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.” - Wall Street Journal “Kirby makes a passionate case for captivity as the reason orcas become killers (and) tells the story like a thriller. “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.” - The New York Times 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.įor more on the subject, watch Blackfish, a major motion picture from Magnolia Pictures and CNN Films. 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. Brancheau's death was the most publicized among several brutal attacks that have occurred at Sea World and other marine mammal theme parks.ĭeath 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. Kirby puts that horrific animal-on-human attack in context. 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. 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 parkĭeath 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.