SeaWorld Defends Serial Killer Whale

(CBS)  Updated at 6:51 p.m. ET

With a backdrop of supposedly happy killer whales swimming in their tank, SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment President Jim Atchison said that Tilikum, the orca who killed trainer Dawn Brancheau on Wednesday, would not be subject to punishment.

During a press conference at the Orlando SeaWorld Friday, Atchison was asked about the three deaths that involved Tilikum and the judgment to put SeaWorld workers in the water with a killer whale that has killed.

WKMG: Watch trainer with Tilikum Before Attack

"The events are quite varied," Atchison said. "Those incidents and nature of them had nothing to do with the nature of this event ... and are not relevant to his particular altercation." He did not elaborate on how the three killing incidents varied.

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.

He was asked about videotapes related to the event, and said some existed but he could not share any information about them, as they are part of an ongoing investigation.

Atchison said that Tilikum is "an important part of the overall team," and is "part of a social network with other killer whales and trainers."

Tilikum will continue to be a part of SeaWorld shows, Atchison said. "His participation in shows is an important part of overall husbandry," he added.

He defended the orca exhibits and shows at SeaWorld as an "extraordinary way for people to make connections with marine animals."

As a member of the SeaWorld team, Tilikum is praised for his size and large splashes that entertain customers. He is allowed to socialize with the eight other whales at SeaWorld Orlando and his sperm is used to impregnate female orcas, adding to the stock of performing whales. "He is a very special animal that requires very special handing," Atchison said.

As part of the special handling, a review of orca management procedure is underway with a panel of experts, Atchison said. The show will go on, but trainers will not be allowed in the water with the orcas until the review is completed. "We will move in a cautious way as we need to make sure it won't happen again," he said.

Before Wednesday's attack, Shamu was the whale most people associated with SeaWorld, entertaining 13 million people a year at all three parks, reports CBS News Correspondent Mark Strassmann. The whale show proved to be a commercial success, but critics complain it exploits the whales for entertainment.

"You take Shamu out of the equation, what's left standing at SeaWorld?" asked Courtney Vail. "You know, beer and the popcorn stand or petting the dolphins and feeding them fish. I don't see the research, I don't see the education, and I certainly don't see the conservation."

About the only way to keep humans from suffering the fate of Dawn Brancheau is to keep the species separate. According to Dr. Patrick Hof, a professor of neuroscience at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine who has done research on whale brains, Tilikum lives in an impoverished, foreign environment.

"The setting of SeaWorld is completely foreign to whales," Dr. Hof said. "A killer whale is a predator, a wild animal. Their hunting behavior is well documented, and they can become extremely aggressive."

Related stories on Tilikum:

Whale, Trainer Play on Film Before Attack
SeaWorld: The Show Must Go On
Ex-SeaWorld Official: Trainer Made Mistake
Dawn Brancheau's Last Moments Alive
SeaWorld Trainer Embraced Risks of Job
SeaWorld Dives into Damage Control
Trainer Has "No Fear" of Killer Whales
Tilikum Trainer Had to be Pulled From Jaws
Does Killer Whale Need a Lawyer?
SeaWorld Staff Saw Tilikum as Dangerous
What Caused Killer Whale to Attack?

Daniel Farber is editor-in-chief of CBSNews.com
©2010 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved

[ConnieChapman76]

All killer whales are dangerous to human handlers. Few killer whales chose to unleash that potential as they are mammals capable of a higher level of reasoning and they are not all alike. Some are kinder and gentler, others are meaner and rougher. Some differences can be explained by their sex, size, breeding, age, wild-caught or captive-born. Other differences can only be explained by the animal?s disposition as exhibited by their tendencies.

Tilly pulled Dawn Brancheau into the tank, intentional or accidental is irrelevant. At that moment he made a decision. He had the cognitive ability to know how much she (as a human) could endure before injury and how much more to death. He pushed her to the breaking point?and beyond. He killed Dawn intentionally.

What happens next will depend on our higher level of thinking:

Option #1; accept it as the natural behavior of a captive killer whale, outside the character of most killer whales, but within the realm of possible outcomes of killer whale to human encounters. Tilly will continue to believe that it is acceptable to kill his handlers. Then going forward, encourage extra precaution when working with Tilly to prevent as many ?human in the tank? decisions for Tilly as possible since they know his disposition and tendencies. If he would kill Dawn he would kill any and all ?humans in the tank.? He must be utterly incapable of forming respectful relationships with even the most wonderful human handlers. In the end, option #1 is only temporary?eventually one of the following options is inevitable.

Option #2; release Tilly into the wild to fend for himself. Maybe to finally appreciate and value Dawn (and the other handlers), after all the last twenty minutes of her life were spent feeding and entertaining him. Hopefully he lives long enough to reunite with his family and possibly even find himself again, free diving to the depths of the ocean and dying there one day.

Option #3; SeaWorld can kill him as a ?strike three? recidivist threat, eliminating a possible source of embarrassment and frustration to the other captive whales, and eliminating a definite future threat to his handlers.

Accompany either Option #1 or #2 with a promise to ??Never again keep free born killer whales in captivity, only captive-born, many of which are calves of Tilly and in this way, the better part of Tilly and the very best intentions of Dawn Brancheau live on at SeaWorld!?

[shinegom]

Why does CBS News continue to berate this whale as a "serial killer"?
There's no record of that -- Maybe you need to get your news first from another news network before you report yours. A homeless man went swimming at night in a Sea World tank of whales and he drowned. Other than that, this orca was in a tank with other orcas when someone else went in for a swim. I used to think better of CBS News --

[aeromike222]

I completely agree. "Serial" killer. CBSnews is commercial entertainment at best. They are not reporters as much as gossip columnists. I only check this site because they have a nice color backdrop that pleases my eye, other than that, CBSnews sucks like all the rest!

[BruceWilliams1]

Anything for a buck.

After all, sh'e dead now and can't make us any money. The whale can.

[AnnieDanny]

We love panda bears, but everybody knows it's not a good idea to hug a full grown panda. One guy tried it recently, I seem to recall that was in the news within the past year. Anyway, it seems to me that Sea World has been lucky so far, taking such liberties as they do with such huge wild animals. Before Sea World, everybody believed Killer whales were really dangerous. Obviously, they are. I hope Sea World has the sense to put some very realistic protocols in place.

[ClownsOnLeft_Jokers2Right]

Is that a killer whale in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?

[DSR_57]

Just knowing this whale has been involved in 3 killings, why would they ever even consider putting it back in a show. Guess admission prices are more important than trainers

[SocietysNightmare]

You ain't know?! You better ask somebody!! That whale brings in revenue, plus I understand he's a great breeder. The killer whale population is gettin' smaller.

[erb0087]

by REV750R February 26, 2010 4:26 PM EST
CBS Do you know why it (the whale) is called a Killer Whale??? Now you do.........
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We also know your knowledge of marine biology is 2,000 years out of date.

Orcas (that's their proper name, Orcas) were called "killer whales" by Pliny the Elder in the 1st century A.D. He was a credulous and superstitious author who readily swallowed unsupported folklore and wild exaggerations.

No wild Orca has even been documented to have killed a human being, although numerous Youtube videos taken off the Northwest Pacific coast show people in small kayaks visiting Orca pods up close.

[DSR_57]

No wild Orca has even been documented to have killed a human being, although numerous Youtube videos taken off the Northwest Pacific coast show people in small kayaks visiting Orca pods up close.
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That's such a immaterial point. They haven't attacked kayaks because they are a lot bigger then their prey and are actually IN the water. Another reason people haven't been attacked is probably because they don't go swimming with 300 sea lions on the KILLER Whales hunting grounds. If sea world puts this whale back into the show and it kills a FORTH person then SeaWorld should be sued into oblivion

[ludvig1-2009]

Free Tili

[erb0087]

by USMC-Mom February 26, 2010 4:23 PM EST
Come on CBS!!!! ..."Serial Killer Whale" ? You have got to be kidding me.
Change that title this whale is not Ted Bundy or Charles Manson
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It's a ridiculous title.

Tilikum was kidnapped at the age of 2, in the waters off Iceland.

He killed three of his captors.

NO WILD ORCA HAS EVER BEEN KNOWN TO KILL A HUMAN BEING.

[Skruffy1]

SeaWorld had BETTER "defend" the orca. For them to do anything else would be ridiculous. It's SeaWorld's fault that three people have been killed by this creature, simply by their keeping it captive for the selfish purpose of making money by charging admission to watch it perform tricks. A huge animal like this cannot help becoming neurotic in captivity.