Death at SeaWorld: Shamu and the Dark Side of Killer Whales in Captivity [Hardcover]

David Kirby (Author)

Book Description

Release date: July 17, 2012

From the New York Times bestselling author of Evidence of Harm and Animal Factory—a groundbreaking scientific thriller that exposes the dark side of SeaWorld, America’s most beloved marine mammal park 

 

Death at SeaWorld centers on the battle with the multimillion-dollar marine park industry over the controversial and even lethal ramifications of keeping killer whales in captivity. Following the story of marine biologist and animal advocate at the Humane Society of the US, Naomi Rose, Kirby tells the gripping story of the two-decade fight against PR-savvy SeaWorld, which came to a head with the tragic death of trainer Dawn Brancheau in 2010. Kirby puts that horrific animal-on-human attack in context. Brancheau’s death was the most publicized among several brutal attacks that have occurred at Sea World and other marine mammal theme parks.

 

Death at SeaWorld introduces real people taking part in this debate, from former trainers turned animal rights activists to the men and women that champion SeaWorld and the captivity of whales. In section two the orcas act out. And as the story progresses and orca attacks on trainers become increasingly violent, the warnings of Naomi Rose and other scientists fall on deaf ears, only to be realized with the death of Dawn Brancheau. Finally he covers the media backlash, the eyewitnesses who come forward to challenge SeaWorld’s glossy image, and the groundbreaking OSHA case that
challenges the very idea of keeping killer whales in captivity and may spell the end of having trainers in the water with the ocean’s top predators.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Kirby makes a passionate case for captivity as the reason orcas become killers (and) tells the story like a thriller… We probably can't free the orcas in captivity today, but we could make the current group of captive killer whales the last.” --Wall Street Journal

“A chilling depiction… Kirby lays out a compelling scientific argument against killer whale captivity”–New Scientist

“A gripping inspection… Hard to put down.”--Booklist (***Starred Review)

“Brilliantly and intensively researched and conveyed with clarity and thoughtfulness, Kirby’s work of high-quality non-fiction busts the whale debate wide open… Reads like a thriller and horrifies like Hannibal Lector.” --San Francisco Book Review – FIVE STARS

“Kirby places this much-publicized tragic incident within the context of decades of warnings by marine biologists and animal advocates about the risks of keeping these giant predators in captivity. A real-life scientific thriller.” --Barnes and Noble

“As David Kirby so eloquently documents in this timely work, killer-whale captivity only benefits the captors. It is impossible to read ‘Death at SeaWorld’ and come to any other conclusion.” - Jane Goodall, Ph.D., D.B.E., Founder, the Jane Goodall Institute, UN Messenger of Peace

"Entertaining, engaging and enraging - The fairy tale fantasy that the captivity marine mammal industry has spun for the unwary public is expertly unraveled in this non-fiction crime thriller." - Louie Psihoyos, Academy Award winning director of The Cove

“In this authoritative and superbly investigative page-turner, certain to ruffle feathers and fins, David Kirby … reports brilliantly on the escalating troubles and conflicts, the surprising and sordid underbelly of life — and death — at SeaWorld.”- Erich Hoyt, author of the best-selling classic Orca: The Whale Called Killer

“Death at SeaWorld is one of the most important books, if not the most important book, ever written on the horrific plight of captive cetaceans. Kirby systematically dismantles the arguments used to justify keeping these incredibly intelligent and sentient beings in aquatic cages. - Marc Bekoff, University of Colorado, author of The Emotional Lives of Animals

"This is a book everyone should read… David Kirby's ‘Death at SeaWorld’ outlines in grim detail just how bad captivity is for orcas and other marine mammals."- Richard O'Barry, Director of Earth Island Institute's Dolphin Project and star of The Cove

“At last, both sides of the story behind the events at SeaWorld are being told and the truth is finally getting out there. Every budding orca trainer should consider this the must-read book of their career.”
-Dr. Ingrid N. Visser, Founder & Principal Scientist, Orca Research Trust

“One helluva book! David Kirby provides the most complete and accurate account of what I perceive as a transgression of morality toward the animal kingdom---the slavery of orcas, supreme beings in the aquatic world.” -Ken Balcomb, Director, Center for Whale Research

“David Kirby’s research is impeccable and his words unforgettable.  You will never view dolphin and orca shows the same way again.”-  Lori Marino, PhD, Senior Lecturer in Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology, Emory University

“This remarkable book deserves to be acknowledged as the most significant and moving account of the often disastrous interaction of cetaceans and humans since Moby-Dick.”-Richard Ellis, author of Men and Whales, The Empty Ocean, and The Great Sperm Whale

“Kirby shows that the reality (of orca captivity) is more akin to a circus, in which any benefits are outweighed by the cost to the whale – and sometimes to the keepers.”--Financial Times

“Thorough and disturbing… One of the great books of the summer”
–Columbus Dispatch

“SeaWorld got a firm slap in the form of journalist David Kirby's fascinating and deeply disturbing book.”--Christian Science Monitor

“An outstanding book… very-well written, extremely well documented, and timely.”--Psychology Today

#1 Readers Poll Choice for Summer Books –Wall Street Journal Online

“This is a warning-bell book on par with Upton Sinclair's The Jungle or Jessica Mitford's The American Way of Death… After Kirby's brutal and ground-breaking work, we can't say we weren't warned.” —The National (U.A.E.)

“An informed narrative that strongly suggests that despite their name, only when captured do the mammals become dangerous to humans. Free Willy, indeed.”--New York Daily News

“Kirby has done his homework and does an excellent job of educating the public about orcas in the wild, as well as highlighting the dangers inherent in keeping these highly evolved, intelligent animals in captivity.” --Examiner.com 

“Award-winning author David Kirby's forthcoming book, "Death at SeaWorld," meticulously chronicles the miserable lives and deaths of marine mammals in captivity.”- Sacramento Bee

“A masterful work.” --Seattle Post Intelligencer

“Eye-opening poolside reading… Death isn't supposed to pop up in environments carefully choreographed for family fun.” --San Francisco Bay Guardian

“A real-life scientific thriller.” --Barnes and Noble

“One of the summer’s most anticipated new releases”-- Apple I-Bookstore

“A new book examining the dark side of keeping killer whales in captivity has slammed SeaWorld for its treatment of the enormous beasts and for massive safety failings which still haunt the world famous marine parks.”--Daily Mail (UK)

“Fascinating, shocking, even infuriating, but ultimately rewarding… Discover the majesty of killer whales, the inherent cruelty of their captivity and the passion of those who fight for their freedom.”--Shelf Aware, Online Book Reviews

“A page-turning book… a disturbing account that will be hard for SeaWorld to transcend… Kirby makes it horrifyingly clear how serious (captivity) can be for human safety and orca well-being.”--Wayne’s Blog, Wayne Pacelle, CEO of The Humane Society of the United States

“Even if you're not an animal nut like me, David Kirby's Death at Sea World is a fascinating book.”--Sam Simon, Co-Creator of The Simpsons and leading animal-rights activist

“An exhilarating journalistic achievement—the reporting is singularly deep and wide, the research enormously meticulous, the storytelling as gripping as in a great novel.”--Talking Animals with Duncan Strauss, WMNF-FM, Tampa

“Readers who value the natural world and the other intelligent species we share it with will find Death at SeaWorld fascinating, shocking, even infuriating, but ultimately rewarding.”- Shelf Awareness

“The important and accurate information in this book is strong… The hero of the book is Naomi Rose, whose doctoral research on wild orcas led to her current position as senior scientist at the Humane Society of the United States.”- The Charlotte Observer

“[Death at SeaWorld] is required reading for anyone who wants to know what really goes on behind the glamour of SeaWorld. Get a copy of this book. It’s about time it was written.”--Fayetteville Observer

“Kirby's knockout format is articulate and mind-blowing. This riveting read is not one that will easily be dismissed.” --Digital Journal

“Lives are at stake here, and Kirby can be trusted to tell the story, having won a passel of awards for his investigative work.”  --Library Journal

“Journalist Kirby offers another passionate industry exposé … the narrative goes into high gear with its concluding confrontation.” --Publishers Weekly

“Simply superb… David Kirby has left no stone unturned. He has successfully refuted the arguments put forth by the pro-captivity advocates” –Philosophy Book Review

“Captivity disrupts (orca) behavior in practically every manner.  Contrary to marine mammal exhibition industry claims, orca lifespans are significantly shortened in captivity.”-- Animal People Magazine

 “I particularly enjoyed this book. It reads very much like a novel to the point when you are staying up later than you should to finish it.”--San Juan Island Update

“The bottom line of these findings is that keeping these magnificent beings in confinement is not a good thing.”--Wild Time Radio TCR-FM (UK

About the Author

DAVID KIRBY is the author of Evidence of Harm, which was a New York Times bestseller, winner of the 2005 Investigative Reporters and Editors award for best book, and a finalist for the New York Public Library Helen Bernstein Award for Excellence in Journalism, and Animal Factory, an acclaimed investigation into the environmental impact of factory farms. He lives in Brooklyn, New York. 

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 480 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press (July 17, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1250002028
• ISBN-13: 978-1250002020
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 1.6 x 9.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (63 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #34,100 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #6 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Biological Sciences > Animals > Marine Life
  • #8 in Books > Science & Math > Nature & Ecology > Animal Rights
  • #21 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Biological Sciences > Animals > Mammals

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 47 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Significant and Authentic Account of Killer Whales in Captivity and Beyond... July 17, 2012

By Karin Susan Fester

Format:Hardcover

David Kirby's book Death at SeaWorld documents and effectively engages with the fierce debate about whether it is good and right to keep killer whales (orcas) in captivity at marine theme parks for the purpose of entertaining the public. For his compelling argument, the author employs a wide range of sources: empirical evidence, scientific expert opinions, and numerous interviews with trainers and a host of others. Each chapter is packed with essential information and supports the author's comprehensive argumentation.

In February 2010, Tilikum, a male killer whale at SeaWorld in Orlando, Florida killed Dawn Brancheau, an experienced trainer, during a public performance. Tilikum is also directly linked to the death of Keltie Byrne in 1991 and Daniel Dukes in 1999. This is not only a human tragedy, but also one for the orca involved--Tilikum. The marine animal display industry has been harshly criticized already for several decades because they maintain orcas (killer whales) in captivity. The horrific tragedy in 2010 is now a catalyst for moving the debate forward. Anti-captivity advocates hope orca captivity will finally come to an end. However, it is not so simple.

Kirby provides critical discussion from both sides of the debate. He vigorously argues with support of insurmountable evidence and source material, that Tilikum, like countless other orcas held in captivity, is a genuine victim of humans' cruel, ignorant actions. The immense revenue generated from killer whale performances only perpetuates the ongoingmiserythat these animals must endure in their daily lives. And the aggressive behavior imposed on trainers and other captive orcas is apparently the result of the cruel and violent way they were initially captured in the wild, the post-capture stress they suffered, the way they are confined in marine theme parks, and numerous other reasons. Inevitably society has moral obligations to these animals, but at what cost?

Dawn Brancheau's death in 2010 has inevitably fueled and agitated the debate even further between pro- and anti- captivity advocates. Naomi Rose, the chief marine mammal scientist at the Humane Society of the United States, set out to prove scientifically that "keeping killer whales in captivity was unethical, indefensible, and hazardous to both animals and their trainers" (p. 238).

David Kirby presents two profound questions in the Introduction of his book: (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?", and (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?" (p. 7).

The book is lengthy, the main text is 440 pages plus an extensive notes/reference section and a comprehensive index. This book should not be viewed as merely something to read, but also as a source for useful information and for encourageing in-depth discussion. Therefore, the scholarly character of this particular book--it's rigorous and systematic analysis of diverse source material and in-depth engagement with the core issues--makes it ideal as a supplemental text for courses in animal ethics as well as interdisciplinary studies in political science, cultural and social studies, economics, environmental studies, and moral and political philosophy.

David Kirby has left no stone unturned. He has successfully refuted the arguments put forward by the pro-captivity advocates (the marine theme park industry). He has presented valid and convincing arguments as to why orcas should not live in captivity and also why this is not good and for society.

After reading Death at SeaWorld, I came away with the gut feeling, that I, like so many people--even those who think they know something about killer whales--still have so much to learn about them!

I have seen the killer whales when I visited SeaWorld in San Diego and Orlando. Instantly my first thoughts were,"How can they be happy living like this...they don't have much room?! Don't they miss the open ocean? Don't they get crazy?" I am certainly not the first person to ask such questions.

The readers of Death at SeaWorld must now decide for themselves: Is it good and right to keep killer whales in captivity?

David Kirby's book is simply superb!

Review by Karin Susan Fester (c) 2012.
Disclosure: I would like to thank St. Martins Press for providing me with a review copy of Death at SeaWorld.
The review here on Amazon is an "excerpt" of the orignal which appeared on my blog: Philosophybookreviews

30 of 37 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Death at SeaWorld exposes the lethal legacy of orca captivity July 17, 2012

By Elizabeth Batt

Format:Hardcover

From horrific orca captures to the tragic death of trainer Dawn Brancheau in 2010, David Kirby's groundbreaking investigative thriller chillingly exposes a side of SeaWorld deftly hidden from public view, including the vast difference between orcas in captivity and their wild counterparts.

In the Northern Resident orca community for example, "orcas have their own cultures," Kirby explains, with each pod having its own signature collection of clicks and whistles. Rose discovered and wrote in her dissertation, that "Residents travel in matrifocal [centered on the mother] units called matrileneal groups." In other words, Kirby said, from infancy to old age, male orcas "spend most of their time by their mother's side," thus making them "the planet's ultimate mama's boys."

Quite unlike their Resident counterparts, Transient killer whales are less vocal and less maternal, the book says. In fact some scientists the author explained, "now believe that the two ecotypes should officially be designated distinct species." These two types of orcas Kirby adds, really "do not like to mix." It's a point hammered home harshly later in the book, when SeaWorld's breeding program is explored in more depth, and it is revealed that Transient orcas are bred to Resident orcas, without any regard for the differences between "species and races."

Former trainers at SeaWorld said the compnay possessed a culture all of its own. A world of "operant conditioning" and smoke and mirrors designed to obfuscate the most discerning guest. Use of industry "buzzwords" coupled with drilled responses were part of a comprehensive handbook and repertoire that trainers were compelled to learn.
There was an entire list of words to avoid said Kirby, as trainers were "spoonfed corporate soundbites." Marine mammals were "not captured," they were "acquired." Captivity was a "controlled environment" or animals were in "human care." Marine mammals did not live in "tanks," they resided in "enclosures" or "aquariums." In one particular memo passed down the chain, trainers were told that no matter what happens on any given day, "Stay positive and keep [explanations], on a 5th grade level."

Kirby shows that behind the glitz and glamour of a self-regulating SeaWorld, is a corporation that clearly brooks no opposition. For decades, and occasionally with the aid of private and government entities, the organization has bought, bullied and battered those who oppose it, right down to the little guy.

Far, far louder, screaming in fact, is the realization that trained orcas in parks bear little resemblance to their counterparts in the wild. Learned behaviors in artificial environments could not be more different, despite the company mantra that captivity for orcas is "educational" for the public. One only has to look at "the wildly popular raspberries," Kirby writes, "when whales make farting noises from their blowhole;" there could not be a more perfect example of how anomalous these animals have become.

Sadly, such parlor tricks, have turned one of the ocean's top predators into little more than a circus act, and Death at SeaWorld's crucial exposure of the industry left me feeling betrayed by an organization that courts families on a daily basis, then misinforms them.

If you TRULY love orcas, then you need to read this book.

15 of 19 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Real Truth Behind The Lies August 8, 2012

By Hydeaway Photography

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I could NOT put this book down! I have read every single book about Orcas that I possibily could and this one is by far one of if not the best book I've read thus far. As a child going to SeaWorld I always felt bad for the Orcas who were forced to perform shows. As I grew older I boycotted SeaWorld all together. But given this inside look into the real truth of what happens behind closed doors is a real eye opener! I am glad to know that people like Naomi Rose still exist and are willing to fight for what is right! Most people are so enthralled with the cheery aspect of SeaWorld that they are compleatly blinded by SeaWorlds lies. I am proud to say I am not one of them and will encourage anyone who is the slightest bit interested in visiting SeaWorld to not! It needs to stop now! For the sake of the animals and their trainers! Thank you to David Kirby for writing this amazing book!