Richard "Ric" O'Barry consoles one of two Bottlenose Dolphins he helped release from captivity after they had been held illegally in a tiny swimming hole in the Guatemalan mountains as part of a traveling dolphin show. Ric O'Barry, was the original dolphin trainer on the popular 1960's television show "Flipper" and has since become an animal rights activist dedicating his life to freeing dolphins held in captivity all over the world. In 2010 a film documentary titled The Cove won the Academy Award for Best Documentary. The Oscar winning film, in which Ric O'Barry was profiled exposing the slaughter of thousands of dolphins in Japan by its fishing industry has helped bring the plight of the dolphins to a world-wide audience. The dolphins are covered with a jell to keep their skin moist while out of the water as they are transported by airplane to the Gulf of Mexico and open Atlantic waters. Santa Lucia de Milpas Altas, Guatemala, July 2001.