CAPELLO'S SECOND BLOG FOR ANONYMOUS FOR CETACEANS - RIC O'BARRY CAMP MOVES TO QUASH RUMOURS

Controversy, controversy! After all these years The Perfect Pair Dolphin Trilogy is still embroiled in controversy. A situation I very much doubt will change by my writing this blog. So, please allow me to apologise in advance to those of you I’m about to upset as I get down and dirty with the despicable individuals and organisations that have tried to suppress my story.
 
Before I start, I’d like to give a big thumbs-up to Anonymous for Cetaceans for inviting me to write this second blog, as my recent contributions have been taster extracts from The Perfect Pair Dolphin Trilogy, a book series that – surprisingly - is causing ructions in BOTH pro- AND anti-captivity camps.
 
But why the anti-captivity camp?
 
After all, we are supposed to be on the same side - a dedicated collective with the sole aim of smashing this appalling industry. However, it seems that – in reality - this aim is not shared by all. A sinister state of affairs that brings to mind an adage commonly expressed by my old mentor: animal conservation and animal exploitation are two sides of the same coin. A saying that is as relevant today as it was back in my day as a leading dolphin trainer.
 
We all know that marine parks and dolphinaria generate huge sums of money – the very reason they wield such power. However, nowadays, this equally applies to many of our big-name charities, organisations that attract hundreds of thousands of pounds (or dollars) in donations, morphing them into clones of the very same money-fixated organisations they swore to oppose. A transformation that has not gone unnoticed by the general public … which is why many charities are now receiving such bad press.
 
Some of you reading this will quite rightly say: “Well, what do you expect? You have to fight fire with fire.” However, by adopting this stance, some charities have become as prone to corruption as the powerhouses they are fighting - an accusation I have no hesitation of making against the UK charity Marine Connection and its founder Margaux Dodds. This vindictive woman has gone out of her way to STOP The Perfect Pair Dolphin Trilogy exposé, despite its revelations being proofed by official dolphin logbooks and ex-trainer testimonies.
 
So, what’s her game? Why does she want to silence a story that some activists refer to as “the dolphin equivalent of Blackfish”? So vigorous has been her campaign that it attracted the attention of an independent journalist who urged Ms Dodds to make public comment on her actions – something she has, thus far, refused to do. And, as if this wasn’t bad enough, Ms Dodd’s close friend and ally, Gaye Hunter, further attempted to discredit The Perfect Pair exposé by promoting to supportive FB organisations the libellous blog written by the notorious pro-captivity activist, John Dineley.
 
So, I again ask, what’s going on? What’s the real motivation behind Marine Connection’s campaign?
 
Infinitely more sinister, is the close association of Ms Dodds and Ms Hunter to the world-renowned activist and ex-dolphin trainer, Ric O’Barry. Again, a link that has not gone unnoticed by either press or activist, fuelling rumours of collusion that smacks not of dolphin welfare, but of rivalry and protectionism.
 
So, Anonymous, I set you a challenge. If any one of you is able to discover the truth behind Marine Connection’s campaign, please let me know. Contact Ms Dodds and ask why she has chosen to betray the very Atlanteans she swore to protect – but be aware: others have tried before you and found themselves on the wrong end of a Facebook page block.
 
As for Ric O’Barry, I would like to put the minds of his many supporters at rest. After the authors contacted his website, a team member messaged this reply: “… there is no accuracy to any rumors. I’ve spoken with several of our team members, and they had never heard of any of this. We do our best not to get involved in any matters that would distract from our own work, as there’s enough to be done there.”
 
And so I end, none the wiser and still drowning in the ignominious sea of controversy to which I’ve become so accustomed. Makes me think that maybe - just maybe - I should have heeded my contemporaries’ advice by letting sleeping dogs lie. Kept my big mouth shut and capitulated to those pro- and anti-captivity bodies that didn’t want me rocking the boat. Yes, maybe so, because no one really appreciates a whistle-blower.
 
Both the authors and I have sacrificed all to bring this exposé to public notice - whether anyone chooses to read or support it is, of course, a matter of personal choice.
 
Thanks for listening – and thank you Anonymous for Cetaceans for giving me a platform.
 
David Capello