Reviews
'Death at SeaWorld' by David Kirby was just released in paperback. (It) tells a story of intelligent animals that, while often friendly to humans, nevertheless carry with them what some argue is inevitable psychological damage due to captivity., Captivity disrupts (orca) behavior in practically every manner. Contrary to marine mammal exhibition industry claims, orca lifespans are significantly shortened in captivity., 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., Death at SeaWorld dismantles the carefully crafted industry myth of animals who are content to live in small tanks and perform tricks for spectators, 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., 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., An exhilarating journalistic achievement--the reporting is singularly deep and wide, the research enormously meticulous, the storytelling as gripping as in a great novel., David Kirby, author of 'Death at SeaWorld: Shamu and the Dark Side of Killer Whales in Captivity,' has posted a persuasive rebuttal. SeaWorld as much as self-indicts its orca practices as indefensible., 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., A chilling depiction... Kirby lays out a compelling scientific argument against killer whale captivity, Simply superb... David Kirby has left no stone unturned. He has successfully refuted the arguments put forth by the pro-captivity advocates., SeaWorld got a firm slap in the form of journalist David Kirby's fascinating and deeply disturbing book., Well written, well studied so as not to come across as a misinformed or ill-informed journalism (as if we had any doubt), two sided, and done with a lot of emotion to help draw the reader in as if you were reading a murder mystery. Done like a true novelist... Definitely a five star review and a two thumbs up., Kirby's knockout format is articulate and mind-blowing. This riveting read is not one that will easily be dismissed., 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., Lives are at stake here, and Kirby can be trusted to tell the story, having won a passel of awards for his investigative work., An informed narrative that strongly suggests that despite their name, only when captured do the mammals become dangerous to humans. Free Willy, indeed., 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., Detailed and thorough...Kirby writes objectively, and with a clear vision when discussing the history of killer whales in captivity. He also shows how SeaWorld is a microcosm where smiles are required., Nature has a way of biting back. The true story told in the 2012 scientific thriller Death at SeaWorld exposes the dark side of America's most beloved marine mammal park. From the tragic death of trainer Dawn Brancheau in 2010 to other less-publicized incidents, the book chronicles the perils of attempting to subdue the species., One of the "great books' of the summer - The Columbus Dispatch #1 Readers Poll Choice for Summer Books - Wall Street Journal Online"One of the summer's most anticipated new releases' -- Apple IBookstore "A masterful work.' --Seattle Post Intelligencer"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"Kirby's knockout format is articulate and mind-blowing. This riveting read is not one that will easily be dismissed.' --Digital Journal"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"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"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, "The Simpsons,'and leading animal rights activist, Journalist Kirby offers another passionate industry exposé ... the narrative goes into high gear with its concluding confrontation., Should some of the most social, intelligent and charismatic animals on the planet be kept in captivity by human beings? That is a question asked more frequently than ever by both scientists and animal welfare advocates...Now the issue has been raised with new intensity in Death at SeaWorld by David Kirby, just released in paperback., Recent publications like David Kirby's 'Death at Sea World' are increasing recognition of the great wrong being done to the mind in the waters by continuing live captures and captive breeding of orcas. Some orcas in captivity do attack and kill or injure their captors. Tilikum, once captive at the former Sealand in Oak Bay, has killed three people., "Chilling . . . a compelling scientific argument." - New Scientist "Fascinating and deeply disturbing." -Christian Science Monitor "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"Gripping . . . Hard to put down." - Booklist (starred), The bottom line of these findings is that keeping these magnificent beings in confinement is not a good thing., Death at SeaWorld, a 2012 exposé by David Kirby, is a comprehensive account starting from when the first orca was captured up until 2012, when OSHA hit SeaWorld with safety violations. It has helped change and educate the public about orcas in captivity., Eye-opening poolside reading... Death isn't supposed to pop up in environments carefully choreographed for family fun., Kirby says people do not realize that whales often live with the same pod from birth and that when marine parks take them from their pods they are separated from their families... The killer whales then, in some instances, take out those emotions on other whales, which doesn't happen in the wild as much., I was sent a pre-release copy and can't put it down... Get a copy of this book. It's about time it was written., David Kirby, whose recent book 'Death at SeaWorld' traces the history of killer whales in captivity, found that Tilikum was captured off Iceland in the early 1980s when just two years old. He was kept in a tiny covered pool for two years before being sold to a marine park in Canada which closed after he drowned a trainer. Kirby says Tilikum is a very disturbed and dangerous animal., Get insight into this excellent story by David Kirby about the human-amusement park's treatment of these animals via his book, Death at SeaWorld ., Thanks to investigative journalist David Kirby, we are now equipped to consider (attacks in captivity) in context. His book is packed with facts about killer whales and the stress caused by keeping them in captivity and asking them to perform for humans., Kirby makes a passionate case for captivity as the reason orcas become killers (and) tells the story like a thriller. His argument is, for the most part, fair and persuasive... We probably can't free the orcas in captivity today, but we could make the current group of captive killer whales the last., 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.
