Trainer killed by whale at Orlando Sea World

[February]

Sorry if someone else already posted this...

it's heartbreaking. I feel so bad for her family especially considering this whale had a violent history. No one should've been near him.

This is why I've never thought it was a good idea for people to pretend that wild animals can be tamed to put in shows. You just don't want to mess with a 12,000 pound bull orca.

So sad for the audience too that had to see :(

May she rest in peace.

~bru

[darph nader]

Saw this on the opening page for the inter-net,sad. :(

[felinefan]

I didn't get a chance to read the article--time constraints due to library computer--but if the orca had a violent history, who's fault is it that it was being made to perform? I smell a lawsuit in the offing....

[Honda Enoch]

Million dollars says the trainer(s) abused the whale. Just like way back when the 2 whales crushed the trainer years ago.

People are always so quick to say the animal was bad or ill tempered, but no one sees the way the trainers mistreat the animals.

My family and I were at a local circus last weekend. I (like many others) had the video camera running, when the ring master close fist hit one of the lions in the head for not doing the trick. Within seconds every side had in the tint was running around telling people to put their cameras away.

[Disneyguy85]

That Orca obviously does not like being in captivity. They should just release it into the wild.

For a while now I've been thinking that animals should not be trained to do funny tricks just for the amusement of people. And in some cases animals can also be mistreated, which is not cool.

[drcorey]

but he only took a few bites and quit.

[dazyhill]

You would not be able to release the orca back into the wild-at least not without a lot of complications. You would have to locate the original pod the orca belonged to and since the orca in question is 30 years old, there is a slim chance of finding the exact pod. This is why it was so difficult returning Keiko (Free Willy) back to the wild. So much time had elapsed and in the end, Keiko was never able to interact with other orcas. He preferred the company of people. The last few years of his life he enjoyed swimming near an Icelandic (?) harbor town.
Of course, if the orca was bred in captivity, then releasing him into the wild is not an option. He does not have the skills to survive.
I feel terrible for this woman's family. I read this trainer wanted to train whales ever since she was a little girl and saw them at a Sea World park.

[tink70]

You would not be able to release the orca back into the wild-at least not without a lot of complications. You would have to locate the original pod the orca belonged to and since the orca in question is 30 years old, there is a slim chance of finding the exact pod. This is why it was so difficult returning Keiko (Free Willy) back to the wild. So much time had elapsed and in the end, Keiko was never able to interact with other orcas. He preferred the company of people. The last few years of his life he enjoyed swimming near an Icelandic (?) harbor town.
Of course, if the orca was bred in captivity, then releasing him into the wild is not an option. He does not have the skills to survive.
I feel terrible for this woman's family. I read this trainer wanted to train whales ever since she was a little girl and saw them at a Sea World park.

My understanding is Tillikum was captured years ago when the marine parks still went out and captured orcas. So while he was not born in captivity he has been in captivity for so much of his life he most likely wouldn't readjust if released. I was just @ SW in FL last year and saw Tillikum myself, he is the largest orca in a marine park and is easily almost double the size of some of the other orcas. It's just so sad all around, my thoughts & prayers are with this trainer's family and how they must be feeling right now :(

[DisneyMom]

Terrible :(
I just saw a clip on TV a few days back of an Orca repeatedly slamming a trainer "in play" and was at Sea World San Diego post another incident where it seems they had cut down the show to cause less stress on the whales.
I think that as long as there is big money involved, the show will go on. I'd personally rather just see them quietly swimming in their tank if they must be in captivity for research purposes.

[Disneyguy85]

You would not be able to release the orca back into the wild-at least not without a lot of complications...

You've got a point...
I realized a lot of that shortly after I posted.

Well, one things for sure, Tillikum doesn't seem to be very happy!

All around; very sad story.