Wow, what a total tragedy.
There is a reason they're called 'Killer Whales'
Can't really trust any animal 100%!!
What provoked the attack???
A few years back, DD11 and I went to Sea World. We were doing a behind the scenes tour, well the guide didn't show up at first. A female whale trainer came and began the tour. We were right behind the stadium and the whales woould poke their heads out of the water. She showed us where they weigh the whales.
Then the regular guide came. I asked the trainer if I could take a picture with her and DD. That picture is in my living room. I cannot remember her name.
Killer whales are very smart. In the wild, they work together to close in the prey. I saw where a seal? was on a piece of ice and they kept knocking the ice so the animal would go into the water.
I feel sorry for the trainer and her family. But whether an animal is raised in captivity or not, they still have those insticts in them. We don't know if the whale was trying to play, or if Tilly meant to hurt her.
Just a slight thing about orcas. There is one transient pod on the west coast that attacks in the manner you described, they will even grab deer off the coast. MOST of them don't work like this, they eat fish like salmon.
The last time he was involved in an attack was very close to here. It was crappy little aquarium in Victoria BC where the tank was TINY. It closed shortly after. The trainer fell in and he held her under the water. The other trainer always felt very strongly he was "playing" with her. I've always taken that to mean that he viewed her as a toy, not that they were playing together.
The trainers and animal handlers at Sea World are experts, I am fairly certain if they were using this whale, they knew more about whether he was safe than any of us can possibly tell by reading an article or two.
Is is certain that the whale will be put down or is that possibly a rumor?
Is it possible that the trainer failed to follow protocol? Not blaming her, we all do it every day on our different jobs. You get used to doing something every day and after awhile its easy to say "nothing has ever happened, just this once I will do it this way"
Are these animals bred in captivity or are they rescued animals? What is the good done by a place like Sea World (not in the shows, but in the study of the whales and other animals.)?
My prayers go out to the trainer and her family and for the safety of this beautiful animal.
I love Sea World and all of the shows. The whales are beautiful animals and it seems that you can see a true affection between trainer and whale when you watch them together.
Lisa loves Pooh: I wasn't insinuating that you said they killed humans.
This whale was captured from the wild. I've always wondered what pod they caught him from, and now with the reports he grabbed her I REALLY wonder. I also have always suspected that the man died in a similar manner that the lady in Victoria did, still his fault though....nobody saw it so we'll never totally know. They need to stop getting in the water with them. There is no reason for it, it does nothing for education, nothing for studying the species, nothing for the whales. It's really dumb entertainment on par with sticking somebody's head in a lion's mouth.
As great as Sea World is it's primary goal is not conservation or education, it's entertainment which honestly makes me a little less impressed with their care and knowlege of orcas. We've got an amazing aquarium here, there aren't cheesy things like water rides or people riding on whale's noses. They rescue a lot of animals and release as many as they possibly can. They've been involved with a couple rescues of young whales that got attatched to boats and reunited them with their pods. They had an otter from the Exxon until it sadly passed away last year. A ton of their revenue goes right back into conservation, it's not for profit. If you ever get a chance to go to the Vancouver aquarium the difference is like going to a library vs going to
Disneyland. It's not as fun, you might not see as many animals because their enclosures are no where near as cramped, but they REALLY know what they are doing (interesting point they stopped keeping orcas over 15 years ago), they are world leaders, and they aren't there to entertain the masses but to educate them and make the world a better place for WILD animals.
