Michel Li. Originally appeared in Spring 2018.

In 2013, the low-budget documentary Blackfish, directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite, made a huge splash. The movie centers around the death of SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau in 2010. After a scheduled show, a SeaWorld orca whale named Tilikum grabbed Dawn and dragged her around the pool. She passed away later due to drowning and severe blunt force trauma. The film attributes Tilikum’s behavior to the irreconcilable disparity between the physical and emotional needs of orcas and their living standards in captivity. Whales are not meant to live in confinement; they can swim up to 100 miles a day, and as highly social creatures live with their family members in pods. Christopher Porter, a former trainer at SeaWorld said in the film, “When you know the animal and have a relationship with it, you know that he’s not killing because he’s a savage. He’s not killing because he’s crazy, or because he doesn’t know what he’s doing. He’s killing because he’s frustrated and has aggravation, and . . . he has no outlet for it.”

Reaction to the film was mixed, with some individuals claiming the film to be emotionally manipulative and challenging the validity of the claims it makes. Most of the general public, however, was outraged. After the release of this film, Sea World saw ticket sales to its facilities in San Diego, Orlando, and Texas fall drastically. Celebrities began to withdraw from their scheduled performances at SeaWorld parks. Corporate sponsors pulled out. In 2011, PETA filed a lawsuit against SeaWorld on behalf of five orca whales who had he ensuing backlash to the use of orca whales for entertainment purposes is dubbed the “Blackfish effect.”

Animals as Entertainment in China

While public opinion in the United States is increasingly opposed to holding orcas in captivity, especially for the purposes of entertainment, demand for such exhibits is growing internationally, particularly in China. This is occurring despite the release of Blackfish and similar movies since then. Such animal exhibits can even be seen in malls. A recent New York Times video titled “The ‘Saddest’ Polar Bear Lives in China” shows a polar bear walking around a glass exhibit with pictures of icebergs in the background in a mall in Guangzhou. There are currently 44 ocean theme parks operating in China, with 18 more scheduled to open in the near future. This is a part of the larger, general trend of growth in the global attractions industry in Asia, as the growing middle class is increasingly seeking such outlets for leisure and entertainment. Demand in China seems to be particularly high for ocean-themed parks. In 2014, of the three Chinese parks that ranked in the top 25 most attended amusement theme parks worldwide, two of them were ocean-themed and had marine animal displays. Additionally, China is home to the largest waterpark in the world: Chimelong Waterpark in Guangzhou City.

Chimelong Ocean Kingdom set five world records with its inception in 2014. In addition to being the world’s largest aquarium upon opening, it also holds Guinness World Records for “largest underwater viewing dome, largest aquarium tank, largest aquarium window, and largest acrylic panel.” These record-setting viewing areas provide front row seats to watch whales, dolphins, seals, polar bears, walruses, penguins, and manatees swim around in their new homes. According to National Geographic, in February of 2017, Chimelong announced that it opened an onsite orca whale breeding center, home to five males and four females, intended to “raise public awareness about killer whales and their conservation status” and “conduct research.” Although the park has not announced plans for these whales to perform, an article from TakePart says that Chimelong is showing signs of preparation for the opening of orca shows. Chimelong’s Director of Animal Training and Zoological Operations was a former Senior Animal Trainer at Loro Parque, a theme park in the Canary Islands that served as a training ground for many SeaWorld animal trainers as well. Additionally, the article mentions that Jeff Foster, a former whale hunter and trainer, had been contacted by a broker offering him a large sum from Chinese buyers to capture and train the whales in basic tasks such as eating dead fish and complying with medical exams.

The Industry’s Relationship with the Chinese Government

Although the Chinese government had confirmed the export of nine orcas from Russia to China since 2013, the whereabouts of these whales remained undisclosed until Chimelong’s 2017 announcement of the opening of its new breeding center. Prior to the statement in 2017, posts on social media of photos of the whales with locations tagged at Chimelong had been taken down. TakePart had spoken with a source that stated that the whales were held on a nearby military base at that time.

This information indicates that the Chimelong has a close relationship with the Chinese government. Provincial and local governments seem particularly welcoming towards the building of these new parks, as they bring in jobs and generate much tax revenue. According to TakePart, local governments have even provided land for the development of these parks. While the release of the movie Blackfish drastically altered public opinion and created large opposition to the marina park industry in the United States, the Chinese government is much better-positioned to control public opinion when it comes to the exhibition of orca whales, as they can easily restrict the information available to the public by regulating the media. This, combined with the growing ability of Chinese residents to splurge on this source of entertainment, has sustained the industry.

Problems with Continued Whaling

Sustainability of such exhibits requires demand, but more importantly, the supply of whales themselves. Many countries have banned whaling, especially for commercial purposes. The few countries that have continued whaling include Russia, Japan, Norway, and Iceland. Recently, orca whales have increasingly come from Russia, and have increasingly gone to China. Between 2013-2015, the Russian government had authorized the capture of more than a dozen orca whales, and at least nine of them have gone to China. Since the beginning of 2016, Russia has exported 91 live mammals, 84 of which have gone to China. In the year 2017 alone, the Russian government announced that it would allow for the capture of up to ten orca whales in the region. Scientists and activists are concerned about the lack of regulation on the whale trade in Russia, especially as they fear the species is nearing endangerment and extinction. The number of orca whales left in Russian waters is unclear, and as a result, activists oppose allowing the capture of any more orca whales until the number can be determined.

Another serious concern regarding the over-capturing of orca whales in the wild is the issue of these animals living in captivity. Orca whales can be classified into many different types, two of which—the resident and transient types—are most commonly found in Russian waters. The whales that have been captured from Russia and sent to China have mostly been of the transient type, which prefers to eat marine mammals and hunt for their prey. Such species of orca whales are especially unsuited for captivity, which entails a life of being fed frozen fish by trainers. These concerns resemble those raised by the film Blackfish, but for the reasons stated above, the Chinese public has been unmoved by the Blackfish effect.

International concerns over captivity regard not only the health of the animals but also the safety of trainers. Since the 1960s there have been over 30 attacks on humans by orca whales in captivity, with at least four of them being fatal. According to an orca researcher interviewed in Blackfish, there is no record of any orca harming a human in the wild. As marine parks expand in China, more orca whales will be living in unnatural environments. Especially considering the subpar standards set forth by the Chinese government, the probability of attack is becoming more likely. While the Chinese government may be able to temper public opinion now, trainer injury and death would release a storm of public reaction that the government would not be able to control. It would be a shame if it took such a tragedy for Chimelong to learn the lessons already learned and publicized by SeaWorld.

Limited, but Growing Opposition in China

Activist groups in China and Hong Kong have been advocating for an end to the trade and exhibition of these animals. More immediately, however, they have been advocating for greater oversight and transparency in the availability of information pertaining to them. Currently, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is the main database that keeps track of the whale trade, in addition to the exchange of other live animals. Information pertaining to the export of whales to China, however, has been imperfect. There has been a discrepancy between the trade figures presented by the Chinese government, and other sources, such as CITES.

These activist groups have primarily been backed by supporters internationally and from Hong Kong. The lack of activist groups within mainland China demonstrates the general apathy and lack of awareness regarding the issue. The core problem, however, is the control that the Chinese government exerts over civil society. Because it is in the government’s interest for theme parks to become established and commercially successful, they have an incentive and the ability to prevent activist groups from forming and gaining traction. As a result, there has been little push from the Chinese public to establish regulations regarding trade and treatment of these animals once in captivity. Additionally, favorable Sino-Russian political and economic relations facilitate the flourishing of the whale trade between the two countries. Such a relationship makes the hiring of whale hunters and transporting of whales, which can involve placing the whales in cargo trucks filled with ice, a much easier process.

A number of factors to facilitate the expansion of the marine park industry in China are already in place: a government with an interest in expanding these parks, the ability to control any challenging public opinions, and favorable trade relations with a country that can supply the animals needed for such growth. Unlike the dorsal fins of orca whales in captivity, the marine park industry in China will not be collapsing anytime soon.