Trainer killed at Seaworld

[Blue Sparkle]

It was on page 2 of the article. It was a "slip of the tongue" not a physical slip.

Oopsie, I somehow did not notice there was a page 2 :blush: I guess that explains it. Thanks.

Edited to add: Okay, I guess you were joking about a page 2, but I think I see how the discrepancy might have come about. This is from a different article in NY Daily News:

Police said the female trainer slipped and fell into his pool but a witness said the orca rose up from the water and grabbed her by the waist and shook her.

The LA Times article doesn't mention the police/slipping in the text but maybe they had that in the article originally, and later corrected it but did not change the headline.

 

[McCainiac]

Maybe this is why they are called "Killer Whales?"

 

[Blue Sparkle]

Maybe this is why they are called "Killer Whales?"

Well, maybe. But then wouldn't a lot of animals/mammals need the word "killer" in front of their name? I can see why it was changed to orca, because otherwise it seems to single them out as the only animals/mammals who kill.

Unless it's known that they "kill" simply for fun and that is somehow different than what other wild animals/mammals do? (I don't ask this rhetorically; I really don't know that much about animal/mammal behavior.)

 

[Mr.X]

As much as I like whales...this particular whale needs to be put down. The propensity for an intelligent animal to hurt again is pretty high.

X

 

[lock_washer]

According to CNN this orca killed a child in the 90's too. And was considered to big and dangerous to "work" with.

Its amazing how the news media sensationalizes things...and gets it wrong too.

1) It wasn't a child that got killed in the 90's. There was an incident at the first park in Canada that this killer whale was at: Sealand of the Pacific in Victoria, Canada (now closed). A female trainer slipped and fell into the tank with this killer whale...which goes by the name: Tillikum. Apparently they didn't do any "in-water training" with their killer whales, and the whales in the pool might have held her down...which the trainer drowned.

2) The other incident that happened: a homeless man snuck into the park after hours and got in the tank with Tillikum. The temperature in the tank is kept at 55 degrees, so the man died from hypothermia.

I know this is a tragic incident, but not all the facts are in. But for the news media to say "killer whale goes on attack and kills trainer" is irresponsible, and sensationlism. This is no different than everything there is any kind of a shark attack...and the news media always displays a great white shark in the story..whether it is relevant or not.


Lock Washer

 

[matt215]

I think they should release it back into the wild if possible. Although this may not be an option since orcas tend to live in pods, right? And this one wouldn't have a pod. I'm no expert on their behavior. I just think it sucks to take/raise an animal in captivity, and then destroy it. Just because it does what it is designed to do, and then it backfires on us humans, it deserves to die.

 

[matt215]

Its amazing how the news media sensationalizes things...and gets it wrong too.

1) It wasn't a child that got killed in the 90's. There was an incident at the first park in Canada that this killer whale was at: Sealand of the Pacific in Victoria, Canada (now closed). A female trainer slipped and fell into the tank with this killer whale...which goes by the name: Tillikum. Apparently they didn't do any "in-water training" with their killer whales, and the whales in the pool might have held her down...which the trainer drowned.

2) The other incident that happened: a homeless man snuck into the park after hours and got in the tank with Tillikum. The temperature in the tank is kept at 55 degrees, so the man died from hypothermia.

I know this is a tragic incident, but not all the facts are in. But for the news media to say "killer whale goes on attack and kills trainer" is irresponsible, and sensationlism. This is no different than everything there is any kind of a shark attack...and the news media always displays a great white shark in the story..whether it is relevant or not.


Lock Washer

bingo.

 

[idocsteve]

Edited to add: Okay, I guess you were joking about a page 2

Well yeah, she didn't really say "Eat Me" right before the whale grabbed her.

 

[Blue Sparkle]

I just think it sucks to take/raise an animal in captivity, and then destroy it. Just because it does what it is designed to do, and then it backfires on us humans, it deserves to die.

I can't stop thinking about this, and here's something I don't understand:

If people in boats get near a whale pod in the wild, they are (rightfully) expected to take great care not to disturb the whales. I don't know if they are laws, specifically, but there are definite guidelines to follow about not getting too close, not "pushing" them, and etc.

So how is it legal/right/condoned for a commercial, for-profit venture like Sea World to keep these whales in pools? Surely if approaching them too close in a small motorboat bothers them, capturing them and keeping them in a pool is orders of magnitude worse for them?

I've never wanted to go to this sort of "show," even as a kid. I mean, how can you not just feel kind of cheap and sad about the whole thing even as you are supposed to be oohing and ahhing? (I realize that everyone is different; I'm expressing how I feel about these shows, petting zoos, ponies going around and around in muddy circles, etc.)

B.

 

[lock_washer]

As much as I like whales...this particular whale needs to be put down. The propensity for an intelligent animal to hurt again is pretty high.

X

Normally this killer whale: Tillikum is used at the end of the show for in Orlando for splashing the audience, and breeding purposes. His sperm has been used successfully for artificial insemination at other Sea World facilities with their killer whales. I have heard this on some websites, that the trainers that worked with Tillikum say he's got a real mellow nature to his personality. Its just he's the largest killer whale in captivity, and his size is sometimes hard to work with.

But to put him down...I think the Human Society, and PETA would side against that. Even though they are anti-captivity for whales, and dolphins.

Lock Washer