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February 26, 2010

Greetings...

I'm sure most of you heard about the tragedy at Sea World in
Orlando, Florida this past Wednesday. For those who haven't,
a brief synopsis...

An experienced 40-year-old female trainer was killed by a
30-year-old Orca whale. Orca's are also known as "killer
whales." This happened as spectators were waiting for the actual
performance to begin and watching the usual preliminary question
and answer part with the trainer before the show began...

Without warning, Tilikum, a 12,000 pound male, "snapped", jumped
out of the water, onto the platform, and grabbed the trainer by
her long ponytail and dragged her underwater. Several reports also
claimed the whale shook her violently to the point of her shoe flying =

off before he killed her by biting her at the waist and holding her
down at the bottom of the tank. It was a horrifying scene that
was witnessed by everyone...

The spectators were quickly asked to leave.

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Other reports have emphasized the fact that Tilikum was an especially =

ornery orca with a fairly extensive history of violence (he was
implicated in two other human fatalities, in 1991 and 1999).The
SeaWorld staff's treatment of the whale reflected its apprehension
of his temper and acknowledgment of the risk he posed...

Because of his size and the previous deaths, trainers were not supposed =

to get into the water with Tilikum, and only about a dozen of the park's=

29 trainers worked with him. The trainer that was killed had more experie=
nce

with the 30-year-old whale than most, and was one of the park's most

experienced trainers...

The whale is being held in a holding tank and will not be released into=

the wild, and it won't be destroyed either. This whale has been used as=

a breeder for years...

This whole thing has been so sad in so many ways and for so many reasons.=

Of course, the trainer that dedicated her life and lost her life with
the animals she loved so much paid the ultimate price...

However...How can you truly get angry at an animal that has been cooped=

up in tanks all its life and is currently in a small holding tank while=

they decide "what to do with him"? While all of the animals are treat=
ed
with love and taken care of wonderfully, they are still wild animals
and although these type of attacks are rare, I don't think we should
be that surprised when, or if they happen. Whales are extremely intellige=
nt,
and while every "expert" has weighed in on what they think caused thi=
s
attack, I think you would have to agree that no matter how much trainers=

think they have trained or domesticated them, they are wild...

The Tiger that attacked Roy of the Sigfried and Roy team was raised from=

a cub, was loveable and a pet. Bears, that have been trained for TV,
film and circuses have turned on their trainers. Elephants, tired of
getting whacked with sticks for years have lost their tempers and also =

attacked their trainers and innocent bystanders...


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I have to be honest with you, I have been to Sea World, both in Orlando,=

Florida and San Diego, California many times over the years. I absolutely=

loved the Dolphin and Whale shows. I don't know if I will ever go again,=

(honestly don't know), because this tragedy really affected me, and you=

might consider the next sentence or two heartless, but it's a given that=

I'm saddened and sympathetic to the trainer who lost her life and those=

who loved her, but I am so, so, sorry for not only the Whale that killed=

her, but in retrospect, all the animals I have personally watched in
shows for the amusement of humans and of course, the big bucks it generat=
es.
Heck, even Southwest Airlines has three "Shamu" planes that are paint=
ed
to resemble a Killer Whale...

These animals usually can't be released back into the wild because they=

have been domesticated and rely on humans for their care and food. You =

can't take a chance of their instinct being clouded because of domesticat=
ion.
On the other hand, you can't completely remove the instinct from these =

animals. While we are certainly supposed to be more intelligent than
the animals we train, I don't think these animals are given enough credit=

for not only their intelligence, but their emotions, which include affect=
ion
and...anger, which may include revenge for all we really know...

As I said, this story really got to me and seeing the small tank that
this Whale is being kept in knowing that these magnificent animals
swim in Oceans and cover hundreds of miles playing, mating, feeding
and...living, just saddened and hit a nerve with me...

And for what at the end of the day? You can't argue that these shows
are for the education of visitors to understand their behavior becaue
their behavior has been altered. I don't think a Dolphin swims the
vast ocean looking for a bell to ring 50 feet up in the air do you?

There is only one reason these animals are kept in captivity...

Revenue...

Have a great weekend everyone!


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