Seaworld trainer attacked and killed..

[Flying Grype]

I don't agree with PETA, actually. PETA would have all the aquariums release their dolphins and whales back into the wild, and that never works. Keiko, the whale from Free Willy, was released but never re-integrated into his pack, and ended up being fed and cared for by trainers and vets in the wild. He was underweight and he died in 2003 after a bout of pneumonia.

If whales are going to be kept in captivity for the education of humans, they need to be allowed to live naturally and have enough room to do so. The whales that are currently in captivity need this whether or not whales continue to be kept captive. The circus shows and acrobatics with human trainers need to be abolished, because that doesn't educate anyone about animals or how to respect them.

[AnaKhouri]

Apparently this particular whale is a serial killer whale- he has been involved in three deaths now.

What I wonder is, after the first death, why was he kept in the show? If I was a trainer I would not want to work with a whale that has been proven aggressive. Better to keep in a tank so people can look at him instead of interacting.

[Bright_Star]

A killer whale kills someone & they wonder why? They're not called "KILLER whales' for nothing. I feel for the family of the trainer that got killed but at the same time people MUST understand that animals such as these aren't robots programed to do what humans want. They're wild animals who can & do react unpredictably.
You have to respect animals even animals that seem all cute and cuddly such as domestic dogs & cats. They are independent creatures with minds of their own who will get on the offensive & can cause lethal harm if they feel threatened in any way.
Humans have that annoying trait where they feel they can dominate all creatures & then get all bent out of shape when "fluffy" takes a bite at them.

[TelephoneAngel]

Interesting - Sea World is saying that she slipped and fell into the tank and drowned.
Witnesses are saying the killer whale jumped up and grabbed her.

This is the same whale that killed a tresspasser who went into his tank in 1999.

I also noticed that discrepancy, surely the witnesses know what they saw?

[AdminAssistant]

I just hope that the whale isn't euthanized for this. For once, I agree with PETA. These aren't circus animals, these are wild creatures.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Yep. That's the same whale, and the trespasser was a mentally unbalanced cousin of mine. He evidently snuck into the tank after hours, probably had some idea about "swimming with" the whales. No telling, really, there may have been drugs and possibly mental illness involved. Honestly, I didn't know him personally, even though he was my cousin. Just have heard what other people told me.

These animals are not called "fluffy, cuddly whales." They are called "killer whales" for a reason. I mean, even dolphins can get aggressive and try to kill you. This is not the first trainer to be killed by one of these things, and during a show, too.

Not my idea of entertainment. And it sends a very dangerous message.

[draggar]

There's been one whale that's gotten aggressive towards the trainers - no one gets in the water with him.

Even his son has been showing aggression.

Edit:

Interesting - Sea World is saying that she slipped and fell into the tank and drowned.
Witnesses are saying the killer whale jumped up and grabbed her.

This is the same whale that killed a tresspasser who went into his tank in 1999.

[Fufu487]

Ya thats too bad. I feel for the trainer and her family. Killer whales tend to be violent by nature. We put them in these little tanks and expect them to happily do tricks for us. This incident was not the fault of the trainer or the animal. Just unfortunate

[Green_Fairy]

wow that's sad...but i'm kinda surprised stuff like that doesn't happen more often. i mean, they're wild animals. no matter how much you train them...they're always wild animals.

[draggar]

http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/02/24/kil...ex.html?hpt=T2

A killer whale jumped in the air, grabbed the trainer by the waist.

All in front of an audience during a show.