Re: Dolphin-friendly assassination,” Video Vulture, July 31-August 6, 2008.

I felt conflicting emotions after reading the review of the fabulous Cirque, which does not use animals in its performances, and then the comments about the “talking animals” in “Dolphin-friendly assassination.”

Although a “wisecracking chimpanzee” is not featured in “24,” too often these creatures are subjected to brutal treatment during their training for movies and advertisements. When the movie “The Day of the Dolphin” was created in 1973, it incorporated footage of trained sea creatures. It is a well-known fact that these animals do not fare well in captivity. In this age of technology, there is no excuse for live animals to be exploited and manipulated by the entertainment industry when computer-generated images adequately suffice.

Carol Tracey

Calgary