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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
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
fast-paced
Great reporting on a difficult topic. I loved Sea World as a kid, but even as a 6-year-old, I remember wondering if those huge killer whales could really be happy in such a small pool (I went to the Ohio Sea World, when it existed, so the pool was *really* small). I even wanted to be a trainer when I grew up. Then I switched to Marine Biology because I thought being a trainer would be too morally trying. I didn't do Marine Biology either, but this book made me really glad I didn't follow through on my youthful ambition of training killer whales.
Kirby makes the killer whales sympathetic without anthropomorphizing them. I nearly cried when I read that male killer whales spend most of their lives with their moms, but Sea World takes them away from their moms, in the wild or in the parks, when they are as young as one and still very much juvenile, even though scientists think the maternal bond is what keeps their male behavior in check (which might have been Tilikium's problem). As the mother of a little boy, that breaks my heart.
Kirby makes the killer whales sympathetic without anthropomorphizing them. I nearly cried when I read that male killer whales spend most of their lives with their moms, but Sea World takes them away from their moms, in the wild or in the parks, when they are as young as one and still very much juvenile, even though scientists think the maternal bond is what keeps their male behavior in check (which might have been Tilikium's problem). As the mother of a little boy, that breaks my heart.
I read this after watching the Blackfish documentary. I was unable to put this book down, and have no desire to ever go to Sea World again. For people who love marine life, this is a must read!
dark
emotional
informative
slow-paced
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-paced
dark
emotional
informative
sad
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Gore, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Injury/Injury detail
3.5 stars. Kirby’s choice to structure the book by following the experiences of a marine biologist and a SeaWorld trainer really didn’t work for me - I’m sure the intent was to draw readers in by making it a human story but for me it did the opposite. Were I editing the book I’d have cut all the stuff on their personal lives and actually focused on the animals.
My other primary issue is the book was released prior to several major developments on captive orcas, including the OSHA ruling and SW’s decision to stop its breeding program. That’s obviously not Kirby’s fault but did make the ending feel very abrupt and almost lopsided.
My other primary issue is the book was released prior to several major developments on captive orcas, including the OSHA ruling and SW’s decision to stop its breeding program. That’s obviously not Kirby’s fault but did make the ending feel very abrupt and almost lopsided.
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad