Shannon Richards a third grade, teacher and triathlon athlete did a fantastic job of sharing her passion as she participates in grueling triathlons in support of dolphins in captivity. In her bio this is what she said: “I feel like I am just an ordinary person who wants to make the world a better place, like many of us do. I love being inspired by others, and I strive to inspire others to find their passions and fulfill them, no matter how silly or insignificant they may be. My passions are teaching, loving animals, and competing in triathlons. I got this crazy idea to combine them all after seeing Blackfish and The Cove. Why not raise awareness for cetaceans in captivity while I am training and racing? In doing so, I feel like I am helping these dolphins and whales in some small way by causing people to stop and wonder why captivity is so wrong for these beautiful animals. If I can reach one person by running down the street, or riding my bike with “Ric O Barry’s Dolphin Project” logo on my back, I feel like I am one step closer to helping end captivity for them. Ending cetacean captivity is something I feel very strongly about, and I am so glad I have found such a great cause to help keep me motivated! I have made some wonderful new friends around the world, and I have also helped educate my family and friends, who in turn pass this information on to others. My plan is to continue to race for dolphins and whales and reach all the people I can until all the tanks are empty” (Shannon Richards, Tri for Change) Listen to Shannon’s story HERE!
Jennifer Wolfsong an attorney spoke about her drive to help dolphins after seeing the 2009 documentary on Netflix called, “The Cove”: I happened upon the movie, “The Cove” about 3 and a half years ago when I was surfing Netflix. It disturbed me so much that I couldn’t think about anything else. I didn’t sleep for weeks because I couldn’t get those horrible images out of my head. I decided I had to do something, something drastic to catch people’s attention. I have been a runner since high school so a running event seemed the natural choice. In 2011 I started training to run 100 miles on Sept. 1, 2012, the start of Taiji’s dolphin hunting season. I ended up shortening my goal to 100k (61 miles) but with the hopes of running 100 miles in the future. I did successfully run 100km in Sept 2012 and raised more than $3,000 for Save Japan Dolphins. I was unable to do a 100 mile run in 2013 but late in 2013 I started training again, this time to complete a 100 mile race this September.
” In watching the Cove, there is one thing that Ric O’Barry said that stays with me. He said (and I’m paraphrasing) that if we can stop this one brutality in the world, there is hope that we can save the planet. This is what I hold onto during my long, grueling training runs, that I’m running to keep hope alive”. (Jennifer Wolfsong) Listen to Jennifer’s story HERE. Follow the link and listen to their creative activism to help dolphins worldwide!
Champions for Cetaceans 