Orca kills trainer at SeaWorld Orlando

[Sabrina]

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.

Um.

Yeah, now I'm almost positive it was her...

I'll post the picture I have when I get home... I mean, I can't be 100% certain until I compare those pictures with the girl I took a picture with, but they look very very similar.

 

[JcR]

Coverage from Anderson Cooper CNN

 

[dudalb]

Someone get Quint.......

 

[William Parcher]

He wouldn't let go of her.

Officials say trainers had to coax an aggressive whale into a smaller pool and use a platform to lift it out of the water before they could free a colleague from its jaws...

The county sheriff's office says co-workers couldn't immediately help her because the whale was so aggressive after it grabbed her by her pony tail and pulled her in.

Grabbed her by the ponytail. Other reports have said by the waist.

 

[CORed]

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

I have two cats and a ten pound terrier. I'm not sure I could beat the terrier or one of the cats in a fight (not without some kind of weapon anyway). Fortunately, I don't think either of these two animals has any idea that they might be able to beat me in a fight.

Orca's on the other hand, are big enough and smart enough to know they can beat a human in a fight.

 

[William Parcher]

The office says an investigation is continuing but there are no signs of foul play and all evidence indicates it was a tragic accident.

WTF are they talking about? No evidence that another trainer paid Tilly to kill her?

 

[William Parcher]

Seven minute video taken by visitor immediately before the attack. The actual attack may be on video.

 

[ravdin]

I remember an episode of Blue Planet where a pod of killer whales harassed a grey whale mother and calf for hours until the calf finally collapsed from exhaustion. The killer whales then ate the calf's tongue and left the rest of the carcass.

Like people, some animals are jerks.

 

[Corsair 115]

Someone get Quint.......

No, Quint hunted sharks. You want Nolan.

 

[rockinkt]

No, Quint hunted sharks. You want Nolan.

Just make sure you get a bigger boat...

 

[rockinkt]

WTF are they talking about? No evidence that another trainer paid Tilly to kill her?

Maybe they meant "Fowl" play...the chickens didn't look guilty.

 

[Ziggurat]

I have two cats and a ten pound terrier. I'm not sure I could beat the terrier or one of the cats in a fight (not without some kind of weapon anyway).

Unless you're severely crippled, you could easily beat them in a fight, probably all three at once. What you're not willing to do is take the scratches you'd get in the process. It's only a lack of willingness to fight, not ability, that makes you think otherwise. Conversely, it's only a lack of willingness of large animals (horses, elephants, Orcas) to fight which ever makes it safe for us to be around them.

 

[CORed]

WTF are they talking about? No evidence that another trainer paid Tilly to kill her?

Here's the deal: Twenty pounds of extra fish tonight if you off her.

 

[CORed]

Unless you're severely crippled, you could easily beat them in a fight, probably all three at once. What you're not willing to do is take the scratches you'd get in the process. It's only a lack of willingness to fight, not ability, that makes you think otherwise. Conversely, it's only a lack of willingness of large animals (horses, elephants, Orcas) to fight which ever makes it safe for us to be around them.

You're probably right. It would not only be my reluctance to take damage, but my reluctance to inflict a lethal blow that would handicap me. All of the animals are small enough that I could kill or seriously inure them with a hard kick or stomp. I would not discount the possibility that the dog could inflict a lethal bite, though. She can easily jump high enough to reach my throat, though she's not big enough to knock me down, as a large dog could.

I have no doubt that most large dogs could defeat me, or most unarmed humans in an all out fight, though, and even small dogs have very strong jaws and can deliver a nasty bite.

 

[Arus808]

Im very torn on this. I was training to become a dolphin/whale trainer as that was my major. I worked at the local sea life park for several summers to gain experience.

I totally understand the danger in entrusting your life and safety with animals that can literally, break your back with just a simple nudge or misplaced push. Having been on the receiving end of a wayward flipper of a Sea Lion, the power that these animals posses are just amazing, and yet terrifying.


My sympathies go out to the trainer and her family; she loved what she did as evidenced by her 17 years of service working her way up to become a trainer for the Killer Whales she worked with. she knew what she wanted to be since her first visit to a seal life animal park.

However, as reported in several news outlets, the whales were "ornery" that day, and having trained several types of animals (dogs, cats, parrots, mccaws, etc), you never push an animal to do something IF they are not going to listen to you. Like a child, you have to let them be, put them in their "corner" and let them do what they need to do.

Many are calling for the animal to be "destroyed" > I disagree. This was simply an accident; culminating from mistakes on the trainers part for pushing an animal to do things it really didn't want to do.

 

[William Parcher]

Update is saying that she was pulled by the ponytail, not waist - even initially pulled underwater by the hair. He must have then switched to grabbing her body causing the trauma. The earliest report I saw yesterday had witnesses seeing blood from her mouth while underwater (internal injury from massive bite?).

Attached is a frame grab from the video. It looks like she is laying on a submerged ledge (reports say knee-deep water) which allows him to get his face right up to her without coming way out of the water. Readers may have erroneously thought he launched himself out onto a dry perimeter area to grab her.

 

[William Parcher]

The Orange-Osceola Medical Examiner's Office conducted the autopsy this morning and concluded Brancheau died of traumatic injuries, but details about those injuries were not released.

The autopsy won't be final until toxicology tests are completed. It will take several weeks to get those results, according to a spokeswoman for the Medical Examiner's office.

I'm sorry I have to ask WTF again. Is this to see if the orca poisoned or drugged her? I thought foul play had already been ruled out.

 

[elgarak]

I'm sorry I have to ask WTF again. Is this to see if the orca poisoned or drugged her? I thought foul play had already been ruled out.

To see if she was drugged or poisoned. For whatever reason. Maybe she took medication. In any case, it's standard procedure in all examinations of 'unnatural' deaths. Does not go as fast as depicted on CSI.

 

[INRM]

I can't imagine they'd be happy being confined and forced to perform for people's amusement, they are highly intelligent and sentient beings.

 

[Jungle Jim]

Many are calling for the animal to be "destroyed" > I disagree. This was simply an accident; culminating from mistakes on the trainers part for pushing an animal to do things it really didn't want to do.

Would you be OK with instead of having the animal put down, they did away with Killer Whale shows?