| Summary: | Volume 20, Number 3 Summer 2017 READ “R” REVIEWS JOURNAL REVIEW: Animal Science Journal Animal Science Journal is a scholarly, peer-reviewed journal that contains original research and serves as the leading source of new knowledge and perspective in animal science. Published six times a year by Wiley-Blackwell, Animal Science Journal is the official English peer-reviewed publication of the Japanese Society of Animal Sciences. Articles in the Animal Science Journal pertain to animal and poultry science which include genetics, breeding, engineering, anatomy, nutrition, environment, behavior and reproduction. Farm animals such as pigs, horses, cows and chickens are studied in depth by experts in the field. Some of the most read articles encompass genetic engineering and trends, the environmental impacts on livestock production, and dietary nutrition requirements for each animal. Animal Science Journal is available in “Academic Search Complete,” 2003-present, “Medline Complete,” 2009-present, and the “Science and Technology Collection” 2003-present. To search for this title or any journal title, please visit the library’s website (library.bellevue.edu) and select the A-Z Journal List under the “Find” menu. BOOK REVIEW: “Beneath The Surface: Killer Whales, SeaWorld, and the Truth Beyond Blackfish” QL737.C432 H3675 2015 John Hargrove’s book, “Beneath the Surface: Killer Whales, SeaWorld, and the Truth Beyond Blackfish,” tells the story of his life and career at SeaWorld. Beginning with his first visit to SeaWorld when he was six-years-old, his obsessions with wanting to work with Orcas started. This book travels through his almost 14 years as a senior Orca trainer, working in all three SeaWorld locations in the United States, as well as one in Spain and France. The SeaWorld Corporation owns about 30 captive Orcas, of these, Hargrove has worked with 12 and has been in the water with a least ten. In 2012, Hargrove resigned his job at SeaWorld and began speaking out against the company over their treatment of the whales and arguing for the end of Orca shows, breeding, and captivity. He appeared in the widely known documentary, “Blackfish,” which was filmed after the death of Orca trainer, Dawn Brancheau in 2010, by an Orca named Tilikum. In his book, Hargrove talks about his joy in the years that he worked at SeaWorld and the relationships he created with these whales. He also states that he realized that although the relationship between Orcas and people can be amazing, the manipulation and behavioral conditioning that these captive whales are forced to live with creates a situation that is both dysfunctional and dangerous to both the whales and people. He also discusses the lies that SeaWorld tells to the public about the lives of the captive whales, which include, environmental health risks for the whales, including two known deaths from diseases spread by mosquitoes, sun burn, self-inflicted injuries caused by running themselves into the walls of the too small pools, and bacterial infections from the water and filtration systems. There have also been known cases of the whale’s causing injury or death to each other because natural social hierarchy that is found in the Orca social structure cannot be easily enforced in a captive environment. Hargrove is able to do what other authors and documentary makers have not been able to; he gives the reader an insiders perspective of the behind the scene world of SeaWorld. Within his book, Hargrove points out that destroying SeaWorld is not an option and is not what he wants. Yes, we need to end captive whale breeding programs, but whales that are currently in captivity should not be released into the wild as they have been in captivity for so long they no longer know how to take care of themselves and would die. Hargrove points out that although it is still captivity, SeaWorld is currently the only place that has the people and the know-how to take care of these animals. Hargrove’s argument is that SeaWorld needs to change its current image and its business model by building sea pens that are large enough and deep enough so, that these creatures can be happy and in their natural environments but still have their human caregivers. This allows for the Orcas to be animal ambassadors rather than entertainment performers. It also allows for SeaWorld to earn money in order to facilitate their care, as SeaWorld has already stated in the past that if whale captivity is made illegal, they will no longer take care of the whales. Hargrove argues that this is unfortunately the only option for these amazing animals. This book can be found in the General Collection at the Bellevue University Library and can be checked out for 21 days. Page 5
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