Other Sellers on Amazon
+ $3.99 shipping
96% positive over last 12 months
Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required. Learn more
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle Cloud Reader.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Death at SeaWorld: Shamu and the Dark Side of Killer Whales in Captivity Hardcover – July 17, 2012
| David Kirby (Author) Find all the books, read about the author, and more. See search results for this author |
| Price | New from | Used from |
Enhance your purchase
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.
- Print length480 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherSt. Martin's Press
- Publication dateJuly 17, 2012
- Dimensions6.47 x 1.53 x 9.51 inches
- ISBN-101250002028
- ISBN-13978-1250002020
Frequently bought together

- +
Customers who viewed this item also viewed
Editorial Reviews
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.
Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.
Product details
- Publisher : St. Martin's Press; First Edition (July 17, 2012)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 480 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1250002028
- ISBN-13 : 978-1250002020
- Item Weight : 1.55 pounds
- Dimensions : 6.47 x 1.53 x 9.51 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #757,065 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #340 in Animal Rights (Books)
- #492 in Marine Life
- #734 in Biology of Mammals
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonTop reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
I personally think only dogs and cats are domesticated to "pet" stage, and even those animals are not truly tame. Shark feeding, all those type activities that take away an animals true nature/habitat are wrong; and sometimes very cruel.
Dogs as service animals, cats as pets; otherwise leave then alone, unless we need them for food; and even then animals need to be treated with kindness and respect.
Human beings are turning what could have been an Eden into a war-torn, polluted dump, and we're all, innocents and otherwise, going to pay, sooner or later, and even as I write these words.
Take time to absorb this vast collection of information. You will not be disappointed.
Top reviews from other countries
I have been aware of the issues surrounding the captivity of whales and dolphins for some time before reading Mr Kirby's book. I ordered the book wanting to know more about the plight of these animals and the psychological strain it puts on them. I found the book somewhat disappointing for the following reasons:
1. There is a lot of supporting evidence to back up the premise that keeping dolphins and whales in captivity cannot be justified, but I feel the `thriller' style of the book compromises the message that needs to be heard. The book essentially uses sensationalism, shock and horror to awaken the public (but sometimes, we need that).
2. The book also spends too much time on Naomi Rose. Great swathes of the early part of the book is spent on the life and ruminations of Naomi Rose and I was left wondering what role does this woman play in this book other than being a token orca researcher. There is little mention of other pioneering scientists in the field of wild orca research. In addition, I came to dislike Dr Rose as my reading progressed. This is not a reflection of the individual, but Mr Kirby's representation of her. She came across as a sanctimonious, arrogant person.
3. There is no continuity in the book. The chapters jump around on different topics. One moment you're reading about the incidents at SeaWorld and the next you're reading about Dr Rose's personal struggles.
4. There appears to be a lot of `artistic licence' used in this book. For example, I find it hard to believe that former SeaWorld trainers and others would remember verbatim conversations that occurred more than a decade ago.
This book had so much promise, but for me, it has failed to deliver. Marine parks must be stopped and only hard science and public opinion will sway the legislators. Mr Kirby had the ammunition, but people who are not familiar with the research and the plight of orcas will only read the sensational bits and not grasp the bigger picture.
Notwithstanding my comments, the book is a valuable source of information and adds o the argument that these creatures must be released.
David Kirby not only highlights the truths that go on in the animal entertainment industry but he also sticks his neck far beyond what others would do or say .
Watch Blackfish which accompanies this book and you will see the foolishness people will do to become stars if these so called trainers are that passionate about whales and dolphins surely studying these wonderful creatures in the wild would be more rewarding than teaching them tricks and completely stripping them of all dignity .
ex trainers say they didn't know of any captive whale attacks so that tells me if you're daft enough to go into a pool with a wild creature without researching first then are you really capable of anything remotely responsible.
Has anyone heard whales cries when their young are taken away from them maybe the bosses at seaworld should perhaps see for themselves mind you unless there are dollars attached to any act of business I am not sure they would care.
thank you David Kirby and to the makers of Blackfish
My heart goes out to the families of people who have been killed by the imprisoned marine mammals. They were acting with the best of intentions because they loved the creatures they were trying to take care of.
A very sad story and even more upsetting because the parks are still open and unfortunately still making a lot of money from this "business"!!!








