'The Cove' inspires controversial dolphin broker to free his animals
Dolphin trainer and trader Chris Porter -- inspired by the film 'The Cove' and the recent death of a trainer by a captive orca -- will give up his vocation.
By Stephanie RogersWed, Apr 14 2010 at 2:57 PM EST
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Photo: Wikimedia Commons He’s been called the Darth Vader of dolphin brokers, but Chris Porter no longer wants to be a villain — thanks to "The Cove", a documentary about dolphin exploitation.
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The National Post reports that Porter, a controversial dolphin broker and former marine mammal trainer, has decided to give up his business capturing dolphins in the Solomon Islands and selling them to aquariums after watching the Oscar-winning film.
"The Cove" exposed the brutality of dolphin slaughter in Taiji, Japan, with ghastly footage from the village’s annual dolphin hunt. Activist Ric O'Barry and his film crew broke into the restricted area where the hunt takes place and secretly filmed the bloody proceedings.
But it wasn’t just this jarring look at dolphin slaughter that prompted Porter to shut down his lucrative operation, which has sold 83 wild dolphins to buyers around the world over the past nine years. It was the sudden realization that perhaps these animals shouldn’t be held captive.
Porter was shocked at the news that Tillikum the killer whale — an animal that he had trained during his tenure at Sealand in Victoria — had drowned trainer Dawn Brancheur at SeaWorld Orlando.
“It's driven by the incident with Tillikum and I'm disillusioned with the industry,” Porter told The National Post.
Porter says he is now questioning the value of using such animals for entertainment purposes and keeping them in artificial environments that are a far cry from their native habitat.
He has made plans to release his 17 bottlenose dolphins into the wild through a program he’s calling “Free the Pod”, which may be filmed for the Animal Planet. The dolphins are currently being held in a protected cove.
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Comments
wk
09/17/2010 22:41 PM
...to his promises. I am skeptical as to Chris Porters promises (he must make a bundle off his dolphin selling - and his "said" sellling of 83 dolphins - I doubt that. It must be much more. l and hopeful at the same time. This must be stopped. What also needs to be stopped is all the zoos/aquariums around the world from having dolphin shows. Along with "swim with the dolphin" opportunities. The more I learn, the more I am disgusted by the entire situation. Absolutely disgusted.
Adriana Dunn
04/22/2010 17:21 PM
I just posted a timeline on the major events related to the film. You can read it here:
http://www.takepart.com/news/2010/04/22/the-cove-major-milestones
Leslie
04/16/2010 10:28 AM
Visit the first green social network, www.myecomart.com/leslie Its awesome! Make a difference!
