Tune in to at 9 p.m. EST tonight to watch , Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s award-winning documentary inspired by the ԹϺ article “Killer in the Pool.”
The film examines 39 years of killer whales in captivity, focusing extensively on Tilikum, a 12,000-pound male orca associated with the deaths of three people, including SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau in 2010.
The documentary also unveils the conditions at Loro Parque, a marine park in the Canary Islands, that led to the death of trainer Alexis Martínez in 2009. That story, “Blood in the Water,” was also told by ԹϺ correspondent and Blackfish Associate Producer Tim Zimmermann.
In July, Zimmermann responded to SeaWorld’s complaints about Blackfish in “Taking On SeaWorld: Let the Voyage Begin.” He writes: “After decades of defining how the public sees killer whales in captivity, SeaWorld’s anti-Blackfish PR blitz may only be helping bring an alternate view of Tilikum’s life and killer whale captivity to a public that has long regarded Shamu as a friendly, happy, icon.”
Tune in tonight, and let us know if you agree.