Former Flipper trainer's film exposes slaughter of dolphins

[The Straight Story]

Former Flipper trainer's film exposes slaughter of dolphins

For nearly 10 years, Ric O'Barry trained dolphins playing "Flipper" on the popular '60s TV show, and, in the process, popularized dolphins as entertainment.

For the last 35 years, he's tried to undo all of that.

Wherever dolphins are held captive, O'Barry is there -- protesting, cutting nets and getting arrested. He's a longtime critic of Florida attractions that feature captive dolphins, including Key Biscayne's Seaquarium, "like these dolphins volunteered to be in this concrete box."

His biggest splash may be the new documentary The Cove, a nail-biting film about dolphin slaughter in Japan.

The movie, opening Friday in South Florida, has snagged a slew of festival awards, including the Sundance Audience Award, and has created Oscar buzz in its wake.

O'Barry, 69, of Coconut Grove, leads an unusual cast of daredevils to a secluded cove in Taiji on Japan's coast. Here, capturing and killing dolphins is legal. But trespassing isn't.

Armed with gee-whiz equipment, including an infrared camera for night photography, and fake rocks designed by George Lucas' Industrial Light & Magic to disguise cameras, the crew looked more like insurgents than documentary filmmakers.

Throughout the $2.5 million film, O'Barry and crew, who faced arrest and jail if caught, dodged determined police and belligerent fishermen. In the dead of night, world-class free divers hid cameras tucked into the submerged rocks.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/entertainment/sfl-cove-film-a080609xsbaug06,0,77221.story

[imdjh]

1. knr for Flipper

I don't actually think that life as a Sea World dolphin would suck. But I object to the slaughter.