Beneath the Surface

Listeners may be familiar with SeaWorld's ad on TV promoting its humane treatment of whales. Here's the opposite point of view--from a voice of experience. Hargrove, formerly a SeaWorld orca trainer, had an "emotional reversal" and now objects to the entertainment organization's treatment of animals, including a breeding program for orcas that he terms cruel. Hargrove's slight Texas accent gives his criticisms extra power. Although much of his writing centers on the "quiet desperation" faced by orcas in captivity, there's also information about orca emotions and social hierarchy, his own lifetime fascination with the whales, and life as an orca trainer. His passion is strong, and listeners will feel the emotions in his argument. Hargrove isn't always critical, and he offers solutions, but his tone can sound bleak. J.A.S. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine