Trainer Killed By Whale at Seaworld (Orlando)

[Seahunt]

Female Trainer Pulled in Tank - Breaking news on local TV

http://www.wftv.com/news/22659910/detail.html

Prayers for all involved.

 

[MizTink]

Female Trainer Pulled in Tank - Breaking news on local TV

http://www.wftv.com/news/22659910/detail.html

Prayers for all involved.

yikes
sad story....

 

[DrCavin]

PETA on the scene in 3-2-1...

 

[Deb in IA]

Same orca had previously killed two others as well.

 

[wvjules]

Same orca had previously killed two others as well.

I was going to post the same thing.

http://www.clickorlando.com/news/22659901/detail.html

 

[perdidobay]

My sympathies for the family and friends of the trainer.

 

[nikkistevej]

Very sad for their family and friends.

 

[NY Disney fan]

My sister is a whale fanatic and is siding with the whale!!! I hung up on her. I have compassion for the trainer and the family of the trainer. Wild animals are misunderstood. Its just a sad situation. Any well trained wild animal can turn on a dime. Look what happened to Ziegfried and Roy. Or the chimp lady.

 

[Piglet4Ever]

So sad, prayers for the family and friends of the trainer. My hopes are that not too many children were there to witness it.

 

[minnie56]

Saw this--so tragic
Poor animals kept in captivity, they snap for just a second and the results are catastrophic. Poor girl...bless her heart

 

[DizBelle]

My sister is a whale fanatic and is siding with the whale!!! I hung up on her. I have compassion for the trainer and the family of the trainer. Wild animals are misunderstood. Its just a sad situation. Any well trained wild animal can turn on a dime. Look what happened to Ziegfried and Roy. Or the chimp lady.

In defense of the tiger, Siegfried claims that the tiger was attempting to protect Roy. The tiger saw something hinky in the audience that he didn't like and wanted to take Roy away from the situation. Unfortunately, the tiger didn't realize that Roy wasn't a big cat too and his efforts could actually hurt him.

I say it all the time, you can't fault a shark for being a shark. It is really unfortunate that this trainer died but I'd like to think the whale did this for a reason - a reason sensible to the whale. What WE need to understand is that the animals we interact with may not be able to deny their instinct. I would think that the trainer accepted this and knew the risk. Do whales know that humans can't breathe under water? I doubt it.

I don't think the whale thought they were doing anything wrong. If the whale attacked the trainer, it probably perceived a threat (where there may have been none). If the whale held the trainer under water until they drowned, perhaps he was just playing and didn't realize he might be harming the trainer.

I don't think we'll ever know what the whale was thinking.

 

[SandrA9810]

If you're going to post about the other killings, at least get your facts straight. You post it like it's something he's done several times, like it's nothing new.

He was new whale at the aquarium, with two other female whales in the same tank. One of them being pregnant. When the accident happened, and the trainer fell into the tank.

The second death was the cause of the person's stupidity. He got into 55 degree water at night. There was nothing to show that Tili did anything to the guy to cause his death. I hope that was the last thing on his "life's to do list"... because it sure was a stupid one (to fulfill in that way).

This death is right now considered an accident. They're not releasing much information. And no one gets into the tank with Tili like the other whales. It happened during Dine with Shamu, so I'm sure there's witnesses to it, but don't expect them to be talking or to see video of something like this.

 

[Robinrs]

I used to go to Seaworld often and always worried about that show. So sad.

 

[dolphinrescuegirl]

The sad thing is that they knew he was a killer! He killed his trainer in Spain before being shipped to Orlando. That was why nobody was allowed in the pool with him!!

 

[SandrA9810]

British Columbia... was Tili's first home.

 

[Jennasis]

They don't really say what actually happened. It just mentions that the trainer drowned. How is the whale at fault? Did it grab her and hold her under? Did it "eat" her?? This is so sad for all involved.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

This death is right now considered an accident. They're not releasing much information. And no one gets into the tank with Tili like the other whales. It happened during Dine with Shamu, so I'm sure there's witnesses to it, but don't expect them to be talking or to see video of something like this.

I wouldn't put it past someone to talk.

I hope no video is released though. ERASE ERASE ERASE the tape (public only--Seaworld needs to maintain their evidence to properly sort out what happened.)

I'm not a SeaWorld fan, and while I'm not taking this into account, we have to remember these are wild animals that are trained. But that training doesn't eliminate the possibility for a tragedy to occur.

It's like when kids ask if an animal bites. I have coached my children that anything with teeth can bite..including a sibling.

Never assume that even the best trained animal will never not "bite" or in this Whale's case--react in a way that will cause severe injury. I'm not saying the trainer did that. But it is naive to believe that something like this will never occur (or never occur again as the case may be).

So sad and may the trainer RIP and Tili be given a place to live out (his/her) life.

This is not the whale's fault though.

 

[dolphinrescuegirl]

British Columbia... was Tili's first home.

I might have gotten the country wrong but my info. about him being a previous killer is right.

 

[SandrA9810]

Well under assumption, Tili played some part in it. Some say he grabbed her at the waist while she was standing on the edge of the pool and thrashed her till she died. The story from the GM, was she slipped into the pool and Tili held her under for about 5 minutes before other trainers could have him bring her back up.

He simply could've been "playing" with her, and didn't know his own strength. And they don't know humans can't hold their breath for 5mins or more like them.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I might have gotten the country wrong but my info. about him being a previous killer is right.

That's like blaming a train for someone's suicide on the track.

One of the deaths was by an idiot--and these are wild animals that are called..."Killer whales". I'm sure marine biologists didn't come up with that nickname b/c they were cute and cuddly and would not harm a fly.