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

I grew up in Orlando, born and raised. I lived there until I was in my thirties, which means I also went to theme parks pretty much every summer. We loved Mickey and Shamu, they were just a part of our life. I’ve always been drawn to the ocean and had a great sense of belonging at the beach. It could be that I grew up there, it could be something deeper. 

I know I never felt scared in the shark tunnel at SeaWorld, in fact it was my favorite part. That and seeing the killer whale show. I love how they move, how majestic and intelligent they are, and it never occurred to me as a child or a young adult when taking my kids that the whales may not be happy.

I’m not sure how a logical woman could have never thought that these gigantic beautiful creatures crammed into a swimming pool could be really bad for them and the people who work with them. I don’t recall hearing or seeing news stories about anything other than one man who snuck in and got killed. In fact, I remember thinking he must have been a bit nuts to get in the water with a Killer Whale. 

But isn’t that what the trainers are doing? Isn’t that what we went there to see? When I saw the title Death at Sea World I was drawn to it because of my love for the park and the whales and I really didn’t expect to be as touched as I was. Some things are just so tragic and sad that they stick with you and you just can’t stop thinking about it for days, weeks and maybe even months. 

Death at SeaWorld by David Kirby reads like a tightly wound thriller and manages to pack in lots of facts while still being extremely gripping. I literally devoured the four hundred plus page story in days. I experienced such a deep emotional reaction to the story that I have been unable to stop thinking about it. How could this happen, again and again, and how could it not end in more than it did? 

My heart breaks for the trainers and their families and for the whales and their pods, all of whom were exploited so that we could have a bit of entertainment every summer and so that SeaWorld could continue to make huge profits on the exciting shows. It’s a story that needed to be told and needs to be read and I frankly think it couldn’t have been written better, with more respect, compassion, and talent than was done by David Kirby.  

To stay up to date with news regarding the deaths at SeaWorld you can visit the site here. 

Disclosure: I may receive products in exchange for an honest review. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I personally believe will be good for my readers.