DAVID CAPELLO BLOG FOR JUNE BIRD KILLINGTON'S SEAWORLD SHUT DOWN - GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA

​A huge thank you to June Bird Killington of SeaWorld SHUT DOWN for inviting me to write a blog for her many Australian supporters.
 
I am known by many in the captive cetacean business as David Capello (not my real name, but an old stage name), and I am the ex-trainer featured in the controversial, award-winning book series, The Perfect Pair Dolphin Trilogy - an exposé that is suffering a full UK media block.
 
Unlike many other well-known trainers, my apprenticeship started in the UK training pens – a little-known facility, now infamous for producing hard-nosed trainers.
 
In the late 60s/early 70s, handlers like myself were on the cutting-edge of training techniques, responsible for breaking-in raw dolphins for a new and powerful entertainment scene – commercial dolphinaria.
 
All trainers employed in these pens were sworn to secrecy, keeping tight-lipped about the multitude of horrors they were forced to witness. None of these trainers have ever had the courage to speak publicly about what they were involved in … until now.
 
My whistle-blowing decision has cost me dearly - abandoned by my one-time friends and colleagues, vilified by many anti-captivity activists and shunned by ALL the big-name animal charities.
                               
Despite this, I remain passionate about telling my story and evermore determined to expose the vile captive cetacean industry for what it truly is. Don’t fall for the glamour and glitz of the corporate powerhouses that run global dolphinaria … they have been lying for at least 45 years to my knowledge.
 
Although my story is now viewed as historic, the horrors of modern-day dolphinaria are in fact even worse than they were in my day, as affirmed by the testimony of many latter-day ex-trainers.
 
And so, to finish, a message to activists:
 
If you want to destroy this industry, you need to know the facts. I see many well-meaning social media posts that are wrongly interpreted, destroying activist credibility – a flaw that pro-captivity campaigners will exploit. Only when able to support debate with valid fact will you stand any chance of ending this ongoing abuse.
 
Thanks again, June Bird Killington of SeaWorld SHUT DOWN, for this interview. Keep up your magnificent work.
 
David Capello
Ex-trainer
(Unedited version)