To begin my post, I would like to pay respect to Dawn Brancheau, a 40-year-old trainer in Sea World, Orlando who is the victim of the killer whale attack that happened on 24/2/10 and may you rest in peace.
Dawn Brancheau, was rubbing Tilikum from a poolside platform when the 22-foot creature grabbed her ponytail in its jaws and pulled her in. Witnesses said the whale played with Brancheau like a toy.
"He kept pushing her and poking her with his nose," said Paula Gillespie of Delaware, who saw the attack from an underwater observation point. "It looked like she was just totally caught off guard and looked like she was struggling."
Tilikum, 12,000 pound male orca in Sea World has killed 2 persons in the past and this is the third kill where the victim is her trainer who has 16 years of experience in training orcas and has dreamed of becoming a trainer since young. I suppose there are many questions going, why is Tilikum still be used in shows while she had been involved in so many deaths? Should orcas be continued to be seen in shows with people or trainers with them in the waters or should the killer whales shows be banned and released to the wild? What is Tilikum’s fate from now on? What is the public’s view on killer whales after the attack? If Tilikum is to be released into the wild, will she be alright? If the trainer is able to speak for herself, what will she want to be done to Tilikum and will she regret for being a trainer.
To find an answer and justice to all these questions, there are few things that we need to look into.
Firstly, the motive of bringing in killer whales in shows.
Killer whales are well known as malicious killers and good hunters in the sea and it take years and very risky to get a killer whale trained and to be able to perform with trainers/ audience in a live show. So why do we still do it then? Simply to plant the seed of love to the ocean and marine animals and to let people see the lovely side of the killer whales. It is very educational in help of preventing extinction and conserving the species.
Secondly, the natural interaction of orcas. The animals establish dominance and communicate their social order by slapping their tails against the water, head-butting, jaw-snapping, biting, raking (tooth-scratching), and other vigorous postures and gestures. Numerous tooth-scratch marks can be seen on this killer whale. Sometimes tooth scratches can leave a killer whale with scars, but generally these scratches are superficial and heal quickly. So, was Tilikum trying to interact/play with trainer?
Thirdly, trainers teach Tilikum how to do skills and perform in front of audiences, but did anyone teach Tilikum that killing someone is wrong? Was it properly punished and told that it was wrong and that it will result in death from the last two times it was involved in killing? Is it possible to find a way to tell her that that behaviour was wrong?
If Tilikum is to be released into the ocean, her natural habitat after many years of being in a small pool, will she ba able to cope in the ocean?
Chuck Tompkins, chief of animal training at SeaWorld parks, said that Tilikum would not survive in the wild because it has been captive for so long, and that destroying the animal is not an option either, because it is an important part of the breeding program at SeaWorld and a companion to the seven other whales there.
Brancheau's older sister, Diane Gross, said the trainer would not have wanted anything done to the whale. "She loved the whales like her children. She loved all of them," said Gross, of Schererville, Ind. "They all had personalities, good days and bad days."
In a profile in the Orlando Sentinel in 2006, Brancheau acknowledged the dangers, saying: "You can't put yourself in the water unless you trust them and they trust you."
A trip to SeaWorld at age 9 instilled a desire in her to work with marine animals. She attended the University of South Carolina and majored in psychology, but got a job at a New Jersey park after graduation, working with dolphins and sea lions. She was hired at SeaWorld in Orlando in 1994.
This is a video i found on youtube, In Memory of Dawn Brancheau.
Unfortunately embed in disabled by request. Please visit youtube in order to view the video. Here is the URL for the video,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-1Tf7y0a2k
My personal view on this is, Tilikum has spent most of his life in the pool. We do not know what does Tilikum want for himself. Although we think that Tilikum might not survive if it is let free to the ocean, we shall give it a try. Orcas are meant to be in the big oceans with clans of same species and migratory animals, years of being in a small pool has taken away his freedom and his ability as an orca. Although it might require lots of human resource and money to bring him back to the ocean and monitor his progress and adaptation in the ocean, nevertheless, we must remember years of service he gave to Seaworld and countless entertainment and educational purpose he served us.
As for the killings he had committed, I think it should be treated as an accident and more improvement in terms of safety should be done. Such as special designed diving suits with emergency oxygen supply or a hit button that can fill the diving suit with air and makes it float. Build a railing on the shallow deck while dealing with orcas.
The ocean and marine animals are unpredictable in nature. I believe all marine lovers realize that. From the day I become a scuba diver, I know the risks it involve and know that some dismays are inevitable. But for the love for the ocean and marine animals, I take the risk and will not blame anyone or anything if any accidents or dismay happen to me while I am diving. I believe that Dawn feels the same as well and will not blame
Tilikum or Seaworld for this accident to happen. May the fate of Tilikum be as Dawn’s wish. May her spirit lives on and be happy surrounded by angels and God.
For more information, please visit :
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35566392/ns/us_news-environment/#storyContinued
http://www.seaworld.org/infobooks/KillerWhale/behaviorkw.html
Love The Ocean. Protect The Ocean.
I hereby send my condolences to the family members of victims of tsunami and earthquake in Chile and other places involved. May God shine the light of hope to you.
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Take care and I will see you soon.
