Long Gone Wild (2019)

Long Gone Wild: Directed by Bill Neal. With Richard O’Barry, Naomi Rose, Charles Vinick, Lori Marino. Despite key concessions by SeaWorld, its orcas are still performing every day, and in Eastern Russia the magnificent killer whale is hunted for sale into the exploding marine theme park industry in China. Witness an in depth look at the case against captivity, The Whale Sanctuary Project, and covert missions on the high seas and in search of nine orcas held captive at a secret Chinese location.

“Greetings again from the darkness. As described here, Gabriela Cowperthwaiteu0026#39;s 2013 documentary BLACKFISH u0026quot;changed everythingu0026quot; in regards to Orcas being held in captivity. But then Bill Nealu0026#39;s documentary proceeds to lay out all of the problems that still exist and some new challenges that are occurring in Russia and China. So maybe everything hasnu0026#39;t changed.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWe are told that in North America, there are 22 killer whales in captivity, 20 of which are at Sea World parks. These u0026quot;killer whalesu0026quot; are really Orcas, the majestic black and white creatures that are featured in Sea World shows and promotional paraphernalia. In the wild, they hunt and feed on Blue whales, the largest animals on Earth. In captivity, they are fed flash-frozen fish from a bucket, and forced to swim in pools too shallow to protect their skin from the sun … and worse, separated from their family and community.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe film provides a timeline and history of Orcas in captivity. 1965 was the year that Ted Griffinu0026#39;s Seattle aquarium put Namu on public display. After that, Shamu became the stage name for the main attraction at all Sea World parks. Of course, the film touches on Tillikum, the main focus of BLACKFISH and the Orca involved with the publicized death of a trainer. Tillikum was also the sire to many offspring used in the Sea World community.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eFilmmaker Neal includes interviews with authors, scientists, former trainers, and researchers. Author David Kirby (u0026quot;Death at Sea Worldu0026quot;) and Biologist Dr. Naomi Rose are two featured players who bring much insight to the topic. The u0026quot;wildlife tradeu0026quot; now involves Russia capturing Orcas in the wild and then selling to China for millions of dollars. China is building marine parks modeled on what the United States had in the 1960u0026#39;s, and the poor facilities are a major concern for those involved with protecting the species.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eFor many years, science and education were the defense offered for keeping these animals in captivity. Itu0026#39;s now very obvious that entertainment … or more precisely, profit, is the driving force. The film leaves us with the updated statistics. Worldwide there are now 60 Orcas being held in captivity in 15 parks throughout 8 countries. The heartfelt plea from those involved with the Whale Sanctuary Project is u0026quot;Donu0026#39;t buy a ticketu0026quot;. If only everything had really changed.”