Killer Whale

[Road Guy]

Hmm maybe Sea World will have to "put down" the killer whale in light of the recent incident.

Sure the killer whale "killed" three people total, but maybe they should put the thing back in the ocean?

its like people that get suprised when their pet tiger eats them....

 

[MA_PE]

or at least stop poking at it and making it do stupid animal tricks oking:

 

[kevo_55]

^^ Damn straight!

Just ask Siegfried & Roy.

 

[Dleg]

I only briefly heard a moment of this on the radio this morning, but I only heard that it killed one woman by dragging her under with her hair. It killed three?

I say leave the thing where it is, and capitalize on it. Charge even more, serve drinks, and hold gladiator-like events where the potential death of the trainers is the main attraction. Shit, it wouldn't be much different than car racing in that respect, right????

 

[FLBuff PE]

Sounds like the killing of the trainer was orca-strated.

 

[Master slacker]

its like people that get suprised when their pet tiger eats them....

Well, if my tiger didn't eat me yesterday, then my tiger shouldn't eat me today. Right?

 

[Dark Knight]

Looks like the Orca pulled the trainer down grabbing the pony tail that fell in front of her hair. When she fell the Orca, said a witness, started to toss the trainer with the nose. The lady said the trainer was struggling to go to the surface but the Orca kept pulling her deeper with the nose tossing. When the trainer stopped moving she grabbed her with her mouth and started swimming around the pool like crazy. That is not a predatory behavior but playing.

Tilli, the name of the Orca, is the stud at SeaWorld and worth millions of dollars, according to the report. He is the one they use to splah the people at the end of the show and no trainer is allowed to be in the water with Tillikum since it has history. First, with two females, drowned a trainer in British Columbia. Years after, in Orlando, a homeless man was found draped in his back(sic). It was not clear how the man made it to the tank but the autopsy said he died from hypothermia. The Orca did bite him several times maybe thinking that was a toy.

More than one person said that the whales, in general, looked stressed Wednesday before the accident and many stopped taking commands from the trainers. It was not during the normal Shamu show but at the end of a Dine With Shamu event. The trainer went knee deep at the edge of the tank and was rubbing Tillikum when it happened. Even when the whale it is not part of the show with trainers in the water, it is trained so he can keep socializing with the other whales. Even when he is isolated most of the time he is allowed to interact with the female whales during the shows.

I have mixed feelings here. A human life was lost and that is sad. On the other hand the trainers know the risks. I mean, you do not mess with a 12k pounds animal. Period. Most likely he caught the trainer by surprise since she had a lot of experience with the whale. SeaWorld already said the Orca will not be put down. Even the relatives of the victim are against puting down Tilli saying that Dawn would not have allowed that to happen since she loved the whale so much. Define irony.

I do not know if I would like to die doing what I like the most but if I have to choose that is the way I would go.

We can only pray for a daughter that lost her mother now.

 

[Capt Worley PE]

Sounds like the killing of the trainer was orca-strated.

By a serial killer whale.

 

[Road Guy]

true DK I dont mean to make light of it, but the mass media frenzy about this with people comparing the killer whale to a pit bull that killed a girl and should be put down is a little over the top for me.

 

[wilheldp_PE]

Maybe we should rename pit bulls to Killer Dogs...that way we wouldn't have to put them down when they kill someone.

 

[NCcarguy]

I think they should go back to doing what they do. There's a risk if you're going to deal with animals this size, that are by nature killers, but this is what makes the show.

It's sad someone lost thier life over it, but that's the risk you take. There shows have been going on daily for several years, and this is a random act.

The only thing I would think they could do is to come up with some kind of underwater sonar device that would stop the whales in thier tracks if they got too playful like this, and allow someone to drag the person to safety. If the animal intended to kill the trainer, it would easily and quickly be able to do it.

Start the show back up.....the trainer would want it that way, and I don't see why they wouldn't.

 

[Chucktown PE]

I saw some thing on Discovery or National Geographic the other night (before all this happened) about Orcas. These are amazing animals. I was watching them bat around a 200 lb seal like it was a ping pong ball, just toying with it before they ripped the thing to shreds. Nature is cruel as it was a seal pup, but when they talked about this whale playing with the victim, I couldn't help but think that these animals don't know any better. I hate seeing animals like this in captivity, they just aren't made for being stuck in a tank. They roam tens of thousands of miles over their lives. When you coup them up like that there are consequences.

 

[Dexman PE]

Something like this is exactly why so many people attend these shows. Whether they want to admit it or not, most of the people watch these shows for the "what if something goes wrong." In a way it's just like NASCAR, no one wants to just watch cars go in circles, they want to see a twisted heap of scrapmetal on the track after a huge wreck.

Once the observer actually gets what they want, they yell and cheer and rave about how good of a show it was. Unfortunately on a rare occasion it goes just a little too far and someone loses their life. Do they ban stock-car racing after Earnhardt died in 2001? Nope, they took a couple weeks off to grieve, test the equipment, and implement some new safety measures, then were right back in it a short time later.

But like the others have said, it's the nature of the beast. You whether want to swim with 12,000 LB natural predators or drive 800 HP cars at 175mph, you have to live with that risk. Yes, safety measures are constantly being improved, but I don't think we're even close to being 100% safe.

 

[MA_PE]

Maybe we should rename pit bulls to Killer Dogs...that way we wouldn't have to put them down when they kill someone.

you could always return the orca to the sea. It's not likely that he'd hang around the resiort beaches dining on humans. The same cannot necessarily be said for the pit bull, that would roam the streets and potentially just attcak anyone that came near it for no good reason.

I saw some thing on Discovery or National Geographic the other night (before all this happened) about Orcas. These are amazing animals. I was watching them bat around a 200 lb seal like it was a ping pong ball, just toying with it before they ripped the thing to shreds. Nature is cruel as it was a seal pup, but when they talked about this whale playing with the victim, I couldn't help but think that these animals don't know any better. I hate seeing animals like this in captivity, they just aren't made for being stuck in a tank. They roam tens of thousands of miles over their lives. When you coup them up like that there are consequences.

supposedly orcas have an intelligence on par with humans. Therefore, they theoretically knew they were just toying around with the seal but they were going to eat it anyway. That's called being a wild animal. I suspect that humans not "domesticated" by society are likely to exhibit similar behavior.

Something like this is exactly why so many people attend these shows. Whether they want to admit it or not, most of the people watch these shows for the "what if something goes wrong." In a way it's just like NASCAR, no one wants to just watch cars go in circles, they want to see a twisted heap of scrapmetal on the track after a huge wreck.
Once the observer actually gets what they want, they yell and cheer and rave about how good of a show it was. Unfortunately on a rare occasion it goes just a little too far and someone loses their life. Do they ban stock-car racing after Earnhardt died in 2001? Nope, they took a couple weeks off to grieve, test the equipment, and implement some new safety measures, then were right back in it a short time later.

But like the others have said, it's the nature of the beast. You whether want to swim with 12,000 LB natural predators or drive 800 HP cars at 175mph, you have to live with that risk. Yes, safety measures are constantly being improved, but I don't think we're even close to being 100% safe.

I laughed when a Seaworld spokesman said ont eh news this morning that they absolutely can make a safe environment for the trainers and keep the shows going (with Tilly), they're just need to work out the specific details of how to accomplish that.

 

[Dark Knight]

Maybe we should rename pit bulls to Killer Dogs...that way we wouldn't have to put them down when they kill someone.

Do you know why the people call them "killer whales"?

I would be nice to research how many humans have been killed by Orcas in the wild and how many people have killed by domestic dogs. I am sure someone should be able to find that stat somewhere.

 

[wilheldp_PE]

Do you know why the people call them "killer whales"?

[QUOTE='Wikipedia]The name "killer whale" derives from the Spanish "ballena asesina" ("killer whale" in English), evidently coming from sailors who observed them hunting whales. English-speaking scientists most often use the term "killer whale."
"Killer whale" advocates point out that its naming heritage is not limited to Spanish sailors. Indeed, the genus name Orcinus means "of or belonging to the kingdom of the dead", and although the name Orca (in use since antiquity) is probably not etymologically related, the assonance might have given some people the idea that it meant "whale that brings death" or "demon from hell." The name is also similar to Orcus, a Roman god of the underworld. Also, there is the fact that some members of the species have killed people (although such killings occur only when the whales are in captivity and never in the wild).
[/QUOTE]Interestingly enough, Killer Whales aren't even whales. They are big dolphins.

 

[roadwreck]

Interestingly enough, Killer Whales aren't even whales. They are big dolphins.

yup

What is the difference between dolphins and whales?
There is a difference between what we call a whale and what biologically is a whale. We tend to use whale for larger mammals living in the sea. Whales have baleen whereas dolphins have teeth. Killer whales for instance therefore are technically dolphins.

 

[wilheldp_PE]

What is the difference between dolphins and whales?Whales have baleen whereas dolphins have teeth.

I disagree with that statement...

The sperm whale, Physeter macrocephalus, is a marine mammal species, order cetacea, a [SIZE=10pt]toothed whale[/SIZE] (odontocete) having the largest brain of any animal.

 

[roadwreck]

What is the difference between dolphins and whales?Whales have baleen whereas dolphins have teeth.

I disagree with that statement...

The sperm whale, Physeter macrocephalus, is a marine mammal species, order cetacea, a [SIZE=10pt]toothed whale[/SIZE] (odontocete) having the largest brain of any animal.

:jerkit:

 

[MGX]

Time to airdrop a few Japanese into the whale tank.