The death of Dawn Brancheau made national headlines in 2010. Dawn was working as an orca trainer at SeaWorld Orlando when the tragic accident occurred. During a bonding session with Tilikum, the largest orca in captivity, Dawn was pulled into the water and drowned. It was a story that not only shocked the nation, but left people wondering how something so horrible could happen. Gabriela Cowperthwaite's use of accounts from retired SeaWorld trainers highlighted the harsh realities of the animals captured in her documentary Blackfish. In creating a piece focusing on the life of an orca, Cowperthwaite allowed viewers to examine the lives of captured animals and showcased the larger social issue of animal rights, the treatment of animals for research, and the need for action. topic of social interest for many years. There is an extreme form of animal rights where these extremists believe that people should not own pets and should not eat anything that comes from an animal. But there is a less extreme form of animal rights, “one movement is that of traditional humanitarian interest groups who believe that their goals include improving the quality of life of animals. They care for stray animals, fight animal abuse…and generally care about “quality of life” issues” and this is the type of animal rights that will be covered in this article (Silberman 161). Quality of life is what orcas in captivity lack. Sure, they're not hunted and killed by fishermen, but they're basically kept as pets in a giant bathtub. They live a scheduled life where they have to work for every fish they can eat. Tilikum, for example, is not very popular with other orcas. He is... at the heart of the article... and of the Ethics." Journal of Mammalogy 75.1 (1994): 219-23. JSTOR. Web. January 28, 2014. .Burford, Mahalia. "Reply to Blackfish: A Case for SeaWorld." Journal of Law and Public Policy. Np, November 6, 2013. Web. December 28, 2014. .Cowperthwaite, Gabriela, dir. Blackfish. Magnolia Pictures, 2013. Film.Jasper, James M. and Jane Poulsen." Fighting back: Vulnerability, mistakes, and countermobilization by targets in three animal rights campaigns." Silberman, Morton S "Animal welfare, animal rights: the past, the present, and the 21st century." Journal of Zoo Animal Medicine 19.4 (1988): 161-67 Web. 2014. .