How the NFL Saved Arizona From Itself

Staff / Truthdig Feb 28, 2014 This week on Truthdig Radio in association with KPFK: Gay sports dominates the news, from Arizona's bigoted legislation to the bisexual athlete who crushed Sochi. Also: how "Blackfish" director Gabriela Cowperthwaite accidentally made the best animal rights movie. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

‘Blackfish’: What the Hell Is Sea World Thinking?

Richard Schickel / Truthdig Jul 23, 2013 By what measure of magical thinking does the occasional death or ripped-off limb seem a sensible price to pay for the queasy entertainment offered at water shows? Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Tilikum, According to the Book of Exodus

Staff / Truthdig Mar 5, 2010 Last month's trainer tragedy at SeaWorld has taken on biblical proportions. According to an evangelical pastor evidently given to consulting the Old Testament in reference to theme park disasters, the book of Exodus suggests that Tilikum, the orca responsible for killing handler Dawn Brancheau, should have been dealt with in the manner of a murderous ox. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Serial Killer Whale?

Staff / Truthdig Mar 2, 2010 A marine conservationist from the American Museum of Natural History says of the SeaWorld orca that killed its trainer, "This was not an insane, uncontrollable act This was premeditated and the whale, for whatever whale reasons, the whale did this intentionally". Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Free Tilly?

Staff / Truthdig Feb 27, 2010 One of SeaWorld Orlando's resident orcas, Tilikum, made the kind of headlines that family theme parks never want to make when he killed trainer Dawn Brancheau this week, and now the question of whether "Tilly" should stay at SeaWorld understandably has arisen Some killer whale experts think (continued). Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Orca Kills Trainer at SeaWorld

Staff / Truthdig Feb 25, 2010 Lest it be forgotten, Shamu and his orca pals aren't called killer whales for nothing. Although watching humans gambol with orcas and other sea mammals has become a tourist staple at water parks around the country, that brand of family entertainment doesn't sit well with some animal rights groups, and it can be deadly, as an incident Wednesday at SeaWorld in Orlando, Fla., tragically illustrated. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )