In Memory of Dawn Brancheau,Trainer of Seaworld Orlando.

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.

Please leave comments and thoughts in chatbox at bottom of page. Thank you.

Take care and I will see you soon.

Irukandji Jellyfish

The Irukandji Jellyfish (Carukia barnesi) inhabits waters of Australia. This is a deadly jellyfish, which is only 2.5 centimeters (with bell and tentacles) in diameter, which makes it difficult to spot.

The term Irukandji refers to an Australian Aboriginal tribe that inhabited the Palm Cove region of northern Queensland where the Irukandji syndrome, produced by the irukandji stings poison, occurs most often.This is a species of jellyfish that has been known about in recent years, due to deaths of swimmers in Australia.
The jellyfish itself was identified in 1964 by Dr. Jack Barnes.

Irukandji has stingers not only on its tentacles but also on its bell.
Irukandji is very small and fragile, it cannot be kept in a normal aquarium because if they hit the side the impact will kill it. It is very fragile yet very deadly!



Irukandji syndrome symptoms:

The initial sting is typically mild and is followed, minutes to hours later, by vomiting, profuse sweating, headache, agitation, rapid heart rate and very high blood pressure and the worst pain throughout the body. The increase in blood pressure may be life-threatening and can be associated with abnormal heart beat and heart failure. The symptoms may last from hours to several days, and victims usually require hospitalisation. The survival depends on whether the body can withhold the shooting high blood pressure. There is no antidote for the venom of irukandji, the treatment is symptomatic. This includes giving IV morphine(still cant relief the pain some victims ecperience), alpha-blockers, fluids.

Irukandji attack prevention

Lycra stinger suits.
Some beaches erect enclosures ,stinger nets, but Irukandji can still filter through the net. Take the right precautions, you can take steps to minimize the exposure and still enjoy all the wonderful beauty of the reef. Talk to specialised dive operators for further advice. Please remember to get out of the waters if you feel tiny bits of sting and see nothing.

Here is another video of Irukandji attack. Enjoy.



Lastly, I would love to wish all divers and snorkelers around the world to be in the waters safely and have wonderful experience in the sea.

Thank you.
Please leave comments and thoughts in the chatbox at the bottom of page.

Love the Ocean. Protect the Ocean.

For more information, log on to :

http://www.irukandjijellyfish.com/

Christmas Island Red Crab

Merry Christmas everyone... On this festive day, I am bringing you to somewhere special. So hop in the boat and we are heading to Christmas Island!

Christmas Island is an Australian Non-self Governing External Territory, located in the Indian Ocean on the rim of South East Asia, 360km south of Java and 2600 km North West of Perth.


The Christmas Island red crab is by far the most obvious of the 14 species of land crabs found on Christmas Island. It is estimated that 120 million of these bright red land crabs live in their preferred shady sites all over the island.

What is so special about this red crabs?
It is The Annual Migration To The Ocean
At the beginning of the wet season (usually October / November), most adult Red Crabs suddenly begin a spectacular migration from the forest to the coast, to breed and release eggs into the sea.

Below is the video to show its impressive swamp of red invading the town. Basicly everywhere in the island.


Christmas Island Red Crabs - For more amazing video clips, click here

I find the rule in golf impressive! Perhaps that is the only place in the world where crabs can help you score in golf game. They are helpful in some ways. =)

Bright red is the common colour but there are the occasional orange specimens and more rarely some purple animals. They are a big crab. An adult body shell (or carapace) may measure up to 116mm across. The Christmas Island red crabs' carapace is round shouldered and encloses their lungs and gills.

Their claws are usually of equal size unless one is a regrowing claw. Males grow larger overall than females, while females have a much broader abdomen and usually have smaller claws than males.

Christmas Island red crabs grow slowly, reaching about 40mm in carapace width after 4-5 years. They are sexually mature at this age and begin to participate in the breeding migrations.

The Christmas Island red crabs moult their shells regularly during their early growth phases to match their increasing body size. Moulting usually takes place in the protected moist environment of their burrows. Mature Christmas Island red crabs probably moult only once a year, as their growth rate slows.

Red Crab Diet

Red Crabs diet consists mainly of fallen leaves, fruits, flowers and seedlings. They prefer fresh green leaves but will eat any fallen leaves. They are not solely vegetarian however. They will eat other dead crabs and birds, the introduced Giant African snail and palatable human rubbish if the opportunity presents itself.

Red Crab Habitat

Red Crabs are diurnal (active during the day) and almost inactive at night despite lower temperatures and higher humidity.
Crabs retreat into the humid interior of their burrows during the dry season. They plug the burrow entrance with a loose wad of leaves to maintain a high humidity level, and effectively disappear from view for up to two to three months of the year.

The Breeding Calendar

Males lead the first wave of the downward migration and are joined by females as they progress. Larger males arrive at the sea first (after about 5-7 days) but are soon outnumbered by females.

The crabs replenish moisture by dipping in the sea, then the males retreat to the lower terraces to dig burrows. The density of burrows is high (1-2 per square metre and fighting occurs between males for burrow possession. The females move to the terraces and mating occurs, usually in the privacy of the burrows that males have dug and fought for.

The females produce eggs within 3 days of mating and remain in the moist burrows on the terraces for 12-13 days while they develop. The eggs are held in a brood pouch between their extended abdomen and thorax. A single female can brood up to 100,000 eggs.

In the morning and late afternoon around the last quarter of the moon, the egg-laden females descend from the terraces to the shoreline. They pack into shaded areas above the waterline at densities of up to 100 per square metre in places. The females usually release their eggs into the sea toward dawn, around the turn of the high tide. Release of eggs may occur on 5-6 consecutive nights during the main breeding migration. After the first two days, eggless females may be seen crossing plateau roads, kilometres from the shore.

If the spawning migration is delayed or disrupted, usually because of unfavorable weather conditions, both male and female crabs will remain on the terraces for the next month and complete the spawning one lunar month later.

Larvae Grow To Baby Crabs In The Sea

The eggs released by the females hatch immediately on contact with the sea water and clouds of young larvae swirl near the shore before being washed out to sea by waves and tides. Millions of the larvae are eaten by fish and plankton feeders such as Manta Rays and the enormous Whale Sharks which visit Christmas Island waters during the crab spawning season.

After about a month in the ocean, and after growing through several larval stages, the surviving larvae have developed into prawn-like animals called megalopae. The megalopae gather in pools close to the shore for 1-2 days before changing into young crabs and leaving the water.

Impact Of Humans
Certain human activities have led to increased numbers of Red Crabs dying during their annual migration to the sea.
To reduce the number of crabs killed by vehicles during the migration, 'crab crossings' are being constructed in roads which cross main crab migration paths. Points where high numbers of Red Crabs cross roads have been identified, and tunnels are built under the road for crabs to pass through. Walls that the crabs can not climb over are built alongside the road to 'funnel' the migrating crabs through the tunnels. These crab crossings may be seen on the Lily Beach road. Other conservation measures used by the community are road closures and traffic detours around the major migration paths during peak periods of the migration.

The Annual Migration To The Ocean

At the beginning of the wet season (usually October / November),
most adult Red Crabs suddenly begin a spectacular migration from
the forest to the coast, to breed and release eggs into the sea.
The timing of the migration breeding sequence is also linked to the phases of the moon, so that eggs may be released by the female Red Crabs into the sea precisely at the turn of the high tide during the last quarter of the moon. It is thought that this occurs at this time because there is the least difference between high and low tides.

Movement peaks in the early morning and late afternoons when it is cooler and there is more shade. If caught in open areas, in unshaded heat, the crabs soon lose body water and die.

Have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2010! ! 2009 has been a remarkable year for me, some of the unhappiest thing and happiest things happen to in 2009. Certainly a year to remember in my diary. Be safe and take care.

Love the Ocean. Protect the Ocean.

Please leave your comments in the chatbox at the bottom of page. Thank you.

For more info, visit :

http://www.christmas.net.au/exp_red_crab_migration.html