The Cove-Interview with Ric O'Barry

Yeticket.com interviews, Ric O'Barry, Marine Mammal Specialist, Earth Island Institute
Richard O'Barry has worked both sides of the dolphin street, the first 10 years with the dolphin captivity industry, the past 38 against it.

Working back in the 1960s for Miami Seaquarium, O'Barry captured and trained dolphins, including the five dolphins who played the role of Flipper in the popular American TV-series of the same name. When Kathy, the dolphin who played Flipper most of the time, died in his arms, OʼBarry realized that capturing dolphins and training them to perform silly tricks is simply wrong.

From that moment on, O'Barry knew what he must do with his life. On the first Earth Day, 1970, he founded the Dolphin Project, dedicated to freeing captive dolphins who were viable candidates and educating people throughout the world to the plight of dolphins in captivity. He launched a searing campaign against the multi-billion dollar dolphin captivity industry, telling the public what was really going on at dolphin shows and urging people not to buy tickets to see dolphins play the fool.

O'Barry has rescued and released more than 25 captive dolphins in Haiti, Colombia, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Brazil, the Bahamas Islands and the United States. His more than 45 years of experience with dolphins and his firsthand knowledge about the methods used to capture and train them has taken him all over the world to participate in lectures and conferences about the controversial dolphin captivity issue. As he knew it would, this created a lot of hostility toward him by those who stood to profit from the continued exploitation of dolphins.

"They're in this for money. Take it away, and they'll quit doing this," OʼBarry says and adds: "Dolphins are free-ranging, intelligent, and complex wild animals, and they belong in the oceans, not playing the clown in our human schemes."

To recognize his contribution, in 1991 OʼBarry received the 'Environmental Achievement Award' presented by the United States Committee for the United Nations Environmental Program (US/UNEP).

His book 'Behind the Dolphin Smile' was published in 1989, a second book, 'To Free A Dolphin' was published in September 2000. Both of them are about his work and dedication.

O'Barry is a Fellow National in The Explorers Club, a multidisciplinary society that links together scientists and explorers from all over the world. Each member is an accomplished individual with at least one fascinating story to tell.

In January, 2007, O'Barry became the Marine Mammal Specialist for Earth Island Institute and Director of Save Japan Dolphins coalition: www.SaveJapanDolphins.org

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[NKWIA12]

Some people eat dolphins & whales.

Just get over it, cow eating Christian Hypocrites!

[NKWIA12]

Let us see how the Americans abuse cows and horses in a rodeo just for fun.

Hypocrisy !



[biggabegamer]

@ilovemynanook What if someone doesn't belief in god? Then who's to say slaughtering innocent animals is right when all of the obvious signs of it being wrong isn't hidden behind a someones religion? Dont ignore the obvious! Killing innocent animals is wrong just like killing an innocent person is wrong! Dont worry im vegetarian and the feeling is mutual about you bible banging bastards!

[ilovemynanook]

vegetarians are the most annoying people on the planet. God made animals for humans to be eaten. cows, chickens, pigs and deer are all ment to be eatin as wel as every other animal or fish on this planet. it is not inhumaine to hunt for deer or eat bacon or steakk or chickenn its natural and normal and the way God intended it. if ur slautering animals and leaving them to rot is another story and just wrong. if its for survival then it isnt and thats the way i look at it.

[Zeruju]

Japan-bashing bullshit...

[xoxo221x]

SAVE BAMBI!!! STOP MINDLESS HUNTERS? KILLING DEERS, BEARS, WOLVES!!!! LET THEM EAT COW INSTEAD.

SAVE? DOLPHINS IN NORWAY? AND DENMARK! SAVE SHARKS IN NEW ZEALAND AND ICELAND!!!!

save the planet without fueling hate/racism/discrimination.

[jphameezy]

@NKWIA12

No, I cannot answer why. Seems like you have a point here. I think there should be actions taken to ensure that there are enough dolphins in the ocean, with the appropriate genetic diversity. That is all.

With Pigs, I can count them.  We have the ones we eat bred in captivity, while the wild ones are left alone. Maybe some kind of ocean dolphin farm would be appropriate, in that you get to keep killing and eating dolphins but not effecting (hopefully) the native numbers of them

[NKWIA12]

@jphameezy Vegan ? Well, they are green killers. Unlike dolphins, pigs can understand human words, but they are killed for food. Can you answer why ?

[NKWIA12]

@jphameezy  Mercury in food ... Marine creatures other than dolphins, many of them contain a fair amount of mercury, like tuna, salmon, sword fish, bonito... So that means, someone eats tuna sandwich or fish & chips or any other seafoods very often like fat Americans eat like pigs, is more dangerous than someone eat a slice of dolphin meat once or twice a month. It's not black or white issue. It's about moderation.

[jphameezy]

@NKWIA12

Are you vegan? If not, you're a killer!

And yes, I said intelligent animals. There are goldfish and then there are chimpanzees. There are mice and then there are dogs.

I don't understand the relevance of the question about the difference between mercury in food and mercury in sea water.

[NKWIA12]

@jphameezy　Intelligent animals ? John C. Lilly (1915-2001) : He was the first scientist who made a hypothesis of human-dolphin communication ability and its self-awareness. Since then, new age groups started adopting his theory. BUT his hypothesis has never being proven so far. People love to make stories, books, dramas, movies... But they are not based on the facts. Mercury ? Do you know the difference between a pollution case like Minamata disease and natural mercury in sea water ?