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142 reviews for:
Death at Seaworld: Shamu and the Dark Side of Killer Whales in Captivity
David Kirby
4.22 AVERAGE
142 reviews for:
Death at Seaworld: Shamu and the Dark Side of Killer Whales in Captivity
David Kirby
4.22 AVERAGE
A comprehensive look at orcas in captivity and their dangerous behaviour towards trainers, looking at management, PR, legal battles and worker’s rights. It focuses on the death of Dawn Brancheau who was killed by the orca Tilikum at SeaWorld in 2010, the same orca who already killed two different people that entered his tank before. There is no record of an orca ever attacking or hurting a human in the wild. The book makes it very clear that orcas should never be kept in captivity.
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
Even if you’ve only known me for a short period of time you probably would be unsurprised to learn that I often don’t like people. Of course I like YOU! It’s just that I often find people–well, grown-ups, it’s rare that I don’t get along with a child–rather…awful.
One of the things that I find most awful about people is our seemingly endless arrogance. Now, look, I know I am more sensitive than some folks. Some, certainly not you, would even say neurotically sensitive. I became a vegetarian at eight because when I bit into a hot dog all I saw was bleeding pigs. So reading the fantastic nonfiction book Death At Seaworld was an engrossing, and heartbreaking, experience. I read the whole thing today and felt captivated all day; even when I put the book down, I found myself absorbed in the narrative, seeing killer whales even without closing my eyes. It’s a masterful book, marrying science and human drama.
Death At Seaworld is an account spawning multiple decades that culminates in the 2010 slaying, by the orca Tilikum, of Dawn Brancheau, his trainer. I am not going to try to summarize the entire history of orcas in captivity, because author David Kirby does it much better and more comprehensively than I could. Suffice to say it is an awful, awful history. There’s so much devastation in the ways that humans have ravaged the seas, and one clear way to see this (homonyms FTW!) is in the culling of wild whales for display. The book opens with the story of a 1991 attack in Victoria, BC, in which a trainer named Keltie Byrne was killed…by Tilikum. Interspersed with the story of Naomi Rose, one of the book’s heroines, as well as several other people, including former Sea World trainers, Kirby explains how Tilikum was captured. Kirby weaves Tilikum’s story into the story of a great many other killer whales who were culled from the wild, caught up in nets, one dragged for hours by a harpoon. The book continues with the stories of many whales once they were in captivity and on display.
You should just read the book, rather than my telling you about all of the amazing research and stories that are part of this fabulous book, but I will tell you this: it is astonishingly sad. And what gets me the most is how incredibly obvious it is that Dawn’s death could have been prevented. For one thing, Sea World could have not taken Tilikum after he’d already killed one person. Or, after he killed surgically opened the scrotum of a man who snuck into SW, they could have added more precautions. SW appears to have been fairly open about the animal amongst the senior trainers, who were told that getting into the water with Tilikum was a death sentence. However, trainers were still allowed and even possibly encouraged to get NEAR Tilikum.
Now, look. I get it. If you told me I could go swim with a killer whale tomorrow, well, I’d likely say yes. I love aquariums. I like the zoo. And yet I have many ethical problems with them, and I believe more and more firmly that there are animals that should never be held captive. Ever. Elephants. Chimps. Dolphins. Great apes. Some sharks. And whales. and obviously those species that ARE held captive–which I’m still not super happy about–must be kept in the most ethical way possible.
The actual attack on Dawn was incredibly brutal and quite clearly a deliberate slaying. And hers, while the most dramatic, is not the only one. The book details many, many other orca-on-human attacks, so it’s not as though Tilikum was the only dangerous whale, and it’s not as though there was no history of attacks.
To be clear: I blame neither Tilikum nor Dawn for her slaying. It was brutal. It was also the natural consequence of our uniquely human hubris, our assumption that if we can capture and assert our authority over creatures who were here first–well, we should.
That’s a dangerous attitude. You could ask Dawn to clarify that, but she’s dead. You could ask Tilikum, but years in captivity have made him insane. Of course, I think he already gave his answer.
One of the things that I find most awful about people is our seemingly endless arrogance. Now, look, I know I am more sensitive than some folks. Some, certainly not you, would even say neurotically sensitive. I became a vegetarian at eight because when I bit into a hot dog all I saw was bleeding pigs. So reading the fantastic nonfiction book Death At Seaworld was an engrossing, and heartbreaking, experience. I read the whole thing today and felt captivated all day; even when I put the book down, I found myself absorbed in the narrative, seeing killer whales even without closing my eyes. It’s a masterful book, marrying science and human drama.
Death At Seaworld is an account spawning multiple decades that culminates in the 2010 slaying, by the orca Tilikum, of Dawn Brancheau, his trainer. I am not going to try to summarize the entire history of orcas in captivity, because author David Kirby does it much better and more comprehensively than I could. Suffice to say it is an awful, awful history. There’s so much devastation in the ways that humans have ravaged the seas, and one clear way to see this (homonyms FTW!) is in the culling of wild whales for display. The book opens with the story of a 1991 attack in Victoria, BC, in which a trainer named Keltie Byrne was killed…by Tilikum. Interspersed with the story of Naomi Rose, one of the book’s heroines, as well as several other people, including former Sea World trainers, Kirby explains how Tilikum was captured. Kirby weaves Tilikum’s story into the story of a great many other killer whales who were culled from the wild, caught up in nets, one dragged for hours by a harpoon. The book continues with the stories of many whales once they were in captivity and on display.
You should just read the book, rather than my telling you about all of the amazing research and stories that are part of this fabulous book, but I will tell you this: it is astonishingly sad. And what gets me the most is how incredibly obvious it is that Dawn’s death could have been prevented. For one thing, Sea World could have not taken Tilikum after he’d already killed one person. Or, after he killed surgically opened the scrotum of a man who snuck into SW, they could have added more precautions. SW appears to have been fairly open about the animal amongst the senior trainers, who were told that getting into the water with Tilikum was a death sentence. However, trainers were still allowed and even possibly encouraged to get NEAR Tilikum.
Now, look. I get it. If you told me I could go swim with a killer whale tomorrow, well, I’d likely say yes. I love aquariums. I like the zoo. And yet I have many ethical problems with them, and I believe more and more firmly that there are animals that should never be held captive. Ever. Elephants. Chimps. Dolphins. Great apes. Some sharks. And whales. and obviously those species that ARE held captive–which I’m still not super happy about–must be kept in the most ethical way possible.
The actual attack on Dawn was incredibly brutal and quite clearly a deliberate slaying. And hers, while the most dramatic, is not the only one. The book details many, many other orca-on-human attacks, so it’s not as though Tilikum was the only dangerous whale, and it’s not as though there was no history of attacks.
To be clear: I blame neither Tilikum nor Dawn for her slaying. It was brutal. It was also the natural consequence of our uniquely human hubris, our assumption that if we can capture and assert our authority over creatures who were here first–well, we should.
That’s a dangerous attitude. You could ask Dawn to clarify that, but she’s dead. You could ask Tilikum, but years in captivity have made him insane. Of course, I think he already gave his answer.
I always knew it was bad, but I never knew it was THIS bad!
I had this book in by bookshelf for a year before I read it, becuase it looked quite intimidating With the small print and thin pages. but the book is written like a novel/thriller, and is easy to hang on. the book is a real page-truner, one everyone should read in their Lifetime! there is so much I never knew! did you ever watch the Movie 'free Willy'? after you read this book you will fell SO guilty if you liked the Movie, just thinking about it tares my soul apart..
but sea wolrd have finally succumbed to preassure and are now stopping all breeding, and will not Train New orcas to preform!
I had this book in by bookshelf for a year before I read it, becuase it looked quite intimidating With the small print and thin pages. but the book is written like a novel/thriller, and is easy to hang on. the book is a real page-truner, one everyone should read in their Lifetime! there is so much I never knew! did you ever watch the Movie 'free Willy'? after you read this book you will fell SO guilty if you liked the Movie, just thinking about it tares my soul apart..
but sea wolrd have finally succumbed to preassure and are now stopping all breeding, and will not Train New orcas to preform!
After seeing a post on Facebook about the new "documentary" called Blackfish, I decided to read the book before I saw the movie. The book is about the ongoing story of orcas (killer whales) in captivity.
It outlines the history of the saga, going back to when the whales were first herded and caught in the 1970s. It finishes with the (not yet finished as of publication) investigative hearing of the Department of Labor (OSHA) v. SeaWorld in the death of Dawn Brancheau, one of their trainers.
Much has been said about Blackfish as a piece of either advocacy or journalism. I view this book much the same way. It was an excellently detailed read, which provided much insight into the debate that I knew nothing about. It was, however, a fairly one sided read.
Ultimately, I came to a few conclusions:
1) Whales should not be kept in captivity. Especially in parks so close to oceans where they could conceivably live. The whales that have been kept and bred by SeaWorld and it's associate parks have not had the best lives, no matter what SeaWorld says.
2) I do think that parks such as SeaWorld and zoos do serve a purpose in teaching about conservation and ecology. It all depends on how it is done and how truthfully the story is told. I am fortunate to live in a city with an EXCELLENT zoo that promotes conservation with every animal and every habitat. Not every zoo or zoological exhibit can say that it is as excellent as Jack Hanna's Columbus Zoo.
3) I do believe that working with killer whales is inherently dangerous as a job. But, so is mining and so is underwater electrical work. And so is building skyscrapers and cleaning their windows. Putting yourself in a submarine or piloting an aircraft is dangerous too. At some point, the safeguards fail. That is the nature of working in a dangerous field of work. If the trainers at SeaWorld were lulled into thinking that the whales were "safe," then absolutely they are at fault. But, even the book outlines that there were measures upon safety measures to be taken with this particular whale (Tilikum). And, if that's the case, it isn't clear from the book that those safety precautions were taken. If trainers were not allowed to be near Tilikum, then why would that particular whale be chosen for a Dine with Shamu event? It doesn't even make sense.
All in all, this was a fascinating book. I don't think that I will be giving SeaWorld any of my money, but it does make me want to go see live whales the next time I'm in the Seattle or Victoria area of the Pacific Northwest.
It outlines the history of the saga, going back to when the whales were first herded and caught in the 1970s. It finishes with the (not yet finished as of publication) investigative hearing of the Department of Labor (OSHA) v. SeaWorld in the death of Dawn Brancheau, one of their trainers.
Much has been said about Blackfish as a piece of either advocacy or journalism. I view this book much the same way. It was an excellently detailed read, which provided much insight into the debate that I knew nothing about. It was, however, a fairly one sided read.
Ultimately, I came to a few conclusions:
1) Whales should not be kept in captivity. Especially in parks so close to oceans where they could conceivably live. The whales that have been kept and bred by SeaWorld and it's associate parks have not had the best lives, no matter what SeaWorld says.
2) I do think that parks such as SeaWorld and zoos do serve a purpose in teaching about conservation and ecology. It all depends on how it is done and how truthfully the story is told. I am fortunate to live in a city with an EXCELLENT zoo that promotes conservation with every animal and every habitat. Not every zoo or zoological exhibit can say that it is as excellent as Jack Hanna's Columbus Zoo.
3) I do believe that working with killer whales is inherently dangerous as a job. But, so is mining and so is underwater electrical work. And so is building skyscrapers and cleaning their windows. Putting yourself in a submarine or piloting an aircraft is dangerous too. At some point, the safeguards fail. That is the nature of working in a dangerous field of work. If the trainers at SeaWorld were lulled into thinking that the whales were "safe," then absolutely they are at fault. But, even the book outlines that there were measures upon safety measures to be taken with this particular whale (Tilikum). And, if that's the case, it isn't clear from the book that those safety precautions were taken. If trainers were not allowed to be near Tilikum, then why would that particular whale be chosen for a Dine with Shamu event? It doesn't even make sense.
All in all, this was a fascinating book. I don't think that I will be giving SeaWorld any of my money, but it does make me want to go see live whales the next time I'm in the Seattle or Victoria area of the Pacific Northwest.
I read this book after seeing Blackfish. This book really filled in the details that would have bogged down a documentary movie. A must read if you are concerned about Orcas in captivity.
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Great fully fleshed dive into orcas in captivity, and the multitude of effects it can have. multiple points of view of anti-captivity specialists.
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
This book is hard to rate. I did not like the information that I learned from reading the book but I feel like it is my responsibility to know it. It is very frustrating to read about SeaWorld's dishonesty, SeaWorld's pretense of trainer safety and the health and safety of captive killer whales vs. killer whales in the wild. I would recommend the book because I think people need to know about what really goes on behind the scenes at SeaWorld before they take their families and their money there. At the very least, this book will inspire readers to give marine mammal captivity some critical thought.
I would also recommend watching "The Cove" if you are interested in this topic. Have some tissues handy. It is difficult to watch but it is our responsibility to know.
I would also recommend watching "The Cove" if you are interested in this topic. Have some tissues handy. It is difficult to watch but it is our responsibility to know.