Breaking News: Shamu Kills Trainer at Sea World

[FireDancer]

God, I hope they don't kill it. It is a killer whale, it doesn't know the rules.

I feel sorry for the trainer.

I have never understood why wild animals, even well trained wild animals, are killed for doing what they do.

 

[livndisney]

It didn't happen during a show.
He shook her, he did not eat her.

I do hope everyone remembers to be respectful of the family when posting.

 

[DSNY4ever]

I feel sorry for the trainer.

I have never understood why wild animals, even well trained wild animals, are killed for doing what they do.

Exactly, and I doubt the trainer would want it killed- I am sure he/she loved the whales or they probably wouldn't have been a trainer.

 

[3DisneyKids]

From the Washington Post:

ORLANDO, Fla. -- An employee at SeaWorld Orlando has died after being attacked by a killer whale.

Orange County Fire Rescue spokesman John Mulhall says paramedics were called Wednesday afternoon to the Shamu Stadium at the theme park where they found a worker who could not be revived.

Park guest Victoria Biniak told WKMG-TV that the trainer had just finished explaining to the audience the show they were about to see.

Biniak told the station the whale suddenly came up from the water, grabbed the trainer around the waist and "thrashed her all around" to the point the trainer's shoe fell off.

The guests were evacuated and the park was closed.

 

[IWISHFORDISNEY]

news conference at 4:15 how tragic

 

[PeterPan09]

I feel sorry for the trainer.

I have never understood why wild animals, even well trained wild animals, are killed for doing what they do.

I agree-I don't think they should kill it. The whale doesn't know that he did something wrong. He did what his instincts told him to do. The sad thing is, this is a captive animal, it's not like they can release him into the wild.

I feel terrible for the trainer and her loved ones...but I don't place criminal type intent on a wild animal.

 

[DWGal210]

My thoughts and prayers are with the family and the guests that witnessed a terrible tragedy.

 

[sunshine girl]

This is horrible. My heart goes out to the trainer's family and friends.

I hope they don't kill the whale. I mean, it's a killer whale! A wild animal. It is absolutely tragic, but I personally don't think killing this whale is the right response.

(To be clear, I haven't heard any indication that they are even considering killing the whale, but someone brought it up in this thread and hence my comment.)

 

[Cherinva]

How sad. My thoughts and prayers for her family.

 

[Cat0727]

How awful.

I hope this makes theme parks & other businesses think twice now of taking wild animals into captivity, you can never make them fully domesticated

 

[michelleiada]

OMG...that is terribly and tragic! My thoughts and prayers are with the family of the trainor.

 

[dalt01]

it seems there is a lot of stupidity involved...."IF" the blurbs are correct, this animal has been linked to two other deaths, one in 91 and another in 99

 

[Golf4food]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100224/ap_on_re_us/us_seaworld_death

ORLANDO, Fla. – A trainer at SeaWorld Orlando died Wednesday after a killer whale attacked her in front of a horrified audience.

Orange County Fire Rescue spokesman John Mulhall said paramedics were called to the Shamu Stadium at the theme park resort where they found a worker who could not be revived.

Park guest Victoria Biniak told WKMG-TV that the trainer had just finished explaining to the audience the show they were about to see.

The whale "took off really fast in the tank, and then he came back, shot up in the air, grabbed the trainer by the waist and started thrashing around, and one of her shoes flew off," Biniak told the station.

"He was thrashing her around pretty good," she said. "It was violent."

The guests were asked to leave and the park was closed.

There have been several previous attacks on whale trainers at SeaWorld parks.

In Nov. 2006, trainer Kenneth Peters, 39, was bitten and held underwater several times by a 7,000-pound killer whale during a show at SeaWorld's San Diego park. He escaped with a broken foot. The 17-foot-long orca who attacked him was the dominant female of SeaWorld San Diego's seven killer whales. She had attacked Peters two other times, in 1993 and 1999.

In 2004, another whale at the company's San Antonio park tried to hit one of the trainers and attempted to bite him. He also escaped.

In December, a whale drowned a trainer at a Spanish zoo.

At the Orlando SeaWorld, the body of a naked man was found scratched, bruised and draped over a 5-ton orca named Tilikum in July 1999. Daniel Dukes, 27, reportedly made his way past security at SeaWorld, remaining in the park after it had closed. Wearing only his underwear, Dukes either jumped, fell or was pulled into the frigid water of Tilikum's huge tank.

An autopsy ruled that he died of hypothermia in the 50-degree water. But they also said it appeared Tilikum bit the man and tore off his swimming trunks, likely believing he was a toy to play with.

Dukes' parents filed a lawsuit against the park later that year but ended up withdrawing it.

 

[dalt01]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35566392?GT1=43001

 

[jen3003]

My thoughts and prayers go out to the family of the trainer and to all the employees at Sea World.

 

[aurorae]

http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/02/24/killer.whale.trainer.death/index.html?hpt=T1

 

[Disney Khi]

So sad.

 

[auroralark]

That's so sad.

 

[Eeyores#1Fan]

Sooooooo sorry to hear this sad news. My thoughts and prayers are with the family as well as all those poor guests that witnessed it.

 

[wishspirit]

My thoughts go out to her friends, family and co-workers, this must be a terrible time for them.