Serpents: The Truth of Tikos (July 19, 2014)

Serpents: The Truth of Tikos, is a hard-hitting documentary that exposes the harsh realities of life in captivity for tikos at SplashWorld. The film shines a light on the ethical and moral dilemmas surrounding the confinement of pescanguids, specifically tikos as it shows tikos within their horribly small tanks exhibiting stereotypical behaviours such as circling endlessly in their tanks, a sign of stress and boredom. Trainers recount their experiences working at SplashWorld facilities where they explain the aggressive and unpredictable behaviours of the animals are results of their rough treatment and stressful conditions during shows. These trainers also express the misinformation the higher-ups would spread to them and then tell them to “inform” patrons and visitors. The documentary then delves into SplashWorld’s famous money maker, the male arctic tiko named Donumo. And it delves into how he was put under tremendous stress from even a young age when he was separated from his mother for “distracting” her during her performance practices. And when Donumo was older, he was relentlessly bullied by the other tank mates, but corporate had decided that he was a star attraction for his compliance in tricks. But after years of stress and poor conditions, Donumo had snapped during training and bitten and killed his most trusted trainer, Nicole Rhéaume. But the company had blamed the death on Nicole making mistakes and being the one in the wrong while also bribing employess to keep quiet or even outright hiding any evidence that would have proven them as guilty. The documentary then delves into how arctic tikos by nature are so intelligent that they could be considered people. And that condemning them to the treatment they had been under at SplashWorld would be denying the rights of personhood to a species that deserves equal treatment.

A Retrospective

Following the release of the exposé, public outrage over the treatment of tikos at SplashWorld reached a fever pitch. The documentary sparked widespread condemnation of SplashWorld's practices and led to a series of legal battles that ultimately resulted in the park's closure. One of the most significant impacts of the documentary was the exposure of the dangers faced by trainers working with tikos in captivity. Families of trainers who had lost their lives in tragic accidents at SplashWorld came forward, citing negligence on the part of the park in providing a safe working environment and reliable information regarding the tikos. Lawsuits were filed against SplashWorld, alleging wrongful death and seeking compensation for the loss of their loved ones. The evidence presented in the documentary, including testimony from former trainers and experts, bolstered the families' cases and brought widespread attention to SplashWorld's track record of safety violations as more information and controversies of precious accounts involving the death of people by these animals and the death of the animals themselves . As public sympathy grew for the families of the deceased trainers and the wellbeing of the tikos, pressure mounted on SplashWorld to take responsibility for its actions. In the face of mounting legal challenges and public backlash, SplashWorld was left with a difficult choice: pay the hefty lawsuits and implement significant changes to its operations or shut down all of its businesses. However, SplashWorld chose the latter, refusing to pay the families of the deceased trainers and opting to close its doors instead. The decision to shut down SplashWorld only fueled public outrage further, leading to widespread condemnation of the park's management and a series of hate campaigns against the company. Social media platforms were flooded with calls for justice, boycotts of SplashWorld merchandise, and petitions demanding accountability for the mistreatment of tikos and the families of the deceased trainers. And in the end, SplashWorld couldn’t handle the mountains of bad publicity and hate, thus the fall of the company and any related endeavours were official. The company and business of aquatic entertainment is extinct. The documentary continues to educate people now on how treatment of tikos were and how important it is to conserve their populations. And in a surprising turn, it shows just how much corporate greed can be the cause of tragedy in the face of cutting corners for profit. It is widely accepted and common for people online nowadays to express their hatred and disgust of SplashWord’s actions, and many people express how grateful they are for the collapse and fall of SplashWorld as conservation and legal protection of tikos and other pescanguids has become a very successful endeavour.

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