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Beneath the Surface

Killer Whales, SeaWorld, and the Truth Beyond Blackfish

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Beneath the Surface

By: John Hargrove, Howard Chua-Eoan
Narrated by: John Hargrove
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About this listen

 Over the course of two decades, John Hargrove worked with 20 different whales on two continents and at two of SeaWorld’s U.S. facilities. For Hargrove, becoming an orca trainer fulfilled a childhood dream. However, as his experience with the whales deepened, Hargrove came to doubt that their needs could ever be met in captivity. When two fellow trainers were killed by orcas in marine parks, Hargrove decided that SeaWorld’s wildly popular programs were both detrimental to the whales and ultimately unsafe for trainers.

After leaving SeaWorld, Hargrove became one of the stars of the controversial documentary Blackfish. The outcry over the treatment of SeaWorld’s orca has now expanded beyond the outlines sketched by the award-winning documentary, with Hargrove contributing his expertise to an advocacy movement that is convincing both federal and state governments to act.

In Beneath the Surface, Hargrove paints a compelling portrait of these highly intelligent and social creatures, including his favorite whales Takara and her mother Kasatka, two of the most dominant orcas in SeaWorld. And he includes vibrant descriptions of the lives of orcas in the wild, contrasting their freedom in the ocean with their lives in SeaWorld.

Hargrove’s journey is one that humanity has just begun to take—toward the realization that the relationship between the human and animal worlds must be radically rethought. Animals Biological Sciences Outdoors & Nature Science Inspiring Heartfelt Thought-Provoking
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It is a wonderful insight into the world of captured orcas, the truth being told and bringing out the sad truth about the people and Wales exploited by Seaworld.

very powerful, and emotionally moving

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As someone studying marine biology /conservation, I found this book to be inspiring to do all I can to keep animals and more specific cetaceans where they are ment to be

Powerful and inspiring

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This is a brilliant insight into sea worlds animal cruelty. I wish that all people could read this book and understand what is going on. Our poor whales.
Great easy read and gripping. I couldn’t stop listening!
John is fantastic and I value everything he has done.

Everyone should listen to this book.

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loved every min of this. SeaWorld are a gross company. 8 hours of gripping stuff

great stuff john

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certainly opened my eyes more than they were at seaworld corruptions. loved how balanced views were and the good as well as the bad. thank you for sharing

very insightful

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