killer whale attacks trainer in front of a horrified audience

[Steve Graham]

Re: killer whale attacks trainer in front of a horrified audience

The human species is at the very top of the food chain...

...and the argument that whales will outlive humans is a slippery one (no pun intended)...

...in numerous cases many animals would not be living today if it were not for the immense effort put forth by conservationist...

...not arguing with your over-arching point Steve, just saying.

lol, got it

this "top of the food chain" argument always amuses me, not getting into that it's irrelevant

and if whales weren't slaughtered by the millions each year, as with most animals nearing extinction, they would out live humans.. they were here way before us, and the only reason they might not outlast us is because of, you got it, humans.. most of these animals wouldn't NEED saving if it weren't for humans sucking everything possible out of this planet for their own selfish gains

we're a brilliant species.. /sarcasm

[Steve Graham]

Re: killer whale attacks trainer in front of a horrified audience

lol, ok, I'm done

see you in Miami John!

[floridaorange]

Re: killer whale attacks trainer in front of a horrified audience

can't f*ckin wait!

[Jenks]

Re: killer whale attacks trainer in front of a horrified audience

Go swim with whales Shosh.

[fyrestarter]

Re: killer whale attacks trainer in front of a horrified audience

^^^ yeah, that's been stated, hence the comment I made about maybe they should have started transitioning it back to the wild

and fyrestarter your comments, as per normal are ridiculous, so that's said, no further comment

And Greg, if someone snatched you up tomorrow and caged you, as long as you were treated well, that's cool yeah?

and don't come back with well I'm human these are just animals, cuz again, these "just animals" will out last humans, well except for the fact that humans are doing every thing possible to destroy this planet

some of you really need to watch some more nature shows and history shows, you'll realise just how insignifucant human beings really are in the grand scheme

wow good one

Go swim with whales Shosh.

wow good one

[AntonyM]

Re: killer whale attacks trainer in front of a horrified audience

Whale must have had a problem with the current menu

[DIDI]

Re: killer whale attacks trainer in front of a horrified audience

do you eat meat? it might not be amusement but you could go without killing animals or your meat. you could also go without enslaving cows for milk and chickens for eggs, etc.



right... cause everyone can go see these animals in their habitat...

Totally different, for starters, here at least, the cow gets to wonder around in a paddock all day doing her own thing. Quite pleasant life really. As far as eggs go, I only eat free range. The only animal, as distinct from chickens, we cage, seems to be pigs, which is actually really awful because they are the most intelligent. There I eat free range as well. Cutting down on meat anyway.


We don't have a natural born right to see animals in their natural habitat.

[DIDI]

Re: killer whale attacks trainer in front of a horrified audience

lol, got it

this "top of the food chain" argument always amuses me, not getting into that it's irrelevant

and if whales weren't slaughtered by the millions each year, as with most animals nearing extinction, they would out live humans.. they were here way before us, and the only reason they might not outlast us is because of, you got it, humans.. most of these animals wouldn't NEED saving if it weren't for humans sucking everything possible out of this planet for their own selfish gains

we're a brilliant species.. /sarcasm

Btw Just as a point of interest they are not called killer whales because they are whales, It's because they are a killer of whales. Puts things into perspective doesn't it !!

[spyros]

Re: killer whale attacks trainer in front of a horrified audience

funny thing is we never think its a wild animal when we see it in slavery doing tricks for humans to have a laugh. we just think how well theyre trained to do all these things.. its only when something like this happens that we remember theyre wild animals and they have totally killer instincts!

[Miroslav]

Re: killer whale attacks trainer in front of a horrified audience

"Biologists: killer whales 'neurotic' in captivity"

http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/02/25/whales.seaworld.death/index.html?hpt=T2

Killer whales can weigh up to 22,000 pounds, and may be as long as 32 feet, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. They often travel in groups of up to 50, being highly social.
Confining such an enormous animal in an aquarium tank leads the animal to display neurotic behavior, experts say.
"They get very stressed out," marine biologist Nancy Black of Monterey Bay Whale Watch said on CNN's "Larry King Live."

An orca can travel easily 100 nautical miles every day, and to put them in a pool where they swim around in circles continually, and kept away from their families, "takes a toll on their brains," said Jim Borrowman, who has worked with whales for 30 years and runs Stubbs Island Whale Watching on Vancouver Island, British Columbia.
"'Neurotic' is the word that we've used, and I sense that that's probably what's happening," he said. "Perhaps that's what drives some of these issues."

"The SeaWorld system is the best of all seaquaria in the world, but if I was an orca, that would be the last place I'd want to live," he said. "They are in what is essentially an acoustically dead cement pond, compared to the vibrancy of the ocean."

So there you have it. Everyone who defends this practice, STFU or I will lock you up in a cage and force you to perform tricks for my amusement for the rest of your natural life. But I'll treat you well.

Killing and eating living things is natural, for better or worse; animals eat each other all the time, and even plants were once living. If you don't like that, eat gravel. But keeping an animal confined in this bizarre man-made circus is not natural. If you want to go see a killer whale, get in the damn ocean and start swimming.

[chuckc]

Re: killer whale attacks trainer in front of a horrified audience

here you go...this article explains alot. that whale is worth millions


What to do with a 12,000-pound killer whale that is famous for being the world's most potent captive orca stud and infamous for the deaths of three people?

The fate of Tilikum has been debated since Wednesday, when he attacked Dawn Brancheau, a 40-year-old SeaWorld Orlando trainer who spent 14 years working with killer whales. As spectators watched, Tilikum grabbed her by her ponytail in knee-deep water, pulled her into his tank and drowned her.

SeaWorld suspended orca shows Thursday in Orlando and San Diego but indicated that Tilikum will resume most of his usual activities. It did not say he would take part in shows, but said Tilikum will remain with the park's other orcas — several of which he sired — and continue to work with trainers.

A Humane Society expert said a return to "business as usual" is "terribly disappointing"
"It will happen again," said Naomi Rose, a senior marine mammal scientist for the Humane Society who knew Tilikum when he killed a trainer in British Columbia in 1991.
"It's not a question of if. It's a question of when. This is his normal behavior. It's what he does when someone falls in the water."

She advocates moving Tilikum to a sea pen similar to the one built in Iceland for Keiko, the killer whale that inspired the 1993 movie Free Willy.
She was writing her dissertation in 1991 in British Columbia when Tilikum drowned a trainer nearly the same way at a park in Victoria. That was eight years after his capture near Iceland when he was 2. He was the first captive killer whale to ever kill a trainer.

After the drowning, the 22-foot orca was moved to SeaWorld Orlando. There in 1999, a trespasser who sneaked past park security after hours was found dead in Tilikum's tank. He had cuts and bruises, indicating he had been bitten.
At SeaWorld, Tilikum gained fame for siring up to 17 calves, including most of the juvenile whales in the park. He's the world's No. 1 captive orca stud. His virility makes him worth millions.

Tilikum's sperm is used for artificial inseminations and in vitro procedures, said Nancy Blake, who runs the Monterey Bay Whale Watch in California. "They're surely not going to put down an animal as valuable as he is."
Because of his prowess, Tilikum is often confined to a small breeding tank, where it's difficult for him even to turn around, Rose said. Trainers have always been forbidden to get in the water with him because of the deaths. Isolation among marine mammals is highly stressful, which leads to abnormal behavior.

That could have motivated the attack. Or, Blake said, he could have just had a bad day, or thought humans are toys. Orcas have personalities. He could be pathological. Or he simply could be a grump. But Rose said three strikes is enough.
"SeaWorld should consider retirement."

Release into the wild usually poses a death sentence for animals long held in captivity, but the Free Willy orca Keiko was provided a giant sea pen in Iceland with humans kept at a distance. He was allowed supervised swims in the ocean. He ran away once and almost made it to Norway, 900 miles away. He died in 2003.
Tilikum isn't leaving Florida, for now.

Chuck Tompkins, SeaWorld Orlando's head trainer, told CBS News that the whale is important to the pod's social structure. He said training will continue, though some procedures will change after a review of the accident.
"This is not Tilikum's fault," Rose said. "The fault lies on how he is forced to react in a way that seems natural to him."
Keeping Tilikum near people "is like leaving drugs on the table for an addict."
John Barry can be reached at jbarry@sptimes.com or (727) 892-2258.

[fyrestarter]

Re: killer whale attacks trainer in front of a horrified audience

Totally different, for starters, here at least, the cow gets to wonder around in a paddock all day doing her own thing. Quite pleasant life really. As far as eggs go, I only eat free range. The only animal, as distinct from chickens, we cage, seems to be pigs, which is actually really awful because they are the most intelligent. There I eat free range as well. Cutting down on meat anyway.


We don't have a natural born right to see animals in their natural habitat.

That's cool you can afford to eat free range eggs and pork, most people can't.

On the flip side, you could eat normal eggs and pork and donate the money to help the hungry. Since you're so environmentally conscious...

I just bought my mother-in-law tickets to Sea World...

[DIDI]

Re: killer whale attacks trainer in front of a horrified audience

That's cool you can afford to eat free range eggs and pork, most people can't.

On the flip side, you could eat normal eggs and pork and donate the money to help the hungry. Since you're so environmentally conscious...

I just bought my mother-in-law tickets to Sea World...

Actually I give up things so I can both eat that way and afford to donate, not just money, but time and energy where I can. Although it's not an actual hardship to give up a lot of things, it works for me and the environment. I'm healthier, happier, able to do more

Simple example, instead of buying junk or takeaway food at all, organic free range is a hell of a lot cheaper. And helps the environment, which benefits all !

[floridaorange]

Re: killer whale attacks trainer in front of a horrified audience

I just bought my mother-in-law tickets to Sea World...

Bet they were on sale huh?

[DIDI]

Re: killer whale attacks trainer in front of a horrified audience

It's his mother-in-law!! He's definitely taking in the killer whales