An unfortunate incident occurred at Sea World Orlando yesterday. During a live Shamu show, a trainer was killed by one of the whales, whose name is Tillikum. Witnesses in the crowd said the whale came up and grabbed the trainer, taking her under water and thrashing her around, which resulted in her death. The trainer was 40-year old Dawn Brancheau, one of the more experienced trainers at Sea World.
Stories report that Tillikum was considered one of the more dangerous whales at Sea World, due to previous injuries and deaths that have occurred with him. Sea World officials are discrediting these reports, saying Tilly was fine up until yesterday's events and they had no way to know this was going to happen.
When I was little, I wanted to be a whale trainer. It seemed like such a fun and exciting job; swimming with whales for a living. When I got older, I realized how impractical and hard it was to have that job, since so many people aspire to do the same. This is the first time in awhile that I recall a death to a trainer happening during a live show, and it's scary, especially if you were in attendance and watched it unfold.
People are wondering if Tilly should be put to sleep because of this incident. I do not believe so, since this is a wild killer whale who really doesn't know better. They should simply remove the whale from Sea World and take it to another facility that does not allow human contact. There is no reason a whale should die because he might have mistaken the trainer for something or got triggered by an emotion and reacted naturally. Trainers know that death and injury can be a risk of their job.
What is your reaction to this tragedy?
Oh my gosh, this is terrible.
ReplyDeleteI heard about this yesterday & I'm a lil shocked yet not. Poor lady. It sounds like he was treating her like another whale, taking her down under like it wouldn't matter. I dunno but the fact that its a "Killer" whale bugs me that they think they can train something like that. It's not like a monkey where you can have it from a baby & stuff. R.I.P.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very sad and tragic story! I feel that when you take a position like training whales or other wild animals, there comes with it a risk that you could get seriously injured or killed. I am sure that the trainer understood this risk but just thought it would never happen...we all think that way when we take risks or even get on a plane or for that matter a car (more dangerous actually).
ReplyDeleteI don't think they should put the whale to sleep. People cannot be that naive to think this couldn't happen with a wild killer whale. I just hope her family can get through this and that they don't demand that something drastic be done.
What a terrible situation. This will be in my thoughts~ jamilyn
So sad. I hear this story on the news. I don't believe it should be put to sleep also.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. This is so sad and terrible, but it's not as if the whale knew any better. I definitely think it should be transported to another facility and left alone. I still can't imagine what it must have been like for the audience watching. Just horrifying.
ReplyDeleteOh this is so sad. :(
ReplyDeleteI agree that the whale should be put somewhere where she can be more comfortable and away from humans. It is not her fault she attacked, she was never meant to be put in a place like that (aat least that is my opinion)
It drives me nuts when wild animals are put in that setting and then blamed for what happens!
ReplyDeleteI don't see why the whale should be put to sleep. Seems to me we sometimes forget that these are wild animals--LARGE wild animals--and need to be respected. I think these enclosures are way too small for some of these animals.
ReplyDeleteNo, he should not be put down for doing what comes naturally to him. Having worked as a zookeeper for big cats I always could tell the difference. Wild cats are not just big house cats. Within the first few hours of working there the difference is so obvious. You can take a wild animal out of the wild, breed them in captivity but the offspring many generations down the road will still have that wild animal instinct.
ReplyDeleteI heard about this yesterday, living in South Florida and Sea World being a easy weekend trip I am very sad to hear about this. My thoughts & prayers are with the trainer and family.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I dont believe the whale should be put to sleep.
This is so sad, but again they are wild animals and sometimes that happens. Kori xoxo
ReplyDeleteit's so sad but I agree with you dear..
ReplyDeleteMy gosh what a tragic story. I agree with you, the whale shouldn't be put to sleep just because it did something that was instinctive to it. To be honest, i don't think we should be making the whale "perform" like that, it seems really cruel to me :(
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