SeaWorld Staff Saw Tilikum as Dangerous

Tilikum, the killer whale that took the life of a trainer Wednesday at Shamu Stadium, has always been considered an especially dangerous animal by the staff at SeaWorld Orlando.

According to the Orlando Sentinel, trainers were forbidden with swimming with Tillikum, a 12,000-pound orca nicknamed "Tilly."

Dawn Brancheau, the trainer who was killed, was one of less than half of the park's 28 trainers who were allowed to work with the whale.

Brancheau was rubbing the whale from a platform when he grabbed her ponytail in his mouth and took her underwater.

Visitors who stayed after an afternoon show witnessed the incident.

Reports that Tilikum had been acting strangely leading up to Wednesday's tragedy were dismissed by SeaWorld Orlando's curator for animal behavior, Chuck Tompkins.

Tompkins said the whale had been very cooperative and at the time he dragged Brancheau into the water, she was rewarding him for how well he had performed that day.

"There wasn't anything to indicate to us that there was a problem," Tompkins told CBS' "The Early Show" Thursday.

He added: "We were very careful with how we worked with him."

Tilikum had a marked history, however. The whale, along with two female killer whales drowned Keltie Byrne, a trainer, in 1991 at a British Columbia park and in 1999, Tilikum killed a man who had sneaked into the SeaWorld tank after hours to swim with whales.

• Quick Poll

Should the whale be put to death?
 Yes
 No

Russ Rector, an animal-rights activist, tells the Sentinel that Tilikum did not belong at a theme park.

"Tilikum is a killer," Rector told the paper. "If this had been a dog that killed Keltie Byrne, it would have been put down."

[MOelsner]

I think it is SICK how people are reffering to this amazing creature as a killer. If you think about it, the only animals who kill for fun are HUMANS. This animal should not be killed for what he did. I strongly believe that he had NO intent to kill her. He probably was trying to play with her and accidentally drowned her. This animal is amazing and deserves to live. Tilikum is NOT A KILLER.

[mypatch]

I'm hearing so much about this whale and nothing about this trainer that is dead because of this whale. Sea world should be shut down. No one should be allowed to risk life and limb just to entertain people. Wild animals should be left where they belong. I hope the family of this trainer sue the pants off seaworld.

[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

[Arsenaljamaica14]

this animal was born free... stop polluting the oceans and we wouldnt have to study them in camps... I mean aquariums...

[karenfayekal]

i am an orca by karen lyons kalmenson
i am an orca, i like to swim,
this life in small enclosures
for me is quite grim.
i need to hunt down
and capture my food,
not have it thrown at me
when you are in the mood.
in these small waters
i frolic and splash,
or your personal amusement,
so that someone can make cash.
i have had enough
and want to be an orca at again,
swim far away from this prison,
i am just waiting for when.
please hear my cries
before someone else dies

[bjanchap]

Maggie - I love the Early Show ... I have watched in every morning while getting ready for work for a very long time. However, I have been very disturbed with your interviews the last two morning concerning the accident at Seaworld in Orlando. It seems that you keep pressing the people that you are interviewing that the whale needs to be destroyed. It is an animal, simply acting like an animal. It was not it's choice to be put in captivity, and the trainer knew and accepted the risks and dangers. Please stop hounding the people that you are interviewing ... especially when they are trying to deal with what has happened to their friend.

[newsterl]

Russ Rector, an animal-rights activist, tells the Sentinel that.."


I'll just tell Russ to go f himself, i'm tired of hearing what these animal rights fanatics want or think

[ibsteve2u]

Thinking SeaWorld management is thrilled...with the thoughts of all of the visitors who will come to see if they're lucky enough to be there when the next puny human risks death in the tank of the serial killer!

[Anastasia2526]

Which would be again the fault of Sea World, Not the whale.

[tmsaurman]

This is a dangerous wild animal. Orca's are known to hunt sharks for God's sake. So lets just capture them breed them in captivity and make them big attractions... And to those who would say put the whale to death as we would a dog that attacks. Dogs are domesticated animals that have been domesticated for centuries. Orca's are not. Even born in captivity they are ruthless killers. Hence the nickname "Killer whales". DUH!!!

[Anastasia2526]

I don't think the whale should be put down. This is a killer whale not a dog. They were not made to be pets It is a wild animal. But now because it attacked we have to put it down. How do u expect it to be a pet and do tricks when "killer" is in its name, That right there should be a sign not to mess with it. Yes the whale was wrong but he does not know what he did was wrong, He is a whale. You would think after the first two incidents that would tell you he does not want to be bothered with, but Sea World had to buy him and now they lost a trainer.
Do not put the whale down, its his nature.
That is how i feel about the situation.