Former whale hunter Jeff Foster has released shocking footage of whales being captured after changing his perspective on the ethics of captivity.
Foster, who captured killer whales professionally from 1972-1990 said money was driving the trade.
"Killer whales are the most expensive animal in the world," he said. "Outside of a racehorse."
"They’re worth millions of dollars."
He said over the course of his career he became uncomfortable with tearing the animals away from their families and left the industry to focus on marine conservation.
"One of the reasons why I've changed my attitude on these animals being in captivity is that the pools haven’t changed since the '80s," he said.
He pointed to the case of a young whale named "Morgan," who he said was suffering in a marine park in the Canary Islands.
He said he witnessed Morgan being abused by larger whales during visits to the park.
He said the whale banged her head on the side of the pool in distress and called out for her family.
He joined a campaign to free Morgan but in April, following a string of appeals, a Netherlands court ruled that Morgan should stay in the park.
