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'{{Infobox person | name = Ric O'Barry | image = Ric O'Barry at the Cove in Taiji, Japan 2014.jpg | caption = Ric O'Barry at the Cove in Taiji, Japan 2014 | birth_name = Richard O'Barry | birth_date = {{nowrap|{{Birth date and age|df=yes|1939|10|14}}}} | birth_place = | occupation = Founder& Director, Ric O'Barry's Dolphin Project |known_for = | nationality = American | years_active = 55 | partner = | alma_mater = | parents = | religion = | title = | influences = | website = {{URL|www.DolphinProject.net}} | signature = }} '''Richard''' "'''Ric'''" '''O'Barry''' (born Richard Barry O'Feldman)<ref name="smile1988">{{Cite book | last = O'Barry | first = Richard |author2=Keith Coulbourn | title = Behind the Dolphin Smile | publisher = Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill | year = 1988 | location = Chapel Hill, NC | isbn = 0-912697-79-2}}</ref><ref>http://nymag.com/movies/profiles/57863/</ref> is an American first recognized in the 1960s for capturing and training the five dolphins that were used in the well-known TV series ''[[Flipper (1964 TV series)|Flipper]]''. O'Barry made a radical transition from training dolphins in captivity to assertively combating the captivity industry soon after Kathy, one of the ''Flipper'' dolphins, died in his arms. O'Barry believes Kathy committed suicide.<ref name="pbs.org">{{cite web|url=http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/whales/interviews/obarry2.html |title=Interviews - Richard O'barry &#124; A Whale Of A Business &#124; FRONTLINE |publisher=PBS |accessdate=2014-02-05}}</ref> In 1970 he founded the Dolphin Project, a group that aims to educate the public about captivity and, where feasible, free captive dolphins. He was featured in the Academy Award-winning film, ''[[The Cove (film)|The Cove]]'' (2009), which used covert techniques to expose the yearly [[dolphin drive hunting]] that goes on in [[Taiji, Wakayama|Taiji]], Japan. ==''Flipper''== Richard O’Barry started out capturing and training dolphins for the [[Miami Seaquarium]] and through the 1960s became the head trainer for the five dolphins who collectively played Flipper on the popular American TV show, while also serving as [[stunt double]] for show cast member [[Luke Halpin]].<ref name="smile1988" /> When, in early 1970, a few years after production of Flipper had ended, Kathy, the dolphin who most often played Flipper, did not resurface for air, O' Barry considered the possibility that she had committed suicide, and concluded that capturing, displaying and training dolphins to perform tricks was wrong.<ref name="pbs.org"/> ==Activism== On [[Earth Day]] in 1970 he founded The Dolphin Project, an organization dedicated to educating the public about the plight of dolphins in captivity. He also pioneered work to demonstrate rehabilitation and release as a viable alternative for captive dolphins. O’Barry has since rescued and released over twenty-five captive dolphins in Haiti, Colombia, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Brazil, The Bahamas and the United States. O’Barry was fined Civil penalties for taking by harassment and illegally transporting two dolphins in the Gulf of Mexico; a 1999 Commerce Department press release argued that they "were not prepared to survive in the wild and sustained life-threatening injuries".<ref name="noaa99r134">[http://www.publicaffairs.noaa.gov/releases99/june99/noaa99r134.html Activists Fined $59,500 In Sugarloaf Dolphin Release] 10 June 1999 Retrieved 21 September 2011.</ref> For the last 40 plus years O’Barry has spoken about the harmful effects of captivity on dolphins at lectures and conferences around the world. In 1991 in recognition of his contribution to the protection of dolphins, O’Barry received an Environmental Achievement Award, presented by the US Committee for the United Nations Environmental Program. In 2007, Ric and Helene O’Barry became consultants for the [[Earth Island Institute]]'s International Marine Mammal Project.<ref>http://www.earthisland.org/assets/2007AnnualReport.pdf</ref> O'Barry resigned from his position at the Earth Island Institute in September 2014, due to disagreements with its management regarding the acceptance of funds from the tuna industry, and its use of [[Fish Aggregation Device]]s.<ref>http://www.animals24-7.org/2014/12/23/fundraising-fads-dolphin-safe-why-ric-obarry-left-earth-island-institute</ref><ref>http://dolphinproject.net/blog/post/an-important-note-from-ric-obarry-2/</ref> Working with Ric O'Barry's Dolphin Project, he leads an international effort to stop the killing of dolphins, end the trafficking in live dolphins to theme parks and captive swim-with-the-dolphins attractions and continues to lecture and speak out against the captivity industry.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://earthisland.org/immp/ |title=International Marine Mammal Project - Earth Island Institute |publisher=Earthisland.org |accessdate=2014-02-05}}</ref> O’Barry is co-author of three books, ''Behind the Dolphin Smile'', ''To Free a Dolphin'' (both with Keith Colbourne) and most recently ''Die Bucht'' about dolphins and the making of ''The Cove'' published in Germany with Hans Peter Roth. Richard O’Barry is a Fellow National in the [[Explorers Club]]. O’Barry lives in [[Coconut Grove, Florida]], US.<ref name="smile1988" /> O’Barry is Founder and is Director of the non-profit organization, Ric O'Barry's Dolphin Project Inc.<ref>{{cite news | title = Santa Lucía Journal; Flipper's Trainer in Crusade Against Dolphin Exploitation | work = The New York Times | date = 2001-07-03 | url = http://www.nytimes.com/2001/07/03/world/santa-lucia-journal-flipper-s-trainer-in-crusade-against-dolphin-exploitation.html?scp=4&sq=Ric%20O%27Barry&st=nyt&pagewanted= | first=David | last=Gonzalez | accessdate=2010-05-22 }}</ref> ==''The Cove''== {{Main|The Cove (film)}} O'Barry was featured in the Academy Award-winning feature-length documentary ''[[The Cove (film)|The Cove]]'', directed by [[Louie Psihoyos]] which investigates links between the killing, capture, trade and display of dolphins all over the world. The 2009 film centers on [[Taiji, Wakayama]], Japan, drawing attention to the hunt of about 2,000<!-- Read the reliable reference sources before attempting to change this figure --> dolphins taking place there every year.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.jfa.maff.go.jp/j/whale/w_document/pdf/h12_progress_report.pdf | title = Japan Progress Report on Small Cetacean Researches; May 2000 to May 2001 | author = Toshihide Iwasaki and Hidehiro Kato | publisher = Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries | format = PDF | accessdate = 2009-12-22 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.jfa.maff.go.jp/j/whale/w_document/pdf/h13_progress_report.pdf | title = Japan. Progress report on small cetacean research; June 2001 to April 2002 | author = Toshihide Iwasaki | publisher = Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries | format = PDF | accessdate = 2009-12-22 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.jfa.maff.go.jp/j/whale/w_document/pdf/h14_progress_report.pdf | title = Japan. Progress report on small cetacean research; May 2002 to March 2003 | author = Toshihide Iwasaki | publisher = Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries | format = PDF | accessdate = 2009-12-22 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.jfa.maff.go.jp/j/whale/w_document/pdf/h15_progress_report.pdf | title = Japan. Progress report on small cetacean research; April 2003 to April 2004 | publisher = Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries | format = PDF | accessdate = 2009-12-22 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.jfa.maff.go.jp/j/whale/w_document/pdf/h16_progress_report.pdf | title = Japan. Progress report on small cetacean research; May 2004 to April 2005 | publisher = Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries | format = PDF | accessdate = 2009-12-22 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.jfa.maff.go.jp/j/whale/w_document/pdf/h17_progress_report.pdf | title = Japan. Progress report on small cetacean research; May 2005 to April 2006, with statistical data for the calendar year 2005 | author = Toshihide Iwasaki | publisher = Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries | format = PDF | accessdate = 2009-12-22 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.jfa.maff.go.jp/j/whale/w_document/pdf/h18_progress_report.pdf | title = Japan. Progress report on small cetacean research; May 2006 to March 2007, with statistical data for the calendar year 2006 | author = Toshihide Iwasaki | publisher = Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries | format = PDF | accessdate = 2009-12-22 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.jfa.maff.go.jp/j/whale/w_document/pdf/h19_progress_report.pdf | title = Japan. Progress report on small cetacean research; April 2007 to March 2008, with statistical data for the calendar year 2007 | author = Toshihide Iwasaki | publisher = Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries | format = PDF | accessdate = 2009-12-22 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/08/the-cove-oscar-speech-get_n_490305.html | title = 'The Cove' Oscar Speech Gets Cut Off For Activist Message | publisher = The Huffington Post | format = PDF | accessdate = 2011-01-17 | first=Gazelle | last=Emami | date=2010-03-08 }}</ref> O’Barry and his son [[Lincoln O'Barry]] are also behind the ''[[Blood Dolphin$]]'' TV show for Discovery’s Animal Planet, which continues on where ''The Cove'' left off. ==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links== *[http://www.thecovemovie.com/ ''The Cove''] *[http://dolphinproject.net/ Ric O'Barry's Dolphin Project] *{{IMDb name|0639337|Richard O'Barry}} *[http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090805/REVIEWS/908059989 "Review of The Cove"] {{Authority control}} {{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. --> | NAME = O'Barry, Ric | ALTERNATIVE NAMES = O'Barry, Richard | SHORT DESCRIPTION = American animal activist | DATE OF BIRTH = | PLACE OF BIRTH = | DATE OF DEATH = | PLACE OF DEATH = }} {{DEFAULTSORT:Obarry, Ric}} [[Category:Animal rights advocates]] [[Category:Animal trainers]] [[Category:American environmentalists]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:People from Florida]] [[Category:People associated with animal welfare]] [[Category:United States Navy sailors]] [[Category:1930s births]]'