Trainer killed at Seaworld

[Mr.X]

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.

It bites big time. Whales in captivity aren't really happy and doing stupid tricks for the public probably is a poor substitute for living a free life with the family you were snatched from. However, if this whale (as described) hurts people the few alternatives left would be trying to rehabilitate it so it can be released into the wild*, or put down.

Additionally, the $$$ amount paid out for this whale, display income + stud fees/services had Anheuser Busch keeping this whale around.

* Keiko experiment did not work out as expected...well intentioned as it was.

X

 

[Mr.X]

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

I remember years ago when I lived in Brooklyn NY an urban teen jumped a fence into the polar bear compound. They found him in two pieces and eviscerated. The bear was put down shortly after. As much as others felt the bear was doing what he would normally do it was determined that he posed a future hazard to people from that moment on. This whale seems to have a track record and now poses a unique dilemma / paradox for Anheuser Busch what do you do with a killer whale (you caught) with a possible propensity for hurting people?

As for PETA and the Humane Society - they can have their say if they are willing to ante up the bucks it costs for rehabilitation. Easily into several millions of dollars.


X

 

[DennisS]

I was only half listening but I think the radio said this orca had attacked a trainer in canada and orlando. .

 

[lock_washer]

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.

For starters: 80 percent of all whales, dolphins in US marine parks have been born in captivity. So you can't release them back into the wild...it doesn't work. They tried that with Keiko the Killer Whale from the "Free Willy" Movie, and the end result: 20 million dollars wasted, the whale didn't want to join any wild killer whales pods in Iceland, and ended up dying from amonia next to a dock in Iceland. OrcaLab in British Columbia tried to get Corky released from Sea World to return to the wild in British Columbia...its not going to happen. Howard Garrent is pushing another movement to get Lolita released from the Miami Seaquarium. They are asking people to donate money for their causes...in a recession? good luck.

The biggest threats to killer whales is the enviroment they are living in. In the Pacific Northweast they are loaded with PCB's in their blubber, and their population is on the decline due to inability to find salmon to eat.

We should be more concern about what is going in the ocean with killer whales, than what is going on at Sea World.

Lock Washer

 

[ScubaInChicago]

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........

If you had read the article I posted on page one you might reconsider this point.....If for whatever reason It WAS possible for the whale to be released back into the wild, It could possibly teach other orcas how to KILL humans, that's how smart this whales are and what they are capable of.

For starters: 80 percent of all whales, dolphins in US marine parks have been born in captivity. So you can't release them back into the wild...it doesn't work. They tried that with Keiko the Killer Whale from the "Free Willy" Movie, and the end result: 20 million dollars wasted, the whale didn't want to join any wild killer whales pods in Iceland, and ended up dying from amonia next to a dock in Iceland. OrcaLab in British Columbia tried to get Corky released from Sea World to return to the wild in British Columbia...its not going to happen. Howard Garrent is pushing another movement to get Lolita released from the Miami Seaquarium. They are asking people to donate money for their causes...in a recession? good luck.

The biggest threats to killer whales is the enviroment they are living in. In the Pacific Northweast they are loaded with PCB's in their blubber, and their population is on the decline due to inability to find salmon to eat.

We should be more concern about what is going in the ocean with killer whales, than what is going on at Sea World.

Lock Washer

VERY TRUE, thank you....

 

[vondo]

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

It may not be the media's fault, could be mine. The CNN story now is exactly as you said, so either I didn't remember and posted the wrong thing or they corrected their story when the real facts came in. I don't like it when web pages "silently" correct things, but I can't say that that's what happened here.

 

[vondo]

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.

Why should the whale (porpoise really) pay for the people's mistakes? It didn't ask to be captured or bred in captivity or treated as a show animal. It can't be released now, I'm sure, but it could be treated with enough respect that no one else gets killed.

I'm not necessarily opposed to keeping animals in captivity. It can serve a purpose and I haven't been to Sea World in 30 years so I don't know if they "do it right" or not. But I do know that when a captive wild animal does what comes naturally and "attacks" a human, it is not the animal's fault.

 

[vladimir]

We should be more concern about what is going in the ocean with killer whales, than what is going on at Sea World.

Well said!

 

[PRL]

This happened at one of those private showings (Dinner with shamu?), where the animals are interacting with humans on a much more personal basis.
Most likely (speculating) the tragic accident occurred because the trainer let her guard down next to an animal that was not trained or even used to having humans in the pool, or very close proximity. This animal is unique because it was not trained to the same extent as the other orcas in the park. As far as I'm concerned this is not much different than any other attack by a wild animal in a cage.
As for whales in captivity, imho, most of us wouldn't care about whales, gorillas, and many other magnificent creatures if we didn't see them first in captivity. The few that did or would see them in the wild would never have the resources or the public support to protect the many endangered species.
BTW, Orcas are not endangered, or even protected. They are not declining in population. They are very successful creatures that are thriving at this time.

 

[QatarDiver]

'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. '

The other way round I think! Why should man ever be allowed to keep other animals in captivity merely for our pleasure? I think all zoos should be made illegal. Please dont start the 'breeding in captivity' argument, captivity is captivity, to be bred into captivity is still captivity, and captivity to please humans. Disgusting!