by David Kirby
and safety improvements
speaks out as anti-cap
Simmons, Mark
Simone, Renata
Simons, Linda
Sinclair, Upton
Skana (female orca)
Skinner, B. F.
Skyla (female orca)
slavery
sleeping, cetacean manner of
Small, Robert
Small Whale Species: The Case Against Captivity (HSUS)
The Smile of a Dolphin: Remarkable Accounts of Animal Emotions (anthology)
Smith, Jonathan
Smith, Susan
social behaviors, gender-specific
social bonds of orcas
social deprivation
Social Evolution (Trivers)
socializing of orcas
Society for Conservation Biology
sociobiology
Solis, Hilda
sonar
naval
See also echolocation
Song of the Whale (Weyler)
Southern Residents
census of
Spain, display industry in
spare-air system
Splash (male orca)
splash routine
Spong, Paul
speech at UBC
stand-on (performing orca behavior)
stationing cue (with captive orcas)
Stephanopoulos, George
Stephens, Bruce
Stewart, John
Stone, Rae
Stratton, Jill
stress on whales
Strongitharm, Dean
Stubbs Island Whale Watching company
Sumar (male orca)
Superpod (of marine mammal activists)
superpod (of orcas)
Sutherland, Amy
Sutlej (A45) (female orca)
Sweeney, Jay C.
swimming
echelon formation, in the wild
humans with marine mammals
with military precision, by performing orcas
swimming test at SeaWorld
Symonds, Helena
Taima (female orca)
Takara (female orca)
Taku (male orca)
Tamaree (SeaWorld San Diego trainer)
tanks
small size of
target recognition
Tekoa (male orca)
Telegraph Cove
Tenerife. See also Loro Parque
Terbush, Ann
The Orca Project (TOP)
Thirteenth Amendment
Tilikum (male orca)
behaviors performed by
breeding by
capture of
danger of, not told to trainers
defenders of
early years in captivity
fate of, debated, after third kill
health of
injuries from other orcas
intent of, whether to kill
isolated living conditions of
kills of
lawsuit on behalf of
life at SeaWorld
loss of control
masturbated for semen collection
mental problem suspected
release urged and opposed
safety procedures when dealing with
sold to SeaWorld and imported from Canada
Tokitae Foundation
Tompkins, Chuck
tongue-tactile behavior
Topoleski, Jan “Jay”
trainer deaths. See kills of trainers by orcas
trainer error, excuse for accidents
trainer injuries
from aggression
not reported
trainers at SeaWorld
former, group of
interactions between orcas and
interviewing for the position
mistaken for seals, and attacked
not told of dangers
pay and conditions of
phrases for dealing with public
stress of
told to be careful
training of
Transient orcas
danger of
differences from Resident orcas
prey on mammals
trespassers into SeaWorld parks
Tribe, Laurence
Trivers, Robert
Turner, Ted
Tyson, Patrick
Ulises (male orca)
ultraviolet radiation exposure of orcas
United Parcel Service, free transport of Keiko
United States, display industry in
University of British Columbia
University of California at Santa Cruz
University of Central Florida
University of Hawaii–Manoa
University of New Hampshire
Vail, Courtney
Vancouver Island
Vancouver Public Aquarium
van Ginneken, Astrid
Velez-Mitchell, Jane
Ventre, Jeff
background of
and the Brancheau case
disillusionment of
falls out of favor with SeaWorld management
fired
hired by SeaWorld
paper by, on effect of captivity on orcas
performances with orcas
plans a powwow
visits Washington State
Ventre, Kimberly
Victoria, British Columbia
Vilsack, Tom
vision of orcas, deteriorated
Visser, Ingrid
vocalizations of orcas
conditioning of
emotional
identifying home pod from
recording of
study of
Vollebaek, Knut
Vollhardt, Claudia
Waite, Janice
“walk,” controlled (release of orca)
walruses
Walter (renamed Skana) (female orca)
Walters, Eric
Warner Bros.
Washington State
water needs of orcas
water work
banned then restored
claimed necessary to orca health
declared inherently dangerous
essential to SeaWorld’s business
SeaWorld intention to resume
Webber, Joanne
Welsch, Kenneth S.
WESH-TV
West Cracroft Island
Westman (Vestmannaeyjar) Islands
Weyler, Rex
The Whale (documentary)
Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS)
“A Whale of a Business” (PBS special)
whales
trade in
use of term
whale watching
whaling industry
whistleblowers at SeaWorld
whistles (by orcas)
White, Ben
Whitehead, Hal
Whiting, Candace Calloway
Why Zoos Matter (AZA report)
Wigdahl, Dudley
Wild Killer Whale Adoption Program
Williamson, Cathy
Wilson, E. O.
Windsor Safari Park
Winnie (female orca)
Winston (Ramu) (male orca)
WKMG-TV
Woods Hole
Wynne, Clive D. L.
Young, Glenn
YouTube videos of orcas
Yukon Harbor
Zimmermann, Tim
zoos, industry claims for
ALSO BY DAVID KIRBY
Animal Factory
Evidence of Harm
Praise for David Kirby
“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. Focusing on killer whales, the well-known black-and-white icons of life in the sea, David Kirby systematically dismantles the arguments used to justify keeping these incredibly intelligent and sentient beings in t
he aquatic cages in which they’re jammed.”
—Marc Bekoff, University of Colorado, author of The Emotional Lives of Animals and The Animal Manifesto: Six Reasons for Expanding Our Compassion Footprint
“In this authoritative and superbly investigative page-turner, certain to ruffle feathers and fins, David Kirby traces the tale of scientist-conservationist Naomi Rose pitted against SeaWorld bent on turning a charismatic, intelligent, big-toothed predator—the killer whale, or orca—into its corporate brand. 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 bestselling classic Orca: The Whale Called Killer and research fellow at the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society
“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 Academy Award–winning documentary The Cove
“Death at SeaWorld will become one of the most pivotal books in the orca captivity debate for years to come, and may well be the catalyst we have all been waiting for toward seeing an end to this cruelty. 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 and principal scientist of the Orca Research Trust
“This book takes you where most have never been before—inside the nightmare world of the marine mammal captivity industry. David Kirby’s research is impeccable and his words unforgettable. You will never view dolphin and orca shows the same way again.”
—Lori Marino, Ph.D., senior lecturer in neuroscience and behavioral biology at Emory University
About the Author
DAVID KIRBY is the author of Evidence of Harm, 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.
DEATH AT SEAWORLD. Copyright © 2012 by David Kirby. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
www.stmartins.com
Cover design by Rob Grom
Cover photograph © Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:
Kirby, David, 1960–
Death at SeaWorld : Shamu and the dark side of killer whales in captivity / David Kirby. — 1st ed.
p. cm.
ISBN 978-1-250-00202-0 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-250-00831-2 (e-book)
1. Killer whale—Behavior. 2. Captive marine mammals—Behavior. 3. Killer whale—Florida—Orlando. 4. Animal attacks—Florida—Orlando. 5. Brancheau, Dawn, 1969–2010—Death and burial. 6. Sea World. 7. Aquatic animal welfare—Moral and ethical aspects—United States. 8. Rose, Naomi A. 9. Marine biologists—United States—Biography. 10. Humane Society of the United States. I. Title.
QL737.C432K577 2012
599.53'6—dc23
2012009433
e-ISBN 9781250008312
First Edition: July 2012
