Death at SeaWorld: Shamu and the Dark Side of Killer Whales
in Captivity
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.
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