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November 17th, 2014
11:32 PM ET

Orca hunter turned whale rescuer shares his video

Attendance and profits have plunged again at SeaWorld. The company, which operates 11 theme parks, says its third quarter earnings fell 28 percent from a year ago and they had half-million fewer park visitors. That's all during what is supposed to be the busy summer months. SeaWorld's CEO says he is confident they're addressing the company's challenges. They are building larger tanks for its killer whales, the first expected to open in San Diego in four years. This comes after CNN aired the documentary "Blackfish" last year. The film raised questions of alleged animal abuse at its parks. SeaWorld Entertainment Group denies the allegations.

CNN's Ivan Watson got a unique view into how SeaWorld and other parks get their killer whales. For the first time on TV, a former whale hunter is sharing his video.

Watch part 2 of Ivan's report here:

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Filed under: Blackfish • Ivan Watson
October 25th, 2013
01:07 AM ET

Gabriela Cowperthwaite on her film "Blackfish"

"I didn't come from animal activism, I was a mother who took her kids to Sea World." That's how Gabriela Cowperthwaite describes her background before making "Blackfish." She talks about why she made the film and her handling of trainer Dawn Brancheau's death.

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Filed under: Blackfish • Martin Savidge
October 25th, 2013
01:05 AM ET

Jack Hanna and Gabriela Cowperthwaite discuss captivity

After making the film "Blackfish," Gabriela Cowperthwaite makes the argument "the most important thing that we learned from having whales in captivity, is ironically that they should not be in captivity." Jack Hanna questions the definition of what many people consider to be captivity.

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Filed under: Blackfish • Martin Savidge
October 25th, 2013
01:04 AM ET

Jack Hanna on "Blackfish"

Jack Hanna is the Director Emeritus of the Columbus Zoo. He makes the case for Sea World's care of their orcas. He says the people who work at the parks "love these animals as much as they love their families."


Filed under: Blackfish
October 22nd, 2013
01:04 AM ET

The "Blackfish" controversy

Later this week, CNN will air the television premier of "Blackfish." The documentary tells the story of the SeaWorld trainer who was killed in 2010 by an orca named Tilikum. Martin Savidge takes a closer look at the controversial death.
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Filed under: ac360 • Blackfish • Martin Savidge