Dawn Brancheau Pictures: People Watched In Horror As SeaWorld Trainer Was Killed in "Shamu" Show

Crimesider

[swtflwr0914]

Well to start out Dawn was a really good friend of mine when I use to work at Sea World. She was a totally awesome person. Second of all..All the dang idiots on here say "RELEASE THE CREATURES INTO THE WILD" are you stupid really? I'm sure you have once thought about going to Sea World, to an aquarium, or something of the nature.. Did you think at that moment to release the fish or turtles? Probably not cause it's something you would never see that close so just shut up about releasing them into the wild. I use to work in Shamu Stadium and it was an amazing experience to watch how they interacted with the whales. If you have never been you are totally missing something incredible. Third of all people need to just leave the family alone I mean seriously if you was to die in any kind of accident, would you want everyone in your business? Probably not. Just let the family morn in piece gosh.

[stuarticrane]

Regarding Killer Whales:
Trainers should no longer be allowed to swim with these animals.
Sea World should not be allowed to put profit before human life.
Sea World should allow their existing Orcas to die out naturally.
The public should cease attending these pathetic shows.
The public to see wild creatures in the wild - where they belong.

[AmerBestZoos]

Of course this is a tragedy! But this keeper, bless her heart, accepted the risks of working with these enormous animals and she did it out of her love for animals. So there is nothing to condemn Sea World or the orca for.

Allen Nyhuis, Coauthor: America's Best Zoos

[gerryrigger]

Since capturing wild orcas is now illegal, the marine park industry now breeds their own whales so "the show can go on." Tilikum is a breeder, probably the alpha male in his captive pod. Also it should be investigated whether the women having their periods affect orca behavior. After all we are both mammals. There have been instances where other species of male mammals react to the scent of human females who are in their period. I would add that women in their periods should avoid exposure to mammalian wild animals as a precaution.

[wolfmara]

not disagreeing there...i had a friend who's pet male iguana used to act aggressively under those very circumstances ...so it's not just mammals to watch...

[sundora]

This whale had killed two men previously. Only a man would come to the boards and post some nonsense to check into women's "periods" when his third victim happened to be female.

[GetAGrip007]

Got no sympathy for the orca... that being said- find a bullet that is big enough to do it quickly.

[fedup12]

good eatin!

[msay3]

What do you do with this poor animal? He was taken from his family pod when he was 2 yrs of age, he is now thirty....He has had to swim in an enclosure too small for him for 28 years, made to perform for food, and learned to exist with other whales, some of which he fathered....a kind of "pre-fabricated" pod, so to speak.....Much of his time was spent in solitary confinement because he was too large to handle, and/or he was used primarily for breeding purposes...He was only used in shows to "splash" the audience and give them a big thrill... He has proven in the past to be rather volatile in nature, so only a certain number of experienced trainers were even allowed near him......Now he has killed his long-time trainer....

What is next for Tilikum? Do you euthanize him? He committed no crime... He was only reacting the way any wild creature would react....

Do you keep him in an enclosure, hidden away from public view for the rest of his miserable, frustrated life? Allowing him to interact with his own species from time to time only for the purpose of breeding?

Does Sea World re-open and continue their money-making show (after a respectable period of time has elapsed) until another incident occurs with another whale? This is #3, how many will it take???

Do you release him into the wild where he has no pod to travel with, and no skills to survive on his own? His demise is almost guaranteed!!!

What do you do with this poor animal?? He no longer has a place on this earth where he can fit in. This is what happens when human intervention interfers with a species....Kind of like a square peg trying to fit in a round hole...It is a real conundrum!!

If it were up to me, I would release every one of those whales into the wild all at once....Maybe that way they would become a real pod and have some hope of survival with a happy life.....

[cybersleuth58]

First and foremost, heartfelt condolences go out to the family of Dawn Brancheau. They should be allowed their privacy to grieve. If there is any solace it is that Dawn died doing what she loved to do.

As for those who advocate Tilikum's euthanization, I am quite sure that Ms. Brancheau would be the first one to object. As others have pointed out, Tilikum is a wild animal only acting upon instinct. He is a killer whale, not a robot that performs on command. Dawn Brancheau is allegedly the third human to perish as a result of contact with Tilikum; so who is to blame for her demise? Perhaps it was a complete surprise when Keltie Byrne was killed in 1991. After that it should have been clear that working with Tilikum could have fatal consequences.

The only good reason for keeping a wild animal in captivity is for purposes of rehabilitation. In other words, for the benefit of the animal itself. Once an animal is capable of returning to the wild there is no longer any justification for keeping it in captivity. All good intentions aside, these animals are kept to make money. Greed is responsible for Ms. Blancheau's death. It's a reason as old as mankind.

So let's learn our lesson and do right by these creatures. If there is no ethical reason for breeding in captivity, it should cease. We should do whatever is best for those animals being held now. Experts must help to determine which of them can be returned to the wild and which will never adapt.

If we truly are horrified by this senseless tragedy we will deal with the root cause. Punishing Tilikum will only lead to more deaths and more tragedies.

[betterusa]

It marked the third time the animal had been involved in a human death.

What part of KILLER WHALE is not understood by the Seaworld staff? These are WILD and UNTAMED animals acting on instinct.

[newsfreakkk]

now that they have him in captivity , the animal is used to it so it would eventully die if yu set it free.

[cbsfanforlife]

YouTube video of Shamu's attack at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87XDYuj8g8s

[mahdeealoo]

An intelligent animal has no place in captivity. I say release them to their natural habitat, primates included along with dolphins.

[alancontact]

Then when the animals get hungry they will wonder where the humans are to feed them. Very difficult to domesticate an animal, almost impossible to return them to the wild especially if they were born into captivity. What they need to do is put a moratorium on getting animals from the wild.