Orca kills trainer

[DMB]

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article7040353.ece?token=null&offset=0&page=1

Spectators say that Ms Brancheau had just finished describing the performance the audience was about to watch and was rubbing the whale's head when it grabbed her and pulled her in.

Victoria Biniak told a local TV station that Tillikum, nicknamed Telly, "took off really fast in the tank and he came back, shot up in the air, grabbed the trainer by the waist and started thrashing her around"...

...Her husband Gary added: "He dragged her underneath the water and wouldn't let her come up. The force by which the woman was pulled into the water... her shoes were pulled off, it was terrible.

Anyone who's seen those things killing seals would hardly be surprised. I guess it's a mistake ever to suppose that a dangerous wild animal is totally benign.

[Ray Moscow]

Yeah, I saw that, too. Sad story.

I'm surprised this doesn't happen a lot more often, actually. Large predators don't make safe pets, since we are after all made of meat.

[Haswell]

The word "killer" as in "Killer Whale" should be a bit of a give away you would think?

Sooner or later, the Lion tamer get mauled. Who knew?

[Matty]

An alarm sounded and staff evacuated the audience out of the stadium as workers scrambled around with nets. SeaWorld has been closed to the public while the park carries out an investigation.

what're they doing. interrogating the fucking whale?
its not like the whale is going to get a fair trial in Florida anyway, he's half black.


you climb into the tank with (or swim in the wild with, or dive with, or pet) any large predator and you are taking a risk that you become lunch. Pretty sure this chick knew that more than most.

[Politesse]

This particular orca's behavior is unusual, though laudable. I hardly think it's fair to generalize about an entire species from the actions of a single individual. I don't agree with the practice of keeping whales in captivity, still less persuading them to do tricks for swarms of money-laden idiots. But the "killer" distinction is hardly deserved, in a world where all creatures live by killing something else, and this particular whale certainly had a justifiable grievance.

[David B]

This particular orca's behavior is unusual, though laudable. I hardly think it's fair to generalize about an entire species from the actions of a single individual. I don't agree with the practice of keeping whales in captivity, still less persuading them to do tricks for swarms of money-laden idiots. But the "killer" distinction is hardly deserved, in a world where all creatures live by killing something else, and this particular whale certainly had a justifiable grievance.

Hear Hear!

Free Willy!

David

[munnki]

Lolz. Terrible but still lolz. Reminds me of those stupid Aussie shows where guys hang out with predators and snakes.

[LoneWolf]

I'm also amazed when people are surprised by these stories. I do think zoos serve a couple noble purposes. But I am strongly against forcing them to do tricks and I think direct physical interaction should be kept to a minimum.

The only reason we are at the top of the food chain is our tool use. When you leave those tools behind and jump into a tank with a killer whale or a cage with a lion you are not at the top any longer. You are just a slow, frail, human, and pound per pound one of the weakest animals on the planet.

Do...the...math...people.

[Matty]

wasnt Killer Whale hte monika given to them by whalers who saw them tearing at the carcasses of whales they had harpooned?

it was more a comment on cannibalism than killer per se IIRC.

[DMB]

This particular orca's behavior is unusual, though laudable. I hardly think it's fair to generalize about an entire species from the actions of a single individual. I don't agree with the practice of keeping whales in captivity, still less persuading them to do tricks for swarms of money-laden idiots. But the "killer" distinction is hardly deserved, in a world where all creatures live by killing something else, and this particular whale certainly had a justifiable grievance.

I agree.

[Kaessa]

It's sad, but my first reaction was, "I'm not surprised something like this happened, I'm just surprised this doesn't happen more often."

I've seen the environments in which those whales live. I'm astonished more of them don't snap. It's a giant swimming pool. It would be like being locked in a 10x10 room with nothing to keep yourself amused.

[LoneWolf]

And I think it is evident that the more intelligent the animal the more likely it is to "snap" in such conditions.

[lpetrich]

Killer whales got their name from their hunting whales -- they are very big ocean dolphins, the biggest of Delphinidae.

I remember watching some bottlenose dolphins and a killer whale perform once -- the KW was confined in a pool not much longer than it, which seemed cruel to me. At the very least, they ought to have a circular pool like an aquarium I once saw for open-water fish. That way the KW can swim around and around and around in it, like those fish. That approach could also be used for land animals that are adapted to wandering long distances.

[Politesse]

When I was in elementary school, we watched a video of a pack of five orcas systematically hunting down and slaughtering a blue whale that had fallen ill. It... left an impression. They are fantastic creatures, and of course incredibly intelligent. The only reason they don't snap and kill everyone is that they are also social by nature and inclined to treat us rather better than we treat them in return. For the most part, they really do seem to befriend their captors; but that doesn't make it right to keep them captive, nor surprising if one orca in one park decides she's had a bum deal and begins to act out.

[Faerie]

I'm also amazed when people are surprised by these stories. I do think zoos serve a couple noble purposes. But I am strongly against forcing them to do tricks and I think direct physical interaction should be kept to a minimum.

The only reason we are at the top of the food chain is our tool use. When you leave those tools behind and jump into a tank with a killer whale or a cage with a lion you are not at the top any longer. You are just a slow, frail, human, and pound per pound one of the weakest animals on the planet.

Do...the...math...people.

Exactly, we tend to forget that with the evolution of our so-called intelligence we had to give up the claws and fangs. In the last 4/5 months we've had a spate of stupid people coming to their untimely end because they forgot that wild animals are just that - wild.

In December alone, we've had a mauling in a lion park because some idiot wanted a close up of a lion and figured the zoom option on the camera wasnt adequate. We've had several crocodile deaths, around 2/3 shark attacks, and the media had send out new warnings about handling snakes - simply because some exotic species are sold as pets these days, doesnt mean that a Boomslang or Puffadder would make a good playmate.... :bang:

[Valheru]

what're they doing. interrogating the fucking whale?
its not like the whale is going to get a fair trial in Florida anyway, he's half black.


LMFAO!

Reminds me of this series of protips:

How to prevent a shark attack.

1. Don't swim in the fucking sea.
More than 99% of all shark attacks happen in large bodies of salt water, also known as OCEANS. To determine whether you're in the ocean, taste the water. The masses of negro children pissing in the shallows has little effect on this.

2. ALWAYS swim with fat motherfuckers.
Always ensure that you're sharing the sea with a lardass. The chances of you being able to swim faster than them and thus make your escape are increased.

3. Hack the sunblock of the peeps around you.
To further reduce your chances of being shark food, replace other peeps' sunblock with something that smells of grilled steak.

4. Do NOT, under any circumstances, enter the water without a knife.
This way, the moment you spot a shark, jou can hack and slash your fellow bathers and turn them into bloody decoys. Make your way ashore ASAP.

5. Listen carefully.
Each and every shark has a theme song. If you hear "daa-dum… daa-dum… daa-dum..." then swim for your life (preferably after using the above avoidance techniques). If you hear "dumdumdumdumdumdum..." then don't bother – you're fucked sideways and you deserve a Darwin award for not employing said techniques.

6. Don't panic.
Stay calm when you discover a shark gnawing on your hip. You're fucked anyway and it won't help to try and survive. The peeps on the shore would also appreciate it if you didn't spoil their sunny day at the beach by screaming and hollering like a motherfucker. It's just not nice to hear that shit. Think of the fucking children, for chrissakes!

7. Don't piss the fucking sharks off!
They don't fuck around in your back yard, so stay the fuck out of theirs. If you don't, you're going to pick up shit for sure!

[Ray Moscow]

Predators play rough. I remember watching our cats -- littermates -- who would literally tear tufts of fur out of each other while play fighting.

If they were, say, human sized, a human receiving such attention would not survive even their roughhousing.

Now, take a 6-ton killer whale. If it forgets for a moment that you are a fragile human and playfully yanks you around like it might one of its own kind, that's probably going to be it.

(This is leaving aside our edible nature for the moment.)

[Daynna]

A woman on the bus this morning was badmouthing a local school district.. she said, "I wouldn't send that whale that killed that poor woman to those schools!"

[Ray Moscow]

I keep reading the headline as "Orca Trains Killer", which could be an interesting spy story.

[Bane]

General rule of thumb for dealing with animals:

If it's bigger than you and/or bad-tempered, don't bother it unless absolutely necessary!