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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
What a strange experience reading this book has been. I had to read this book in small "doses". I'd find myself putting it down either out of anger or profound sadness. If you're looking for a neutral tone, this book is not for you. However, if you're sympathetic with the anti-cap cause or see oceania through skeptical eyes, this book is a must-read. From vivid details that will make your heart ache for Keiko and Tili, to detailed accounts of the lives of orca experts and trainers, this book is a journey worth embarking on.
While this book is full of extremely interesting information regarding the captive display industry, I also found it to contain pages upon pages of useless information. I do not believe that I needed to know the exact date Dr. Naomi Rose got married. I also didn't need to know that her husband is seven years younger than her. It seemed that the author was offering more information regarding his experts in order to make them appear "real". He succeeded to a certain extent, but also included stories and information that were not in any way pertinent.
That being said, I found most of it to be a very engaging read and the information on cetaceans is extremely interesting and well presented. This is a great followup to watching "Blackfish" and I would recommend it.
I would also recommend looking into The Orca Project as they provide digital copies of much of the paperwork referenced in the book (Necropsy reports, animal files, as well as documents pertaining to the Dawn Brancheau investigation).
This book has certainly left me with a poor taste in my mouth regarding the captive display industry. I have never visiedt a SeaWorld park, and I am now positive that I never will.
On a side note: It was mentioned three times in this book that deceased Orca were shipped off to be rendered for pet food. I know that this is not the main focus of the book and many may not have found it odd at all, but I nearly lost my lunch at the idea that my cats may have at some point ingested one of the many "Shamus". I have avoided foods with byproducts for quite a while, and knew that the meat used was questionable, I was not aware just how questionable.
That being said, I found most of it to be a very engaging read and the information on cetaceans is extremely interesting and well presented. This is a great followup to watching "Blackfish" and I would recommend it.
I would also recommend looking into The Orca Project as they provide digital copies of much of the paperwork referenced in the book (Necropsy reports, animal files, as well as documents pertaining to the Dawn Brancheau investigation).
This book has certainly left me with a poor taste in my mouth regarding the captive display industry. I have never visiedt a SeaWorld park, and I am now positive that I never will.
On a side note: It was mentioned three times in this book that deceased Orca were shipped off to be rendered for pet food. I know that this is not the main focus of the book and many may not have found it odd at all, but I nearly lost my lunch at the idea that my cats may have at some point ingested one of the many "Shamus". I have avoided foods with byproducts for quite a while, and knew that the meat used was questionable, I was not aware just how questionable.
A detailed, sometimes too detailed, account of Seaworld's efforts to defend and promote the manner in which they keep their orcas. Hard to say if the book was biased, or if it simply appeared that way due to the canned and often incorrect factoids spouted by Seaworld representatives being the only comments the author could obtain.
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).
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
slow-paced
An excellent deep dive of all things captive killer whales. Highly interesting and detailed information about SeaWorld and the backlash from the attacks on trainers
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death
Actual rating: 4.5 stars.
This was really informative on the saga of orca captivity at Seaworld. I docked half a star off because it could have been shortened a little bit with less repetition of facts and having to describe what each person looks like.
This was really informative on the saga of orca captivity at Seaworld. I docked half a star off because it could have been shortened a little bit with less repetition of facts and having to describe what each person looks like.
Wow - this is such a great companion to the Blackfish documentary. Really gave me great perspective on killer whales and the impact of captivity on these animals. Will no longer support Sea World. AT ALL. Their callous response to these issues tells me all I need to know.
Overall, this was a very interesting read. However, a number of things grated on me throughout this book.
Firstly, it was incredibly biased. While it did offer Sea World's or pro captivity activists' points of view, I feel like they were often portrayed in a very condescending light and then immediately dismissed as idiotic. For example, the argument against releasing orcas into the ocean was repeatedly referred to as "the big bad ocean argument". It's a shame because the book made a lot of good points, and I feel they would have been even stronger points if the writer were to have actually argued against the opposing arguments first. (The final section was a bit better).
Secondly, this is ridiculously long for the amount of relevant information it contains. I picked this book up expecting to learn about orcas and SeaWorld, but the first 100 pages or so were just the backstory of various anti-captivity activists, which then continued intermittently throughout the book. Dr Naomi Rose was the activist mentioned most frequently and honestly by the end of this book I was sick of hearing about every single thought she had pertaining to orcas/captivity/SeaWorld/etc., the hair colour of all the people she met in her life, the music she was playing at significant events... I'm all for providing a little backstory in these types of book, but honestly I think this took it a bit too far.
Ranting aside, this was a very well-researched and informative book which raises many good points about the issue of orcas in captivity. I'm glad I read it, simply because I didn't know much about the issue before. I think it's an important issue that deserves attention, but maybe just watch the documentary and save yourself trawling through hundreds of pages of (in my opinion) boring and irrelevant information.
Firstly, it was incredibly biased. While it did offer Sea World's or pro captivity activists' points of view, I feel like they were often portrayed in a very condescending light and then immediately dismissed as idiotic. For example, the argument against releasing orcas into the ocean was repeatedly referred to as "the big bad ocean argument". It's a shame because the book made a lot of good points, and I feel they would have been even stronger points if the writer were to have actually argued against the opposing arguments first. (The final section was a bit better).
Secondly, this is ridiculously long for the amount of relevant information it contains. I picked this book up expecting to learn about orcas and SeaWorld, but the first 100 pages or so were just the backstory of various anti-captivity activists, which then continued intermittently throughout the book. Dr Naomi Rose was the activist mentioned most frequently and honestly by the end of this book I was sick of hearing about every single thought she had pertaining to orcas/captivity/SeaWorld/etc., the hair colour of all the people she met in her life, the music she was playing at significant events... I'm all for providing a little backstory in these types of book, but honestly I think this took it a bit too far.
Ranting aside, this was a very well-researched and informative book which raises many good points about the issue of orcas in captivity. I'm glad I read it, simply because I didn't know much about the issue before. I think it's an important issue that deserves attention, but maybe just watch the documentary and save yourself trawling through hundreds of pages of (in my opinion) boring and irrelevant information.
Lots of incredible and often heartbreaking information about killer whales' lives in captivity. Plus, some wonderful descriptions of their habitat in the wild. I did find that in the beginning, Kirby spent some time writing as if he were a whale (a particular whale in a particular circumstance) and that to me was weird, especially considering the rest of the book.
Our relationship to the animals around us is a tenuous one. As the earth’s top predators what responsibility do we have to other species? I remember going to Seaworld in California many years ago and watching in awe as the orcas performed their tricks. I would be less enthralled today after what we have learned over the years regarding the natural habitat of the orcas compared to the cramped and unnatural living quarters of those in captivity.
Tilikum had been captured as a baby off Iceland (note that the Icelandic orcas have a different culture than those off British Columbia and different diet, the ones in B.C. feeding on fish, the others on mammals. Some have even been known to drown baleen whales in order to eat their fins.) He was kept in a small tank for several years with two dominant females (orcas are primarily matriarchal) and often tormented by them. It was just a matter of time before Tilikum became what we might call psychotic and unpredictable.
One of the themes brought out in this book is the natural antipathy between those who believe zoos are the best way to see and learn about animals and those who think that keeping animals of high intelligence, and there is no doubt that whales and apes have very high intelligence, is not only unworthy of humans but detrimental to the animals themselves and that the only way to study and learn about them is in the wild where the animals can behave normally. There was even some speculation that emerged from the hearings after Tilikum killed Dawn Brancheau that institutions like Sea World and zoos have a vested interest in subtly portraying the dangers of nature. Indeed one of Sea World’s major arguments for not returning their killer whales back to the wild was that they were safer penned up. This argument morphs over into a more general one that nature is dangerous for humans as well so come see the animals in the zoo, please, where you won’t get hurt (and by the way buy a few t-shirts, mugs and pizza while you are there.)
There had been four deaths in the pools from interplay with orcas. Many others have been injured, several quite severely. The hearings in Congress that ultimately resulted following Dawn’s death had to answer two vital questions: “ 1. Is captivity in an amusement park good for orcas: Is this the appropriate venue for killer whales to be held, and does it somehow benefit wild orcas and their ocean habitat, as the industry claims? 2. Is orca captivity good for society: Is it safe for trainers and truly educational for a public that pays to watch the whales perform what critics say are animal tricks akin to circus acts? Not surprisingly, people who support SeaWorld and other marine-themed entertainment parks (pro-caps in the lingo of this particular argument) answer affirmatively.”
There is little doubt these large animals are fascinating creatures with a sophisticated culture. Lots of information here on that. While the author’s sympathies clearly lie with those wishing to study animals in the wild, he does a good job of presenting both sides of the issue although he does focus primarily on those people like Naomi Rose, an orca expert and her evolution into anti-Seaworld activist.
One can sympathize with the Zoo proponents but that sympathy tends to waver in the face of their use of euphemisms and obfuscation in an attempt to make animal life at Sea World appear as “happy” as possible. As the great muckraker Upton Sinclair put it, “It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it.”
Tilikum had been captured as a baby off Iceland (note that the Icelandic orcas have a different culture than those off British Columbia and different diet, the ones in B.C. feeding on fish, the others on mammals. Some have even been known to drown baleen whales in order to eat their fins.) He was kept in a small tank for several years with two dominant females (orcas are primarily matriarchal) and often tormented by them. It was just a matter of time before Tilikum became what we might call psychotic and unpredictable.
One of the themes brought out in this book is the natural antipathy between those who believe zoos are the best way to see and learn about animals and those who think that keeping animals of high intelligence, and there is no doubt that whales and apes have very high intelligence, is not only unworthy of humans but detrimental to the animals themselves and that the only way to study and learn about them is in the wild where the animals can behave normally. There was even some speculation that emerged from the hearings after Tilikum killed Dawn Brancheau that institutions like Sea World and zoos have a vested interest in subtly portraying the dangers of nature. Indeed one of Sea World’s major arguments for not returning their killer whales back to the wild was that they were safer penned up. This argument morphs over into a more general one that nature is dangerous for humans as well so come see the animals in the zoo, please, where you won’t get hurt (and by the way buy a few t-shirts, mugs and pizza while you are there.)
There had been four deaths in the pools from interplay with orcas. Many others have been injured, several quite severely. The hearings in Congress that ultimately resulted following Dawn’s death had to answer two vital questions: “ 1. Is captivity in an amusement park good for orcas: Is this the appropriate venue for killer whales to be held, and does it somehow benefit wild orcas and their ocean habitat, as the industry claims? 2. Is orca captivity good for society: Is it safe for trainers and truly educational for a public that pays to watch the whales perform what critics say are animal tricks akin to circus acts? Not surprisingly, people who support SeaWorld and other marine-themed entertainment parks (pro-caps in the lingo of this particular argument) answer affirmatively.”
There is little doubt these large animals are fascinating creatures with a sophisticated culture. Lots of information here on that. While the author’s sympathies clearly lie with those wishing to study animals in the wild, he does a good job of presenting both sides of the issue although he does focus primarily on those people like Naomi Rose, an orca expert and her evolution into anti-Seaworld activist.
One can sympathize with the Zoo proponents but that sympathy tends to waver in the face of their use of euphemisms and obfuscation in an attempt to make animal life at Sea World appear as “happy” as possible. As the great muckraker Upton Sinclair put it, “It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it.”