Killer whale expert from Blackfish visits Manitoba campus

An orca expert has made the trek inland to the Brandon University campus Thursday to talk about the controversial practice ofkeepingkiller whales in captivity.

Dave Duffus is a whale expert who appeared in the acclaimed 2013 documentary Blackfish, a film that examines four trainer deaths and othercontentious issues surrounding the killer whale entertainment industry.

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Duffuswas a witness in a 2011 court case afterSeaWorldtrainer Dawn Brancheau was killed byanorcanamedTilikumduring a performance.

[Duffus is]internationally known for his work, and approaches the question of whales in captivity from a scientific rather than an emotional perspective," said Chris Malcolm, chair of Brandon University's department of geography.

"This will be an amazing opportunity for people to engage with a scientist whose research has put him on the front lines of a longstanding debate."

People in the Brandon area are invited to attend a viewing of BlackfishThursday at 7 p.m. in Theatre B of the BrodieScience Building on the Brandon University campus.

Duffus will be speaking after the movie. He will also be giving a talk focused on his whale research in B.C. at 3 p.m. in Room 4-47 of the Brodie Science Building.