An Article Series from All-Creaturs.org 

 

Animal Rights/Vegan Activists' Strategies

Honoring A Legacy

From Captain Paul Watson Foundation
September 2023

He gave so much to so many and never did it out of a desire for recognition. He truly cared and his compassion will continue to shine as a beacon of hope for generations to come. A century of a compassionate life well lived.

Bob Barker, December 12, 1923 – August 26, 2023

Bob Barker died on August 26th and in passing he left us with a legacy of kindness, compassion, empathy, and humor.

Famous as a celebrity game show host, he became even more renown for his love for animals and his incredible generosity.

It was Captain Watson’s privilege to have known and worked with him for so many years. In 2009, Captain Watson was speaking at an Animal Rights gathering in Los Angeles when a woman approached and handed him a note asking to get in touch with Nancy Burnet in Riverside, California about a possible donation.

Captain Watson called Nancy. She told him that she was representing someone who wanted to support Captain Watson’s efforts to stop the Japanese whalers and would Captain Watson like to meet him? He said of course and an appointment was made to meet this mysterious potential donor at the office of his agent in Los Angeles.

To Captain Watson’s great surprise the man who greeted him, and who he immediately recognized, was Bob Barker and he came right to the point.

“What do you need to stop the Japanese whalers?” Bob asked.

“We could use another ship and an upgrade on a helicopter,” Captain Watson answered.

“How much do you need for another ship?” Bob asked.

“Well, we use what we can get, we could get a ship for a million dollars or five million dollars. Larger ships are cheaper because there is less demand. We paid 1.2 million for the Steve Irwin for example,” Watson said.

Bob looked at him and smiled. “I’m giving you $5 million plus another $250,000 for a helicopter if you name it the Nancy Burnet.”

“Absolutely we will Bob, and we can also name the ship the Bob Barker.”

“You don’t have to do that; you can name it whatever name you wish.”

Captain Watson had to convince Bob to let them name the ship after him explaining that his celebrity status and his well-known compassion for animals would help reach a great many people about the importance of protecting and defending whales. Bob reluctantly agreed to have the ship named in his honor.

They shook hands and Captain Watson set out to find a ship, to outfit it and to deploy it to the Southern Ocean. In December 2009, the M/V Bob Barker surprised the Japanese whaling fleet in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary.

The Bob Barker served the cause for 13 years with great success including the blocking of the Japanese factory ship Nisshin Maru from refueling in 2013 and the chasing down of the outlaw toothfish poacher Thunder in 2015.

One of things that Bob Barker said to Captain Watson when he gave him the donation of $5.25 million in 2009 was that he made his decision because he admired Watson’s aggressive but non-violent approach. Bob also admired that Captain Watson was non-compromising and focused on defending the lives of whales. “Never lose that focus,” Bob said, “Never change and always be who you are no matter what.”

Captain Watson has honored Bob’s assessment and will continue to do so, no matter what.

Bob died just a few months short of a century. He was an icon in the Animal Rights movement and a major supporter of many Animal Rights and Animal Welfare organizations.

He gave so much to so many and never did it out of a desire for recognition. He truly cared and his compassion will continue to shine as a beacon of hope for generations to come.

A century of a compassionate life well lived. 

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