‘The Last Dolphin King’: See what happened to trainer Jose Luis Barbero

A new Netflix documentary explores the shady world of dolphin training and focuses on the death of one of the industry's most prominent trainers in 2015. Fans of Netflix's phenomenally successful My Octopus Teacher and Blackfish will not want to miss The Last Dolphin King, which follows the demise of a Spanish dolphin trainer named Jose Luis Barbero.

The film, directed by Luis Ansorena Heroes and Ernest Riera (which premiered earlier this year at the International Documentary Film Festival in Amsterdam), analyzes Barbero's destiny as part of a larger tale about the contentious technique. According to the teaser, there's a lot of envy in this position. The promo said you never know who will stab you in the back. So, what happened to Barbero?

Barbero, 59, was working at Marineland Mallorca in early March 2015 in preparation for a large transfer to the United States. He had worked as a dolphin trainer at numerous aquariums and water parks for over four decades before landing a post as vice president of the Georgia Aquarium.




But, just days before he was supposed to depart the Balearic island, the animal activist organization SOSdelfines produced a 99-second film showing Barbero beating and kicking the dolphins he was teaching. There was much outrage on social media, and he began receiving death threats.

In a Facebook post, Barbero denied being in the video and said it was the work of vengeful former workers. He added that he feels a response is needed to this brutal and vicious assault against my profession. Based on the advice of my attorneys, this film is a montage designed to spark a campaign attacking my 35-year career.

FAQs:

1. Where can you watch The Last Dolphin King?
   The movie is available on Netflix.
2. What was My Octopus Teacher's message?
   My Octopus Teacher is a beautiful wildlife documentary and a compelling story of how a guy in crisis found joy and purpose via environmental immersion and a wonderful friendship with an octopus.