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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
if you enjoyed the movie blackfish, please read this book. it has so much more in depth information on everything you need to know about orcas in captivity and in the wild. after i read this, i realized there is a lot of important information the movie left out (suspicious), so this was very interesting to read
I really, really wanted to love this book, since I'm 100% on the author's side. These 5-6 ton animals should NOT be kept in what amounts to a fish tank. And by doing so, you are obviously putting both the orcas and people at risk. Sorry SeaWorld...
That being said, the book is one giant maze of facts, figures, and characters that go back, forth, up, down, and all around until your head starts to spin. I just feel like the whole thing could have been laid out much better, allowing for less confusion and repetitive information.
I feel like I should watch the movie now, as this may be a rare case where the book is not better....
That being said, the book is one giant maze of facts, figures, and characters that go back, forth, up, down, and all around until your head starts to spin. I just feel like the whole thing could have been laid out much better, allowing for less confusion and repetitive information.
I feel like I should watch the movie now, as this may be a rare case where the book is not better....
Animal and environment lovers, prepare for heartbreak. The sense of grief and outrage that consumes me after finishing this book (and watching Blackfish, the associated documentary) is overwhelming. The fact that money has so obliterated any and all sense of humanity and compassion is profoundly disturbing, to say the least.
The argument, which has been raging for decades, revolves around the forced captivity and use of animals (particularly large, highly intelligent and social animals such as killer whales) in entertainment. SeaWorld, especially, has come under heavy fire during these discussions, the intensity of which increasing dramatically since the death of Dawn Brancheau in February 2010.
(For those who aren’t familiar with the incident: An experienced SeaWorld orca trainer, Dawn Brancheau, was pulled into the water and brutally killed (complete avulsion of scalp and arm, body covered in abrasions and contusions, broken bones, etc.) and held by orca Tilikum for over half an hour before her body could be pried from his mouth. Tilikum had been captive for most of his life, having been torn from his family when he was quite young, and had been involved in 2 other deaths during the course of his captivity. Many experts suspect Tilikum has sustained irreversible psychological damage from the abuses he has sustained which likely contributes to his aggressive and frustrated behavior with humans.)
Killer whales, or orcas, are astonishingly smart, social, and emotional creatures. They form intensely strong matrilineal family bonds that result in generations forming family pods, each with their own unique language and set of behavioral interactions. Offspring rarely leave their mother’s side and often spend their entire lives only feet away, traveling up to 100 miles each day foraging for food and playing in the depths of the ocean.
In addition, as I learned in Blackfish, scientists have discovered an area in orca brains that specifically processes emotion. This area is not found in humans and suggests that the orca’s capacity for feeling is quite extensive. All the more heartbreaking when you think about the destruction of family units by capturing young whales and forcing them to live in tiny, unstimulating tanks with unfamiliar whales (not even speaking the same language), and suboptimal care. Researchers studying orca vocalizations have identified cries specific to grief and special long-range calls exhibited by orcas frantically searching for family members that have been taken away.
Whether out of ignorance or brutal, money-motivated disregard, orcas are being held captive in environments that are killing them and endangering the humans who work with and around them. Consider the following:
“Of the 41 captive orcas still alive today, only 2 had reached age forty and 3 had reached thirty. More than 150 died before those ages. Put another way, of the more than 190 whales held in captivity since the 1960′s, only 5 so far had survived past the age of thirty– the mean age of longevity for males in the oceans.”
It’s been shown that wild male orcas can live into their 40′s and 50′s, while wild female orcas can live well into their 80′s. One of the most well known whales in the wild is a beautiful matriarch, still kicking at over 100. Whales in captivity regularly die in their adolescence, often of avoidable health problems caused and exacerbated by their captivity.
I’m no whale expert, but I suggest you read this book before dismissing these concerns or underestimating the gravity and inhumanity of the SeaWorld (and other companies) model of captivity-for-profit. A little digging and reading reveals a sickening, abusive world behind the happy-go-lucky slogan, and a suffering group of animals entirely undeserving of such outrageous abuse.
The argument, which has been raging for decades, revolves around the forced captivity and use of animals (particularly large, highly intelligent and social animals such as killer whales) in entertainment. SeaWorld, especially, has come under heavy fire during these discussions, the intensity of which increasing dramatically since the death of Dawn Brancheau in February 2010.
(For those who aren’t familiar with the incident: An experienced SeaWorld orca trainer, Dawn Brancheau, was pulled into the water and brutally killed (complete avulsion of scalp and arm, body covered in abrasions and contusions, broken bones, etc.) and held by orca Tilikum for over half an hour before her body could be pried from his mouth. Tilikum had been captive for most of his life, having been torn from his family when he was quite young, and had been involved in 2 other deaths during the course of his captivity. Many experts suspect Tilikum has sustained irreversible psychological damage from the abuses he has sustained which likely contributes to his aggressive and frustrated behavior with humans.)
Killer whales, or orcas, are astonishingly smart, social, and emotional creatures. They form intensely strong matrilineal family bonds that result in generations forming family pods, each with their own unique language and set of behavioral interactions. Offspring rarely leave their mother’s side and often spend their entire lives only feet away, traveling up to 100 miles each day foraging for food and playing in the depths of the ocean.
In addition, as I learned in Blackfish, scientists have discovered an area in orca brains that specifically processes emotion. This area is not found in humans and suggests that the orca’s capacity for feeling is quite extensive. All the more heartbreaking when you think about the destruction of family units by capturing young whales and forcing them to live in tiny, unstimulating tanks with unfamiliar whales (not even speaking the same language), and suboptimal care. Researchers studying orca vocalizations have identified cries specific to grief and special long-range calls exhibited by orcas frantically searching for family members that have been taken away.
Whether out of ignorance or brutal, money-motivated disregard, orcas are being held captive in environments that are killing them and endangering the humans who work with and around them. Consider the following:
“Of the 41 captive orcas still alive today, only 2 had reached age forty and 3 had reached thirty. More than 150 died before those ages. Put another way, of the more than 190 whales held in captivity since the 1960′s, only 5 so far had survived past the age of thirty– the mean age of longevity for males in the oceans.”
It’s been shown that wild male orcas can live into their 40′s and 50′s, while wild female orcas can live well into their 80′s. One of the most well known whales in the wild is a beautiful matriarch, still kicking at over 100. Whales in captivity regularly die in their adolescence, often of avoidable health problems caused and exacerbated by their captivity.
I’m no whale expert, but I suggest you read this book before dismissing these concerns or underestimating the gravity and inhumanity of the SeaWorld (and other companies) model of captivity-for-profit. A little digging and reading reveals a sickening, abusive world behind the happy-go-lucky slogan, and a suffering group of animals entirely undeserving of such outrageous abuse.
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.
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Have you ever read a book that just made you so mad????
This was an infuriating and depressing experience. I remember going to SeaWorld twice as a child and being so enamored by the orcas and the bottle nose dolphin dancing with their trainers. I remember watching Free Willy and thinking that SeaWorld was “better” than that. And I don’t fault myself for that because I was a young, impressionable child. What pisses me the f*** off is that so many grown adults turned a blind eye to the safety, health, and wellbeing of animals and humans alike for the sake of money. Any attempt to save face with talk of conservation efforts is 💩. SeaWorld is garbage and I can’t wrap my head around the fact that they exist. And yeah, I know they’re not doing shows anymore and that they’re phasing out their orcas altogether and that releasing them back into the wild didn’t go so well before (Keiko, sweet, beautiful boy). But I hate so much of this.
I’m trying to say something positive about this book since it was actually a great read in the sense that it was incredibly thorough and informative and interesting. I learned so much about orcas and the astonishing creature they are. Beautiful and powerful and intelligent and so much more complex than we give them credit for, even today with all we know. The author really did a wonderful job of educating the reader on this apex predator and the tragic history of their exploitation. The primary feeling I had throughout this read was a visceral fury and that’s why this review is mostly me just angry ranting.
Ugh. This was a truly rough one. I’m so mad.
This was an infuriating and depressing experience. I remember going to SeaWorld twice as a child and being so enamored by the orcas and the bottle nose dolphin dancing with their trainers. I remember watching Free Willy and thinking that SeaWorld was “better” than that. And I don’t fault myself for that because I was a young, impressionable child. What pisses me the f*** off is that so many grown adults turned a blind eye to the safety, health, and wellbeing of animals and humans alike for the sake of money. Any attempt to save face with talk of conservation efforts is 💩. SeaWorld is garbage and I can’t wrap my head around the fact that they exist. And yeah, I know they’re not doing shows anymore and that they’re phasing out their orcas altogether and that releasing them back into the wild didn’t go so well before (Keiko, sweet, beautiful boy). But I hate so much of this.
I’m trying to say something positive about this book since it was actually a great read in the sense that it was incredibly thorough and informative and interesting. I learned so much about orcas and the astonishing creature they are. Beautiful and powerful and intelligent and so much more complex than we give them credit for, even today with all we know. The author really did a wonderful job of educating the reader on this apex predator and the tragic history of their exploitation. The primary feeling I had throughout this read was a visceral fury and that’s why this review is mostly me just angry ranting.
Ugh. This was a truly rough one. I’m so mad.
dark
emotional
informative
sad
This was comprehensive and very informative, but there was a lot of unnecessary information in there. It is clear that killer whales should not be kept in captivity, or at the very least they should be in big sea pens where they can move around naturally. I think most people would prefer to see them in the wild, instead of leaping around to human commands. I also feel sorry for the trainers who obviously love the whales and the work, but how their lives are worth less than the whales.
I always believed that Seaworld did scientific research, and I am disgusted to learn that their 'facts' are doctored so they are the ones that look good. All the good they do with rescues, and supporting wildlife funds etc is damaged by the misinformation on killer whales. How do we know that anything they say is the truth?
Seaworld is not a zoo, or an aquarium out to save endangered species or show us what can be found in the ocean. It is there as 'entertainment' and to make money. I will never visit one again.
I always believed that Seaworld did scientific research, and I am disgusted to learn that their 'facts' are doctored so they are the ones that look good. All the good they do with rescues, and supporting wildlife funds etc is damaged by the misinformation on killer whales. How do we know that anything they say is the truth?
Seaworld is not a zoo, or an aquarium out to save endangered species or show us what can be found in the ocean. It is there as 'entertainment' and to make money. I will never visit one again.
dark
sad
slow-paced
dark
informative
sad
slow-paced
Overall an extremely well written and easy to read book. If I only have one complaint it is some segues between chapters left me scratching my head as I try to figure out how we went from topic to topic. Mostly that occurred in the first section of the book.
Other than that it is an amazing book that does a great job showcasing the horrors and dangers of life in captivity and why orca should be free. A must read for animal lovers everywhere.
Other than that it is an amazing book that does a great job showcasing the horrors and dangers of life in captivity and why orca should be free. A must read for animal lovers everywhere.