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Activist, Ric O'Barry - who trained dolphins for the the TV series Flipper - says Flipper "committed suicide", and that it was the dolphin's death that led him to campaign against the captivity of sea mammals.

He has campaigned for over 40 years against the killing and capture of dolphins, after leaving his career working with the animals on TV in the 1960s.

He explained his change of heart regarding training dolphins for the entertainment of the public came about when Flipper died in his arms at the Miami Aquarium on Earth Day 1970:

"[It was] Suicide...I know that sounds maybe anthropomorphic, but I don't know another word in the English language that describes what is indeed self-induced asphyxiation."

Ric O'Barry was recently detained in Japan for 19 days on what he describes as "bogus charges". He'd travelled to the country to highlight the annual killing of dolphins as featured in the Oscar winning documentary, "The Cove" in which he appeared.

This clip was originally broadcast on 5 live Hit List on Sunday 7 February 2016.

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