Sea World trainer killed by performing whale
Photo Credit: Fox News
Sea World trainer Dawn Brancheau was attacked and killed by one of the performing killer whales, Tilikum. Killer whales are the most dangerous mammals that live in the ocean.
Allison Walczyk, Managing Editor
March 4, 2010
Filed under Opinion
Recently, I’ve found myself seeing headlines like “Killer whale attack: Sea world trainer killed by whale” and “Shamu ‘The Killer Whale’ Attacks SeaWorld Orlando Trainer.” With all the necessary respect to the deceased, the only thing I can ask is why?
For those of you who have been living under a rock, last week Tilikum, the killer whale at the Orlando chapter of Sea World, attacked and killed 40 year old trainer Dawn Brancheau in front of an entire audience of families.
First of all, these are the most dangerous mammals in the ocean. So I have to thank the brilliant person who thought “let’s take these massive, wild, dangerous animals and put them in a huge tank and make them do stupid tricks!”
There is a reason they are considered wild animals. According to BBC, when animals are held in captivity, they are deprived of their natural social structure and companionship. They are forced into close proximity with other species and human beings which may be unnatural for them and they may become bored and depressed. These poor creatures are held in a tank for nothing more than the sheer entertainment of thousands of people every day.
I mean, maybe it’s understandable if you are keeping these animals to be studied by biologists. But I really have to wonder whose bright idea it was to put this huge mammal, which can weigh up to eight tons and be up to 32 feet long, in a show with people, especially since this animal has already had two incidents with trainers that have both ended fatally!
One of the reasons the authorities are saying that Tillikum, the whale in question, attacked the trainer was because he was agitated. Yeah, I would be agitated too if I was kept in a tank all of my life.
It was after the first fatal accident in British Columbia, Canada that Tillikum was sent to Sea World in 1991. In 1999, the whale was found with a man who died of hypothermia and was brutally scratched by the whale.
These are not household dogs and cats we’re dealing with. Am I the only one who had flash backs to the tragedy of Siegfried and Roy, or the woman who got mauled by a chimpanzee? People cannot just take these creatures out of their natural habitat and try to tame them.
It is very sad that such a tragic incident is what it took to awaken the people to the dangers of keeping animals in captivity. Sometimes we need to see the worst possibility first and make decisions based off of that.
Allison Walczyk can be reached for comment at awalczyk@jcpatriot.com