You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
143 reviews for:
Death at Seaworld: Shamu and the Dark Side of Killer Whales in Captivity
David Kirby
4.22 AVERAGE
143 reviews for:
Death at Seaworld: Shamu and the Dark Side of Killer Whales in Captivity
David Kirby
4.22 AVERAGE
One of the best nonfiction books I've ever read, and one that was very emotionally charged for me. Like many of the trainers and scientists profiled, I once visited SeaWorld as a child and dreamed of being a marine biologist.
Seeing the J,K and L pods in the San Juan Islands around 1990 for the first time was pivotal in changing my attitude about orcas in captivity, and the next time I saw them in 1995, followed by a visit to the Vancouver aquarium where one lonely male was kept in tank hardly bigger than he was solidified the disparity between the two lives for me. From then on my position was uncompromising. I have been lucky enough to see the Southern Residents three times in my life, each unforgettable. They are a part of the wild landscape, their towering fins echoing the treeline onshore, and I believe that is the only place they belong.
Needless to say, I wasn't reading this book to be convinced, but rather to learn more about the wild and captive lives of killer whales, and the events and details leading up to the most recent trainer death.
David Kirby paces this like a thriller, and the amount of research that went into fully developed human and cetacean characters is astounding.
It is unfortunate that while SeaWorld characterizes its captives as "ambassadors," they are little more than a product for yet another ethically-compromised corporation.
While this book made me further question aquariums and zoos, wondering where the line should be drawn, it only solidified my stance that the highly intelligent orca, roaming the sea in lifelong family groups, should not be confined in concrete.
Seeing the J,K and L pods in the San Juan Islands around 1990 for the first time was pivotal in changing my attitude about orcas in captivity, and the next time I saw them in 1995, followed by a visit to the Vancouver aquarium where one lonely male was kept in tank hardly bigger than he was solidified the disparity between the two lives for me. From then on my position was uncompromising. I have been lucky enough to see the Southern Residents three times in my life, each unforgettable. They are a part of the wild landscape, their towering fins echoing the treeline onshore, and I believe that is the only place they belong.
Needless to say, I wasn't reading this book to be convinced, but rather to learn more about the wild and captive lives of killer whales, and the events and details leading up to the most recent trainer death.
David Kirby paces this like a thriller, and the amount of research that went into fully developed human and cetacean characters is astounding.
It is unfortunate that while SeaWorld characterizes its captives as "ambassadors," they are little more than a product for yet another ethically-compromised corporation.
While this book made me further question aquariums and zoos, wondering where the line should be drawn, it only solidified my stance that the highly intelligent orca, roaming the sea in lifelong family groups, should not be confined in concrete.
Just finished this book and OMG it has to be one of my favorite books I have ever read. Sadly, some parts were slightly boring and didn't get to the point, but all in all it was a great thriller and learned a lot about killer whales that I have never thought about.
The book was more about people than Orcas, which I found disappointing. The book was repetitive when talking about the whales and Kirby tended to over humanize them with thoughts/feelings. The book and the movie based off this book both do a good job of getting people informed about what captivity does to the animals, so I like it for that reason.
So after watching Blackfish on CNN I wanted to know more about SeaWorld. I will admit I was under the impression that SeaWorld acquired their animals through nature taking its course breeding or hurt/sick wild animals that they never released back into the wild, thinking that that was what was better for the animal. Blackfish changed my mind on captivity to the point where I no longer agreed with their breeding program (many of the females being artificially inseminated and some inbreeding) but I still wasn’t sure about release of these animals either. This book changed my mind and I truly believe with the inadequate care and lies SeaWorld spews, rehabilitation and release should be attempted for many of the animals and rehabilitative sea pens for the ones that can never make it in the wild again.
The book itself started out slow but by the time I was in the middle I was wishing for the lighter tones the beginning of the book provided. It was very grueling getting through the morose middle and it is not the book’s fault, but SeaWorld’s fault for that. Many of SeaWorld’s Orcas died very sad brutal deaths, including a fight between whales during a performance that resulted in the death of a whale (these whales have nowhere to go, fights in the wild the whales can flee the ocean is vast but these guys are in confinement), a gate falling on a whale’s head, disease brought on by mosquitoes (it was stated in later chapters it would be highly rare in the wild due to the whales constant travel instead of floating in a pool for hours at SeaWorld becoming susceptible to mosquitoes; the top predator in the wild taking down Great Whites, yet becoming prey to mosquitoes in captivity, let that sink in), etc..
These are extremely intelligent animals with self awareness and strong family bonds, the males remaining with their mothers for a lifetime. So on this day, which happens to be 30 years since Tilikum, the whale that killed three people and is now in kind of solitary confinement at SeaWorld, was kidnapped and later purchased by SeaWorld; I think it is time for SeaWorld to undergo a massive change. I believe that change is possible and I am hopeful. For now, I highly recommend picking up this book along with ‘Killer in the Pool’ by Tim Zimmerman and the documentary Blackfish. SeaWorld, on the other hand, has yet to participate in post interviews even though invited to and refused both interviews with the author of this book upon writing and the Blackfish director upon filming.
The book itself started out slow but by the time I was in the middle I was wishing for the lighter tones the beginning of the book provided. It was very grueling getting through the morose middle and it is not the book’s fault, but SeaWorld’s fault for that. Many of SeaWorld’s Orcas died very sad brutal deaths, including a fight between whales during a performance that resulted in the death of a whale (these whales have nowhere to go, fights in the wild the whales can flee the ocean is vast but these guys are in confinement), a gate falling on a whale’s head, disease brought on by mosquitoes (it was stated in later chapters it would be highly rare in the wild due to the whales constant travel instead of floating in a pool for hours at SeaWorld becoming susceptible to mosquitoes; the top predator in the wild taking down Great Whites, yet becoming prey to mosquitoes in captivity, let that sink in), etc..
These are extremely intelligent animals with self awareness and strong family bonds, the males remaining with their mothers for a lifetime. So on this day, which happens to be 30 years since Tilikum, the whale that killed three people and is now in kind of solitary confinement at SeaWorld, was kidnapped and later purchased by SeaWorld; I think it is time for SeaWorld to undergo a massive change. I believe that change is possible and I am hopeful. For now, I highly recommend picking up this book along with ‘Killer in the Pool’ by Tim Zimmerman and the documentary Blackfish. SeaWorld, on the other hand, has yet to participate in post interviews even though invited to and refused both interviews with the author of this book upon writing and the Blackfish director upon filming.
informative
sad
slow-paced
I enjoyed this book! Orcas are one of my favorite animals. It was very very slow though. I had a hard time reading over 50-75 pages a day with it. I knew it was non fiction but it’s a lot more on the technical side than I thought it would be.
I found Death at SeaWorld by David Kirby to be both very interesting and informative. I can actually see where the author was trying to give voice to both sides of the whale containment issues although facts overwhelmingly seemed to lean favorably in only one direction.
If you thought Blackfish was a great film, you will like this book.
A great book for someone interested in the Marine Biology field. Gives the movie "Blackfish" some background and adds in images and videos. Some of the same interviewees. Gives a lot more detail into the process of gathering evidence against Seaworld in comparison to Blackfish. Overall, i learned a lot from this, give me a whole new perspective about Seaworld and other parks with captive mammals.
I am back to thinking I am in the wrong field and I should be in animal research/rescue. I loved/hated Blackfish (the movie). I grew up watching Free Willy. I follow Ric Barry and his work against captivity. I probably knew a lot of what was in this book but still found it fascinating and sad. It is one of the goals of my life to see orca's in the wild.
To be honest, I didn't expect to enjoy this book as much as I did. Death at SeaWorld is almost 500 pages long, with small font covering each page from side to side. The book looked intimidating, and in away it was. Death at SeaWorld is an intense read but by no means is it ever boring or tedious. From the moment I first started reading the book I was hooked. David Kirby's writing is brilliant and Death at SeaWorld reads more like an intense crime novel rather than a non-fiction book about orca captivity.
Death at SeaWorld is thoroughly researched and contains a lot of information, not just about captive orcas, but about orcas in their natural environment, the history of this great marine mammal as well as other cetaceans and animal captivity in general. I know both the book and also the documentary Blackfish (which covers the same issues) have been criticized for being one sided and not including SeaWorld's side of the story. But the fact is, SeaWorld has declined the opportunity to share their view on things, in both Death at SeaWorld and Blackfish. Yet I'd still say Kirby's books manages to stay objective and look things from both sides, the truth just happens to be that there is very little that justifies keeping these great marine mammals in small pools for entertainment.
I really recommend everyone to read this book! It's a great read that offers way more information than Blackfish did (albeit I think that it is a brilliant documentary).
Death at SeaWorld is thoroughly researched and contains a lot of information, not just about captive orcas, but about orcas in their natural environment, the history of this great marine mammal as well as other cetaceans and animal captivity in general. I know both the book and also the documentary Blackfish (which covers the same issues) have been criticized for being one sided and not including SeaWorld's side of the story. But the fact is, SeaWorld has declined the opportunity to share their view on things, in both Death at SeaWorld and Blackfish. Yet I'd still say Kirby's books manages to stay objective and look things from both sides, the truth just happens to be that there is very little that justifies keeping these great marine mammals in small pools for entertainment.
I really recommend everyone to read this book! It's a great read that offers way more information than Blackfish did (albeit I think that it is a brilliant documentary).