But the flamboyant Miami-based marine activist has been atoning for his role ever since, most recently as star of The Cove. Just released in U.S. theaters, the documentary about dolphin slaughter in a scenic Japanese fishing village won the Audience Award at this year's Sundance Film Festival — and, hopes O'Barry, will reignite the debate over interactions between dolphins and their human admirers.
Directed by National Geographic photographer Louie Psihoyos, The Cove examines the long-standing practice of culling dolphins in the small coastal town of Taiji. Though most of the animals are killed for food (which the film says is tainted by high levels of mercury), some are captured and sent to aquariums, amusement parks and interactive "dolphin encounters" worldwide.
Such encounters are particularly popular with cruisers in the Caribbean, where they have become "one of the most sought-after and hard-to-get shore excursions," says Barry Karp of ShoreTrips.com.
Among the film's goals, says O'Barry, are getting viewers to "think twice before buying a ticket" to dolphin performances or swim programs and recognize that "a dolphin's smile is nature's biggest deception." The Humane Society International, meanwhile, plugs The Cove on its own website (hsus.org) and warns viewers who participate in such programs that "you're not just having a good time — you are endorsing the practice of capturing these animals from the wild and keeping them captive."
No comments:
Post a Comment