{"id":1068056,"date":"2023-07-19T09:08:43","date_gmt":"2023-07-19T16:08:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/?p=1068056"},"modified":"2025-09-25T09:37:33","modified_gmt":"2025-09-25T16:37:33","slug":"blackfish-ten-year-anniversary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/news\/blackfish-ten-year-anniversary\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Blackfish\u2019 Made a Splash When It Debuted 10 Years Ago\u2014What\u2019s Changed Since Then?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Ten years ago today, the debut of a documentary film made a big splash and ushered in a sea change for animals used for human entertainment. The way people felt about keeping orcas in tiny tanks at SeaWorld and other marine parks shifted dramatically after Magnolia Pictures and CNN Films released the critically acclaimed <strong><em>Blackfish<\/em><\/strong> in the U.S. on July 19, 2013.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Do you want to learn more about this groundbreaking film? Watch the trailer now:<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed aligncenter is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"video-player\"><div class=\"widescreen-wrapper\"><iframe title=\"Blackfish - Official Trailer\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/G93beiYiE74?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Director Gabriela Cowperthwaite\u2019s documentary&nbsp;centers on a captive orca named Tilikum, who&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.seaworldofhurt.com\/orca-capture\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">was torn away from his family and ocean home<\/a>&nbsp;at the age of 2. He spent more than 30 years in captivity, most of it at SeaWorld. His anguish and frustration\u2014caused by years of intense confinement and lack of emotional and intellectual stimulation\u2014led him to kill three humans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Cowperthwaite pieced together Tilikum\u2019s story with shocking film footage, expert testimony, and heartbreaking interviews with the people who knew this orca better than anyone, his former trainers. By telling Tilikum\u2019s tragic tale, <em>Blackfish<\/em> inspired countless viewers never to visit marine parks again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Since <em>Blackfish<\/em>\u2019s release, what has happened to orcas at SeaWorld?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Seven orcas have died at SeaWorld parks since 2013. Unna, Kasatka, Kyara, Kayla, Amaya, Nakai, and Tilikum all died in the <em>abuse<\/em>ment park\u2019s small tanks. Orcas <a href=\"https:\/\/www.seaworldofhurt.com\/features\/seaworld-loro-parque-exposed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Skyla and Kohana<\/a>\u2014whom SeaWorld shipped to Loro Parque in Spain along with Tekoa and Keto, who killed Loro Parque trainer Alexis Mart\u00ednez while a senior SeaWorld trainer supervised a session\u2014have also died since the film\u2019s release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Eighteen orcas still suffer at SeaWorld parks, including <a href=\"https:\/\/support.peta.org\/page\/2440\/action\/1?locale=en-US\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Corky<\/a>. Humans captured her from her natural home in 1969, and she has spent more time in captivity than any other orca alive today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Corky-Demo-2.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Corky-Demo-2.png\" alt=\"Corky 47th year anniversary demo\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2016, because of PETA\u2019s campaigns and mounting criticism of SeaWorld from the public, the company ended its sordid orca-breeding program. However, it still uses other dolphins and whales as breeding machines to create generations of suffering animals in order to fill the park\u2019s tanks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2023, SeaWorld opened a park in Abu Dhabi. While no orcas are at this facility, over 100,000 other marine animals are imprisoned there, including dolphins the company secretly shipped from parks in the U.S.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What happened to SeaWorld because of <em>Blackfish<\/em>?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>SeaWorld faced more than half a dozen lawsuits from shareholders, including a securities class-action lawsuit alleging that it had misled investors about the impact of <em>Blackfish<\/em> and the unethical treatment of the orcas at its parks. The company agreed to a $65 million settlement of the lawsuit, and the company and its former CEO separately paid $5 million to settle fraud charges brought by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for misleading investors about how the documentary was hurting the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since the film debuted, SeaWorld has cycled through four CEOs and eliminated more than 3,300 positions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2020, following pressure from PETA, SeaWorld ended the practice of \u201cdolphin surfing\u201d during shows, in which trainers would stand on dolphins\u2019 faces and ride on their backs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Numerous companies\u2014including Tripadvisor, Airbnb, and JetBlue Airways\u2014<a href=\"https:\/\/www.seaworldofhurt.com\/how-many-seaworld-partners-have-jumped-ship\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">cut ties with SeaWorld<\/a> after acknowledging that keeping highly intelligent, emotionally complex animals in concrete tanks is cruel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Musicians including Willie Nelson, Pat Benatar, and the groups Heart and the Beach Boys <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2014\/01\/16\/showbiz\/blackfish-busch-gardens-cancellations\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">canceled performances at SeaWorld<\/a>-owned parks following the release of the documentary.<\/p>\n\n\n<h3><strong>In the 10 years since <em>Blackfish<\/em> premiered, <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/features\/celebrity-efforts-seaworld\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>many celebrities<\/strong><\/a><strong> have joined PETA in urging people to shun SeaWorld. They include the following:<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Pamela Anderson<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Eric Balfour<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Miguel Bernardeau<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Jessica Biel<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Jason Biggs<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Colbie Caillat<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Holly Marie Combs<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Noah Cyrus<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Kate del Castillo<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Eva Gutowski<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Joanna Krupa<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Tommy Lee<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Dulce Mar\u00eda<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Marisa Miller<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Kathy Najimy<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Behati Prinsloo<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Rainey Qualley<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Cassie Randolph<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Krysten Ritter<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Kelly Slater<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Bella Thorne<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Christopher von Uckermann<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>and the cast of <em>Vanderpump Rules<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/VanderpumpRulesSeaWorld.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/VanderpumpRulesSeaWorld.jpg\" alt=\"Lala Kent, Scheana Shay, and Ariana Madix appear as body painted orcas\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Ripple Effects: How the World Changed Outside of SeaWorld After <em>Blackfish<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2016, the state of California passed the Orca Protection Act, which banned captive orca breeding and bringing any new orcas into the state. That same year, the National Aquarium in Baltimore announced that it would send the dolphins there to a seaside sanctuary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2018, the world\u2019s first <a href=\"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/news\/first-beluga-whale-sanctuary-to-welcome-two-new-residents\/\">beluga sanctuary<\/a> opened in Iceland. Two belugas were moved from a marine park in China to the sanctuary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2019, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/news\/canada-bans-orca-whale-dolphin-captivity\/\">Canada banned dolphin and whale captivity<\/a> nationwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2020, The Whale Sanctuary Project announced a plan to build a sanctuary for rescued orcas and belugas off the coast of Nova Scotia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In March 2023, the Miami Seaquarium announced plans to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/news\/miami-seaquarium-announces-plan-send-orca-lolita-seaside-sanctuary\/\">move the lone orca Lolita to a seaside sanctuary<\/a> following decades of pressure from PETA and other orca defenders. This announcement sent a message that it\u2019s high time for SeaWorld to retire the dolphins and whales it imprisons as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed aligncenter is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">BREAKING: Lolita, the orca, will finally be going back to her home in the ocean after 52 years in captivity! <br><br>This comes after decades of campaigning by PETA and fellow animal rights activists, as well as the generosity of <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Colts?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@Colts<\/a> owner Jim Irsay, who provided the funds for her\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/0zZISMOgmC\">pic.twitter.com\/0zZISMOgmC<\/a><\/p>&mdash; PETA (@peta) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/peta\/status\/1641549619594252290?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 30, 2023<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n<h3><strong>Want to do more to help orcas and other dolphins still held at SeaWorld?<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n<p>Urge SeaWorld to establish a firm and rapid plan to end its use of animals, stop breeding all dolphins and whales, and relocate them to seaside sanctuaries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-16018d1d wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button is-style-large-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-narwhal-background-color has-background wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/support.peta.org\/page\/1943\/action\/1?en_txn7=blog::Blackfish%2010%20Year%20Anniversary%20Blog\" target=\"_blank\">Get Started Now!<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<input class=\"fooboxshare_post_id\" type=\"hidden\" value=\"1068056\"\/>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The debut of the 2013 documentary film \u201cBlackfish\u201d made a big splash and ushered in a sea change for animals used for human entertainment. Here\u2019s how.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":136,"featured_media":150892,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","beyondwords_generate_audio":"","beyondwords_integration_method":"","beyondwords_project_id":"","beyondwords_content_id":"","beyondwords_preview_token":"","beyondwords_player_content":"","beyondwords_player_style":"","beyondwords_language_code":"","beyondwords_language_id":"","beyondwords_title_voice_id":"","beyondwords_body_voice_id":"","beyondwords_summary_voice_id":"","beyondwords_error_message":"","beyondwords_disabled":"","beyondwords_delete_content":"","beyondwords_podcast_id":"","beyondwords_hash":"","publish_post_to_speechkit":"","speechkit_hash":"","speechkit_generate_audio":"","speechkit_project_id":"","speechkit_podcast_id":"","speechkit_error_message":"","speechkit_disabled":"","speechkit_access_key":"","speechkit_error":"","speechkit_info":"","speechkit_response":"","speechkit_retries":"","speechkit_status":"","speechkit_updated_at":"","_speechkit_link":"","_speechkit_text":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[22,30],"tags":[],"placement":[447,659],"section":[],"class_list":["post-1068056","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-animals-in-entertainment","category-marine-parks","placement-blog","placement-legacy-home-page-featured-posts"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>&#039;Blackfish&#039; Made a Splash When It Debuted 10 Years Ago | PETA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The way people felt about keeping orcas in tanks at SeaWorld and other parks shifted dramatically after \u201cBlackfish\u201d premiered in July 2013.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/news\/blackfish-ten-year-anniversary\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"&#039;Blackfish&#039; Made a Splash When It Debuted 10 Years Ago | PETA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The way people felt about keeping orcas in tanks at SeaWorld and other parks shifted dramatically after \u201cBlackfish\u201d premiered in July 2013.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/news\/blackfish-ten-year-anniversary\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"PETA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/officialpeta\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-07-19T16:08:43+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-09-25T16:37:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/tilikum3.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1400\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"798\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Danny Prater\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@peta\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@peta\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Danny Prater\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/news\/blackfish-ten-year-anniversary\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/news\/blackfish-ten-year-anniversary\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Danny Prater\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/#\/schema\/person\/a8845085e79c9d477f3e4ea51a5921bd\"},\"headline\":\"\u2018Blackfish\u2019 Made a Splash When It Debuted 10 Years Ago\u2014What\u2019s Changed Since Then?\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-07-19T16:08:43+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-09-25T16:37:33+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/news\/blackfish-ten-year-anniversary\/\"},\"wordCount\":852,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/news\/blackfish-ten-year-anniversary\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/tilikum3.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Animals in Entertainment\",\"Marine Parks\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"copyrightYear\":\"2023\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/news\/blackfish-ten-year-anniversary\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/news\/blackfish-ten-year-anniversary\/\",\"name\":\"'Blackfish' Made a Splash When It Debuted 10 Years Ago | PETA\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/news\/blackfish-ten-year-anniversary\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/news\/blackfish-ten-year-anniversary\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/tilikum3.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-07-19T16:08:43+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-09-25T16:37:33+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/#\/schema\/person\/a8845085e79c9d477f3e4ea51a5921bd\"},\"description\":\"The way people felt about keeping orcas in tanks at SeaWorld and other parks shifted dramatically after \u201cBlackfish\u201d premiered in July 2013.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/news\/blackfish-ten-year-anniversary\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/news\/blackfish-ten-year-anniversary\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/news\/blackfish-ten-year-anniversary\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/tilikum3.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/tilikum3.jpg\",\"width\":1400,\"height\":798,\"caption\":\"Tilikum, subject of the film Blackfish, at SeaWorld in 2013\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/news\/blackfish-ten-year-anniversary\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"\u2018Blackfish\u2019 Made a Splash When It Debuted 10 Years Ago\u2014What\u2019s Changed Since Then?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/\",\"name\":\"PETA\",\"description\":\"People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/#\/schema\/person\/a8845085e79c9d477f3e4ea51a5921bd\",\"name\":\"Danny Prater\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Danny-Prater_avatar_1529524067-96x96.jpg\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Danny-Prater_avatar_1529524067-96x96.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Danny-Prater_avatar_1529524067-96x96.jpg\",\"caption\":\"Danny Prater\"},\"description\":\"Danny spent the formative years of his life in rural Ohio, living among corn stalks and log cabins in the shadow of a ghost town that burned to the ground in the 1840s. Fittingly, you can often find him wearing plaid and sporting a burly beard. With a communications degree in hand from The Ohio State University, he moved to Los Angeles in 2012. In his free time, Danny likes to go for \\\"long-ish\\\" jogs, maintain his self-appointed title as the greatest Dr. Mario player on Earth, and dote upon his two feline companions and numerous succulents.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/news\/author\/danny-prater\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<meta property=\"og:video\" content=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/G93beiYiE74\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:video:type\" content=\"text\/html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:video:duration\" content=\"144\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:video:width\" content=\"480\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:video:height\" content=\"270\" \/>\n<meta property=\"ya:ovs:adult\" content=\"false\" \/>\n<meta property=\"ya:ovs:upload_date\" content=\"2023-07-19T16:08:43+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"ya:ovs:allow_embed\" content=\"true\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"'Blackfish' Made a Splash When It Debuted 10 Years Ago | PETA","description":"The way people felt about keeping orcas in tanks at SeaWorld and other parks shifted dramatically after \u201cBlackfish\u201d premiered in July 2013.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/news\/blackfish-ten-year-anniversary\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"'Blackfish' Made a Splash When It Debuted 10 Years Ago | PETA","og_description":"The way people felt about keeping orcas in tanks at SeaWorld and other parks shifted dramatically after \u201cBlackfish\u201d premiered in July 2013.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/news\/blackfish-ten-year-anniversary\/","og_site_name":"PETA","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/officialpeta","article_published_time":"2023-07-19T16:08:43+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-09-25T16:37:33+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1400,"height":798,"url":"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/tilikum3.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Danny Prater","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@peta","twitter_site":"@peta","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Danny Prater","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/news\/blackfish-ten-year-anniversary\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/news\/blackfish-ten-year-anniversary\/"},"author":{"name":"Danny Prater","@id":"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/#\/schema\/person\/a8845085e79c9d477f3e4ea51a5921bd"},"headline":"\u2018Blackfish\u2019 Made a Splash When It Debuted 10 Years Ago\u2014What\u2019s Changed Since Then?","datePublished":"2023-07-19T16:08:43+00:00","dateModified":"2025-09-25T16:37:33+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/news\/blackfish-ten-year-anniversary\/"},"wordCount":852,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/news\/blackfish-ten-year-anniversary\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/tilikum3.jpg","articleSection":["Animals in Entertainment","Marine Parks"],"inLanguage":"en-US","copyrightYear":"2023","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/news\/blackfish-ten-year-anniversary\/","url":"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/news\/blackfish-ten-year-anniversary\/","name":"'Blackfish' Made a Splash When It Debuted 10 Years Ago | PETA","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/news\/blackfish-ten-year-anniversary\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/news\/blackfish-ten-year-anniversary\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/tilikum3.jpg","datePublished":"2023-07-19T16:08:43+00:00","dateModified":"2025-09-25T16:37:33+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/#\/schema\/person\/a8845085e79c9d477f3e4ea51a5921bd"},"description":"The way people felt about keeping orcas in tanks at SeaWorld and other parks shifted dramatically after \u201cBlackfish\u201d premiered in July 2013.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/news\/blackfish-ten-year-anniversary\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.peta.org\/news\/blackfish-ten-year-anniversary\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/news\/blackfish-ten-year-anniversary\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/tilikum3.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/tilikum3.jpg","width":1400,"height":798,"caption":"Tilikum, subject of the film Blackfish, at SeaWorld in 2013"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/news\/blackfish-ten-year-anniversary\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"\u2018Blackfish\u2019 Made a Splash When It Debuted 10 Years Ago\u2014What\u2019s Changed Since Then?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/","name":"PETA","description":"People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/#\/schema\/person\/a8845085e79c9d477f3e4ea51a5921bd","name":"Danny Prater","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Danny-Prater_avatar_1529524067-96x96.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Danny-Prater_avatar_1529524067-96x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Danny-Prater_avatar_1529524067-96x96.jpg","caption":"Danny Prater"},"description":"Danny spent the formative years of his life in rural Ohio, living among corn stalks and log cabins in the shadow of a ghost town that burned to the ground in the 1840s. Fittingly, you can often find him wearing plaid and sporting a burly beard. With a communications degree in hand from The Ohio State University, he moved to Los Angeles in 2012. In his free time, Danny likes to go for \"long-ish\" jogs, maintain his self-appointed title as the greatest Dr. Mario player on Earth, and dote upon his two feline companions and numerous succulents.","url":"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/news\/author\/danny-prater\/"}]},"og_video":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/G93beiYiE74","og_video_type":"text\/html","og_video_duration":"144","og_video_width":"480","og_video_height":"270","ya_ovs_adult":"false","ya_ovs_upload_date":"2023-07-19T16:08:43+00:00","ya_ovs_allow_embed":"true"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1068056","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/136"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1068056"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1068056\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1170549,"href":"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1068056\/revisions\/1170549"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/150892"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1068056"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1068056"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1068056"},{"taxonomy":"placement","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/placement?post=1068056"},{"taxonomy":"section","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/section?post=1068056"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}