A Dolphin's Smile

"A dolphin's smile is nature's greatest deception.  It creates the illusion that they are always happy."-Rick O'Barry  

I have always had a love for the ocean and the creatures that dwell inside. In fact, I went to college  initially to obtain my Marine Biology degree.  But in the spring of my Freshman year I took an education course and well the rest is history...

Although I changed career paths I still find the ocean a fascinating place.  A few years ago, I came across the documentary, The Cove  that rocked my soul to its core.  I saw it only once 3 years ago (I can't watch it again) but still think about this documentary often.  It truly changed how I look at the world.

For those unfamiliar with the film, it takes place in Taiji, a secluded little cove in Japan where Bottlenosed Dolphins are corralled and captured.  The pretty ones are sold to various theme parks and aquariums.  The "ugly ones" are slaughtered right in the cove, staining the water red with their blood. 

Now this cove is heavily guarded and is so secretive that at the time this film was made, most citizens of Japan knew nothing what was happening in Taiji. Rick O'Barry and the filmmaker Louie Psihoyos set up a covert operation to film the slaughters and expose these dolphin murders.

Rick O'Barry, was the trainer of Flipper, the television series that started the dolphin craze and the appeal for marine theme parks.  However, Rick O'Barry's opinion of captured dolphins changed suddenly when a dolphin named Kathy (one of the dolphins who played  Flipper) basically committed suicide in his arms because she was so stressed out from being held captive.

I was a complete emotional wreck after watching this movie.  The guilt I felt for every time I went to a theme park that housed dolphins and other large marine mammals made me sick to my stomach.  We went swimming with the dolphins on our honeymoon which had been a dream of mine.  But how many others had to die for me to spend half an hour in an enclosed pen with two dolphins?

You can rent The Cove on Amazon for  $1.99.  If you live near me I'll lend you my copy!  But I guarantee after you watch this film you will not look at a capture dolphin with the same eyes ever again.

Please check out the trailer below.

http://www.thecovemovie.com/

There is also a documentary coming out in July about Sea World and the orcas they keep in captivity.

You can view the trailer here