity at Former SeaWorld trainers Jeff Ventre, Samantha Berg, John Jett and John Hargrove answer questions from Sarasota Film Festival Director Tom Hall and audience members on April 5.