Orca kills trainer at SeaWorld Orlando

[William Parcher]

Experienced trainer slipped, killed by whale attack at SeaWorld Orlando

Park guest Victoria Biniak told Local 6 that the trainer was a veteran of SeaWorld and had just finished explaining to the audience what they would see during the performance. At that point, Biniak said, the whale came up from the water and grabbed the woman. "He was thrashing her around pretty good. It was violent,'" Biniak told Local 6.

 

[William Parcher]

The whale's name has been revealed as Tillikum. This makes the third person killed by this whale.

 

[slingblade]

I can't understand why there was a second, much less a third.

 

[Fnord]

Never trust an animal.

 

[Bikewer]

Especially a 10,000 pound carnivore.....

 

[Sir Robin Goodfellow]

I don't like to be around animals that I can't beat in a fight.

 

[One Eyed Jack]

Why should anyone be surprised by this?

We take an orca out of its natural environment, stick it in a swimming pool, train it to dance for our amusement, and then act shocked when it does what it naturally does. A human in a wetsuit looks an awful lot like a seal.

I think it's rather silly to place wild animals in captivity and expect them to act like kittens.

 

[Retrograde]

There's a reason they're called Killer Whales - in the wild they hunt seals, and play with their prey much like domestic cats do. Not a good time for the seals.

 

[Howie Felterbush]

"...and like human beings, they have a profound instinct for...vengance!"


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlQ4VrHa7fU

 

[roger]

Why should anyone be surprised by this?

We take an orca out of its natural environment, stick it in a swimming pool, train it to dance for our amusement, and then act shocked when it does what it naturally does. A human in a wetsuit looks an awful lot like a seal.

I think it's rather silly to place wild animals in captivity and expect them to act like kittens.

Actually, I think the real mistake was the frickin laser beams attached to their heads.

 

[Thunder]

hmmm...maybe Killer Whales should not be pets or circus acts?

just maybe?

 

[Hallo Alfie]

hmmm...maybe Killer Whales should not be pets or circus acts?

just maybe?

The only problem I've ever had with my pet orca, is finding big enough plastic bags to clean up after him whilst taking him for a walk.

 

[Howie Felterbush]

Mucking about in a pool with a giant animal that has "killer" in it's name seems a bit dumb to me. If it was called the Cuddling Whale or the Gentle Caress Whale it might be different, but "Killer"?

 

[Foolmewunz]

Strange quote from the Sentinel article in the OP - later reports say that the show had just ended and the audience had mostly gone but there were some lingering about and the trainer went over to interact with this particular orca.

I kind of agree with the suggestion that you don't get all cuddly with anything that has "killer" as part of its name, especially if you are just about the size of its natural dinner.

 

[Achán hiNidráne]

Never trust an animal.

Especially a 10,000 pound carnivore.....

...And you're wearing an outfit that makes you look vaguely like a sea lion.

(No, I'm not really blaming the victim, it's just standard-issue Schadenfreude kicking in.)

 

[Juniversal]

Well i'd say human beings are the most dangerous animals on this earth lol. But once we attempt to "tame" animals 10x our size occurences like are always going to happen (as unfortunate as it may be). This wasn't the first time and definately wont be the last.

 

[rockinkt]

The trainer was actually standing by the tank when the whale grabbed her around the waist and pulled her under - all the while shaking her violently.

 

[Skeptical Greg]

Witnesses who watched the attack while eating at the "Dine with Shamu" show — a poolside buffet where trainers demonstrate their connection with the animals — told the Sentinel a female trainer was petting a killer whale when it grabbed her and plunged into the water.

Good grief ....

 

[Sabrina]

The freaky part about this for me?

I was at Seaworld in Orlando in this past October, and I went to see the whale show while there. Afterwards I went down to the tank where one of the trainers was talking to some of the park guests and took a picture with her. I'm not 100% certain, but I think it was the girl that was killed.

 

[William Parcher]

I'm not 100% certain, but I think it was the girl that was killed.

Pictures of Dawn Brancheau at SeaWorld Orlando.

Richard Ellis is an authority on cetaceans and has called the attack "premeditated". What he means is that whatever was the orca's intent, it knew what it was doing - not an accident.