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Beneath the Surface Killer Whales SeaWorld and the Truth Beyond Blackfish John Hargrove Howard ChuaEoan 9781137280107 Books

Download As PDF : Beneath the Surface Killer Whales SeaWorld and the Truth Beyond Blackfish John Hargrove Howard ChuaEoan 9781137280107 Books

Beneath the Surface Killer Whales SeaWorld and the Truth Beyond Blackfish John Hargrove Howard ChuaEoan 9781137280107 Books

I was told when I was about 18 by the, then, Director of Training at Sea World that he would never hire a woman to train dolphins. This was after I had completed very grueling physical training and long study had a divers certification and had qualified myself beyond the usual applicant to achieve this dream I had since I was twelve. (This was just after the original Shamu went slightly postal in front of television cameras on his bikini-clad secretary.) The size of the tank they kept the whale in and the white sided dolphin named George for years was only just big enough for her to turn around in. Who wouldn't act out after years of being kept in what was essentially for her a closet? I knew Shamu, often visited her between shows and she was an especially sweet and gentle creature. Her treatment and the tricks they had her do were pretty horrible. In fact, the only thing that I ever saw Sea World do as a part of it's shows that I actually enjoyed back then was show how a blindfolded dolphin could negotiate through hoops with sonar. Other then that they were just glitzy and silly circus shows that were mildly offensive. I hoped that if I were hired I could somehow eventually shape and change those things but now I can see that I was saved a lot of failure, pain and heartache in the long run with the unfair death of that dream.
Sea world obviously changed their policy eventually and had many wonderful female trainers but the dark heart of the company and it's values seems to have never really changed. This book was excellent and I learned much even though I have been an interested observer over the years. The things that Sea World kept secret were worse and more toxic to the animals and the people who really cared for them than I knew or even imagined. I can only hope that sustained public opinion will make them change and create an environment that the surviving animals can thrive in.


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Beneath the Surface Killer Whales SeaWorld and the Truth Beyond Blackfish John Hargrove Howard ChuaEoan 9781137280107 Books Reviews

From my Goodreads review

This is a very comprehensive book about that exposes the truth about the Sea World parks from an orca trainer's POV. Said trainer John Hargrove describes how, for the longest time, he wished to become a Sea World orca trainer and the lengths to which he went to become one. Hargrove tells about the atrocious conditions the orcas are kept in at Sea World's parks and how orcas' lives differ in captivity as compared to in the wild. Hargrove also you certain facts about killer whales, such as the etymology of the words "killer whale" and "orca" as well as what the parts of an orca are called. Hargrove touches on the controversial documentary "Blackfish" and his contributions to and opinion of said documentary. Overall, Hargrove's "Beneath the Surface" is an excellent choice for anyone who wishes to know more about orcas as well as the TRUTH about Sea World's killer whales.
This is a much better book than I expected. Its a more detailed examination of Hargrove's experience as a trainer at Seaworld and about his concerns about their treatment of orca's than could be explored in the documentary "Blackfish." This is the best possible book Hargrove could have written; it is not perfect but it touches on every relevant aspect of his life as an orca trainer, from his obsession and interest as a boy up through the making of the documentary and just after.

When we see how interested he was in the whales from a young age, and how he begged his parents to take him to the Texas Seaworld frequently as a teenager, how many questions he asked the trainers from a young age, one sees how deep his passion goes he really does love these animals.

And he does not "trash" Seaworld at all -- it is clear how integral their presence was to his developing interests as a teen and then to his long apprenticeship as a trainer. He learned a lot and was dedicated to the whales and for years, to Seaworld too. It was the combination of the standards Seaworld had for its trainers as well as Hargrove's own passion, intelligence, and feeling for the whales that ultimately led him to conclude what he did about whales in captivity, at Seaworld and anywhere else. The point is not that Seaworld in particular is "bad," as they are probably among the most rigorous and conscientious in their treatment of the orcas, compared to other less-well funded for profit "entertainment" outfits, but that captivity is bad for the orcas, period. Not kind of bad, but very harmful to the quality of their lives. How captivity stunts them and hurts them.

Hargrove includes interviews and research by many biologists and others who've studied orcas as well. The book is genuinely well-rounded, and has much more depth than I expected. Some of this is clearly just Hargrove, who is intuitive and smart, but whose standards are high for most things, it seems, but he also had a co-writer who very likely helped make this such a good book -- it has both depth and heart -- Hargrove's love and respect for these animals is clear throughout. At first I wasn't sure I was going to like him (he seemed a little arrogant) and I thought the book might just be a capitalization on the firm, an exercise in vanity, so to speak. But it isn't -- its the real deal a very good book, well-designed (and I mean in the choice of content and the organization of chapters) and written, presenting a very good mix of research in the field with Hargrove's extensive experience to back it up. I really enjoyed reading it and learned a lot. Highly recommended.
I was told when I was about 18 by the, then, Director of Training at Sea World that he would never hire a woman to train dolphins. This was after I had completed very grueling physical training and long study had a divers certification and had qualified myself beyond the usual applicant to achieve this dream I had since I was twelve. (This was just after the original Shamu went slightly postal in front of television cameras on his bikini-clad secretary.) The size of the tank they kept the whale in and the white sided dolphin named George for years was only just big enough for her to turn around in. Who wouldn't act out after years of being kept in what was essentially for her a closet? I knew Shamu, often visited her between shows and she was an especially sweet and gentle creature. Her treatment and the tricks they had her do were pretty horrible. In fact, the only thing that I ever saw Sea World do as a part of it's shows that I actually enjoyed back then was show how a blindfolded dolphin could negotiate through hoops with sonar. Other then that they were just glitzy and silly circus shows that were mildly offensive. I hoped that if I were hired I could somehow eventually shape and change those things but now I can see that I was saved a lot of failure, pain and heartache in the long run with the unfair death of that dream.
Sea world obviously changed their policy eventually and had many wonderful female trainers but the dark heart of the company and it's values seems to have never really changed. This book was excellent and I learned much even though I have been an interested observer over the years. The things that Sea World kept secret were worse and more toxic to the animals and the people who really cared for them than I knew or even imagined. I can only hope that sustained public opinion will make them change and create an environment that the surviving animals can thrive in.