Killer in the Pool
Killer in the Pool, by Tim Zimmermann
Firstly, I just want to say that this is a short article, not a full length book and can be found FREE online. I brought a Kindle copy of the book, just because I wanted easy access even when I don't have internet and I find Kindle best for highlighting and annotating. That said, on to the actual review...I thought this was a good, eye-opening articles for people who don't necessarily know the effect of captivity on killer whales and I'm sure it packed a punch when it was first published after the death of Dawn Brancheau. It would work well as an introduction to the subject for someone who wants to know more, but there are much more informative books out there, like Death at SeaWorld and Beneath the Surface - both of which I've done reviews on. For someone who has read quite a bit on the subject, I found that this just repeated what I already knew and didn't really add much.The only thing I didn't particularly like was the name of this article. Killer in the Pool just sounds so negative; yes, Tilikum has now killed three people, yet we started this "war", we took them from their homes, from their families and held them captive, forced them to perform for our own amusement. Who can blame them for wanting to hurt us? Especially when captivity has prematurely ended the lives of many whales... So I suppose Killer in the Pool could also be referring to the humans...My favourite quotes from 'Killer in the Pool':' "If you fail to provide your animals with the excitement they need, you may be certain that they will create the excitement themselves." '' "If you pen killer whales in a small tank, you are imposing an extreme level of sensory deprivation on them," he told me. "Humans who are subjected to these same conditions become mentally disturbed." '' "The group is your home, and your whole identity is with your group." ''... it is like I put you in a light blue room with a bed, toilet, and sink, and brought you all your food, but there was also 3 1,000-watt lights in the ceiling that could never be turned off.''Maybe we as a species have outgrown the need to keep such wild, enormous, complex, intelligent, and free-ranging animals in captivity, where their behaviour is not only unnatural; it can become pathological. Maybe we have learned all we can from keeping them captive.''He is living the life Tilikum was meant to live, the life Tilikum was denied....He knows nothing of the life of Tilikum or the artificial world humans have manufactured for him.'
Firstly, I just want to say that this is a short article, not a full length book and can be found FREE online. I brought a Kindle copy of the book, just because I wanted easy access even when I don't have internet and I find Kindle best for highlighting and annotating. That said, on to the actual review...I thought this was a good, eye-opening articles for people who don't necessarily know the effect of captivity on killer whales and I'm sure it packed a punch when it was first published after the death of Dawn Brancheau. It would work well as an introduction to the subject for someone who wants to know more, but there are much more informative books out there, like Death at SeaWorld and Beneath the Surface - both of which I've done reviews on. For someone who has read quite a bit on the subject, I found that this just repeated what I already knew and didn't really add much.The only thing I didn't particularly like was the name of this article. Killer in the Pool just sounds so negative; yes, Tilikum has now killed three people, yet we started this "war", we took them from their homes, from their families and held them captive, forced them to perform for our own amusement. Who can blame them for wanting to hurt us? Especially when captivity has prematurely ended the lives of many whales... So I suppose Killer in the Pool could also be referring to the humans...My favourite quotes from 'Killer in the Pool':' "If you fail to provide your animals with the excitement they need, you may be certain that they will create the excitement themselves." '' "If you pen killer whales in a small tank, you are imposing an extreme level of sensory deprivation on them," he told me. "Humans who are subjected to these same conditions become mentally disturbed." '' "The group is your home, and your whole identity is with your group." ''... it is like I put you in a light blue room with a bed, toilet, and sink, and brought you all your food, but there was also 3 1,000-watt lights in the ceiling that could never be turned off.''Maybe we as a species have outgrown the need to keep such wild, enormous, complex, intelligent, and free-ranging animals in captivity, where their behaviour is not only unnatural; it can become pathological. Maybe we have learned all we can from keeping them captive.''He is living the life Tilikum was meant to live, the life Tilikum was denied....He knows nothing of the life of Tilikum or the artificial world humans have manufactured for him.'
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