Whale kills Florida SeaWorld trainer as spectators watch
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67 Comments
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adaydream
Going by one eye witnesses, the whale jumped up and grabbed the trainer out of the water and took her in it's mouth. < :-)
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Gurukun
It appeared to be an accident? Ya think! I can't see a whale premeditating a murder. How are you "fatally injured"?
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some14some
....how many guests witnessed this tragedy?
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Noliving
How is it an accident? The mammal attacked the trainer, that is like saying if I assault someone during a robbery and I was the robber that it was an accident.
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adaydream
This is the third person it's killed. <:-)
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bobbafett
OssanAmerica,
Thanks for the information. I think that we can clearly see that this whale resents its trainers, captivity, and wants to be free and should be set free.
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OssanAmerica
I happen to agree with. Perhaps it was the individual Orca. But for decades I've always felt that Orcas were a potential risk and shouldn't be treated the same the same as bottlenose dolphins.
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Badsey
"Killer Whale" is only two words -but it seems people have a hard time understanding the "killer" part.
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ratpack
Isn't that why its called a killer whale? And people continually try to train them....isn't that just like playing with a time bomb? It can go off at anytime.
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Ninjazilla
I didnt realize killer whales lived this long
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Gurukun
Huh? Is this the same article that I read and commented to this morning?
Moderator: The story was updated a short time ago.
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kokorocloud
People run this risk anytime you take a wild animal and attempt to train it. People who work with lions and tigers and the like-- I don't see a difference there really. I'm not blaming the trainer, as this is a horrible tragedy, and I feel for her family and friends, but yeah... it's not the animal's fault really.
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davidattokyo
Free the whale. They are meant for hunting, not to be kept in captivity.
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AzabuSamurai
I hope they don't kill the whale now.
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Gurukun
@Moderator- Thanks for the heads up! Thought I was going crazy there for a minute.
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ronaldk
Wow! Terrible news. Is it three strikes you're out? Or does the whale get another chance...
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GJDailleult
This sounds almost identical to the 1991 accident. In that case the girl drowned, and the whales didn't actually attack her, more like dragged her around the pool.
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cleo
It's a killer whale, not a puppy dog. It belongs out in the open sea, not in an enclosed pool for the titillation of a paying audience.
RIP to the trainer, who I'm sure loved her charge in her own way and trusted it. But you play with fire, you run the risk of getting burned.
Now let the whale (and all its mates) go free.
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Mocheake
Killer whales are whale killers, that's where the name comes from. They are related to dolphins. They are not really known to be aggressive toward humans but like any animal, wild or tame, it's not always possible to tell their moods or see when you have crossed a line. My condolences go out to the trainer's loved ones.
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RomeoRamenII
After three deaths one would think that SeaWorld should stop treating this whale like it's a pet. It's a wild animal. It should be released back into the ocean.
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kwatt
I think people forgot one thing that whale is naturally very dangerous. Whale is not pet and dangerous animal. Sooner or later other whales might do it again.
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netrek
These whales belong free and wild in the open sea.
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MrUSA
This whale is dangerous and should be in captivity. If it were in the open sea, it would kill other whales.
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BPoint
Wow...I remember Tilikum back in Victoria when I was kid.
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bicultural
"Killer" whale. Aptly named, eh?
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kyotovalentine
Can you imagine being an animal meant to migrate thousands of miles a year and swim freely then being CONFINED to a space of a football field for the sake of our stupid pleasure? And we want to be horrified that some animal turns and wants to entertain itself by showing someone who's REALLY BOSS! Ha HA mR USA if this whale was allowed to live freely it would do what THEY NATURALLY DO!!!!!
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missyxx
As far as i know there is only one legitimate place to watch it, just go here, http://bit.ly/c7KXA2
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goddog
Even a puppy dog will bite its trainer. RIP
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Hawkeye
This kind of tragedy is always going to happen. You can't take wild animals, put them in confined spaces and treat them like they are trained and docile. I have no sympathy for people who put themselves in situations that are potentially dangerous or deadly and something goes horribly wrong. Put your head into a lion's mouth and one day it's going to be bitten off, plain and simple. The killer whale should have been either released into the wild after the first killing or euthanized. Sea World is a greedy company and has put it's employees in harms way. I don't patronize zoos or animal parks because they are just plain wrong and always say that their purpose is to study and help preserve wildlife which is a bunch of BS and all their in it is for the $$.
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genkimark
What do you expect??? Bears, Tigers, Whales, Sharks are WILD Animals, people. This is their natural behavior. Don't mess with Mother Nature!
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skipthesong
I've been a Peta type for a while. The whale belongs in the sea.
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Midnightpromise
On a more serious note folks, we really should release these poor whales back into the sea.
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skipthesong
with all the research the Japanese are supposedly doing, didn't they have any inclination on this whale wigging out?
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michaelqtodd
Hopefullly this will help get places like Sea World and other aquariams around the world shut down more quickly so this women`s death will not be in vain.It is torture for a whale or dolphin to be held in captivity
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peachy871
Hey now...not all zoos are plain wrong. I used to work at a zoo where every animal there was a rescued animal. There were several different species and had they been released back into the wild, they would instantly have been toast. Each of them had lots of space to run and exercise and all of the staff there, not just the zookeepers, knew the animals all by name and how to relate to each one. And they were respected as the amazing animals that they are, not like pets.
As for aquariums, yes, I agree, the whales and dolphins there need far more space to move around and should be released back into the wild. These places have been in existence for a very long time and I have yet to see one with facilities sufficient for the whales and dolphins that they house. The trainers love them and have a wonderful relationship with them, yes, but these animals need more freedom than they get inside those tanks!
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dokshinshatcho
free willy !
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HeyLars
I am doing my best to refrain from insensitive comments about the trainer's death. But I have no sympathy for the people that imprison these animals and make money of it. I have no pity for the people who paid for a whale show and instead saw a shocking death. I hope they learned a lesson.
My only reason for remorse is that this woman was not one of the instrumental players in the unjust imprisonment of this killer whale.
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taj
According to a quick googling, this bull was captured off of Iceland in 1983, at an estimated age of 2. He has sired 13 of the "born-in-captivity" orcas around the world, the most recent ones via artificial insemination. (Don't even want to think about how they collect the goods for that...)
He has never been trained for human-in-the water. The girl in Victoria fell in, the guy in Florida likely jumped in. In this case, the bull orca pulled the woman in himself. In all cases, he was likely just having some fun with a novel toy. (He didn't attempt to eat any of them.)
Poor bugger. I wonder if all the currently captive orcas could make a successful pod and a go of it if they were eased into the wild. It would likely be traumatic for the many who have never known anything but the concrete enclosures and regular feeding times.
All in all, a sad legacy of the 60s.
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tmarie
This whale is dangerous and should be in captivity. If it were in the open sea, it would kill other whales.
Wrong. HE would be killed by other whales as he doesn't have a pod to protect him. Not to mention he has no hunting skills so woudl starve to death. He belongs in the wild just all the other orcas and dolphins do but now can't be put back. Ever wonder what happened to Willy and why your never hear about him anymore??
They are abused and mistreated while held in captivity. Lord, one of the Flippers commited suicide to get away from its hellish life - goggle it if you don't believe it.
I am saddened by this and feel for the trainer's family. I love whales and dolphins and wanted to be a trainer as a child but then realised how badly they are treated. Small little tanks, being stuck in the same area as your natural food but can't get at it... I understand people love them and want to see them but if folks want to see them in these places, they need to pay the money to have larger pools and more care.
The sad thing in all of this is that he can't be released because he'll die. he has no hunting skills and
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OssanAmerica
Another one of those rare moments when I find myself 100% in agreement with cleo. Not just marine mamals but I also have a problem with zoos.
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Badsey
There are way to many "scientists", "researchers" and "trainers" out their today. What is needed are more quality "handlers." Look at how Obama's "handlers" have let him down (jetting over NYC, open White House formals etc).
-Not enough quality handlers in my opinion.
I am sure this whale wanted to give this "trainer" the boot for many years, but for whatever reason could not break the contract.
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TheQuestion
Huh...while this is an unfortunate turn of events I find myself quite apathetic to the situation. On one hand a human life has been lost, however that human was stupid enough to put themselves in a position to be killed by said whale. I do support zoo's and aquariums though, I take my nieces and nephews to the Detroit Zoo...when its not frozen and/or shut down due to budgeting problems.
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ca1ic0cat
People have been getting themselves killed by fooling with wild animals for a long time. Dancing bears, big cat shows, "pet" pythons killing the baby. Where do you think the phrase "putting your head in the lion's mouth" came from?
If you're going to take a wild animal out of the wild and put them in unnatural surroundings things can go wrong in a hurry. The whale might have thought it was playing a game. It might have gotten pissed off. But either way it's waaaay bigger than you are and it has teeth...
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BondiBlue
tmarie, I am sorry but is something you should read up on, "Willy" was actually rehabilitated, & released back into the wild successfully, he lived out his last few years interacting with both whales & humans, by choice, not because he was in a tank. NO CETACEAN belongs in a tank, or for amusement for people. FREE & WILD is where they belong...
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LostinNagoya
Whales have so much to do when they're in the wild. What about rubbing their bellies against that certain type of round rock found only on the Canadian coast, a behavior scientists still don't understand? No wonder they feel stressed living in small spaces, everything a boring blue and glass, only the companion of other poor stressed whales and the hard-to-understand human beings riding on their backs. Cetaceans are intelligent! Free whales!
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BondiBlue
This whale had shown before it did not respond/respect human captivity, it is a "bull", therefore it should be WILD & FREE, as ALL cetaceans, they are NOT designed for life in captivity, just as any human designed to live in the same or similar conditions.
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BondiBlue
& would react exactly the same.
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OssanAmerica
tmarie is right, in principle you can't just throw a wild animal that has been kept in captivity from an early age, throw them into the wild and expect them to have learned how to survive on their own or interact with others of their own species. A lengthy adjustment process is needed and even then complete success is not guaranteed. And this is true of ALL wild animals, not just cetaceans.
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BondiBlue
OssanAmerica, & that is why there is such just a 'crack' team trained, & with the facilities set up to do just this. This same group of people who have done this previously, & also been trying to secure "Lolita" to freedom, including paying the "owners" of Lolita the very same money they have her insured for & more...
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