Ric O'Barry was a well-known member of the dolphin captivity industry back in the 1960's. An Ex-Navy diver, he was the dolphin trainer behind five of the cetaceans in the hit movie, Flipper.
Then, in 1970, he turned around completely and began actively campaigning against dolphin captivity. In a recent interview with David McNeill for the Asia Pacific Journal, O'Barry shared the defining moment that caused his mental and ethical shift...
I captured about 100 dolphins myself, back in the 1960s, including the five that played Flipper. I was the highest-paid animal trainer in the world. If I wanted I could set up one of these dolphin training programs and make 3-4 million dollars a year. I changed when Flipper died in my arms from suicide. I use that word with some trepidation but I don’t know another word that describes self-induced asphyxiation. Dolphins and other whales are not automatic breathers. Every breath that they take is a conscious effort, which is why they don’t sleep. If life becomes miserable, they just don’t take the next breath. Flipper looked me in the eye and stopped breathing.
Now, O'Barry is one of the world's best known environmentalists, traveling to Japan at least once a year to try and film the massacre. He has stood his ground alone against threats from the Japanese government and held protests in front of Japanese embassies around the world.
Check out www.savejapandolphins.org to read more about Ric O'Barry and the coalition that he actively supports.
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