Nature programmes affect our views of how we treat wildlife

NATURE documentaries have a direct impact on public perceptions of animal welfare and may pressure zoos into greater transparency, according to research.

Academics from the University of Stirling and the University of Oxford found there was a link between documentaries and financial hits suffered by woeful publicity.

Documentary Blackfish, released in 2013, was found to have caused a drop in shares for Florida marine park, Seaworld.

The film told the story of performing Orca Tilikum, which killed three people while in captivity, the last victim being Seaworld’s senior trainer, Dawn Brancheau, in February 2010.

Academics interviewed zoo and aquaria community representatives, marine park employees, animal welfare workers, Blackfish crew and marine science experts, and asked them to rank possible reasons for the drop in attendance and revenue.

They found evidence that the documentary led to negative publicity for Seaworld and changed how people viewed Orca captivity. The film was also used as an example for why zoos and wildlife parks may need to focus on greater transparency.

Dr Laura Thomas-walters, a postdoctoral research fellow in Biological and Environmental Sciences at the University of Stirling, said: “We found three main reasons why Blackfish had such an impact.

“The support from major distribution channels like CNN and Netflix that lent it credibility and brought it to large audiences, the emotional impact of its content, and the timing of its release.

“A confluence of factors, fuelled by animal welfare and rights activism, enabled the documentary to resonate with a wide public.

“Further, Seaworld lost credibility by dismissing the documentary as propaganda, and their response was regarded as slow and inadequate.

“Blackfish demonstrates the need for zoos and aquaria to track public attitudes and make a genuine effort to engage with trade-offs between financial sustainability through entertainment and a commitment to conservation and welfare.

“For example, zoos and aquaria could develop a set of publicly available guidelines justifying their choice in the species they keep, breed, and display.

“This may mean no longer keeping species, such as Orcas, when there is evidence that their welfare needs cannot be met in captivity.

“This could require finding new ways to generate revenue, especially in the aftermath of Covid-19, which has imposed park closures in many countries worldwide.

“The UK is a nation of animal lovers, and Blackfish shows what happens when people feel they’ve been deceived.

“Many zoos, like the London Zoological Society, do incredible conservation work, but all zoos have to make difficult choices about the rights and welfare of the animals they keep in captivity.

“Transparency is key.”

Contributing author Dr Diogo Verissimo, research fellow in zoology at the University of Oxford, said: “When expose documentaries like Blackfish or Seaspiracy come out, there are often big claims about their impact, but we actually know very little about how influential documentaries are, as there are very few studies into their impacts.

“This is problematic as it means we have to rely on guesswork when it comes to making future documentaries as impactful as possible.”

The research also gives an insight into how zoos and aquaria might mitigate changing public attitudes towards animal captivity and conservation.

Laure Boissat of the School of Geography and the Environment at the University of Oxford, said: “Zoos and aquaria have traditionally justified their existence through having an important educational role.

“However, today, as wildlife documentaries are much more accessible and informative, who still needs to go see animals forced to spend their whole lives in a confined environment?

“Animal-based shows are cruel and outdated. We should rather focus our attention on in-situ conservation.”

All zoos have to make difficult choices about the rights and welfare of the animals they keep in captivity