SeaWorld trainer killed by whale in Orlando

Pretty sad and disturbing, but c'mon, the thing weighs 5,600kg and is the top predator in the ocean. This is bound to happen sooner or later, and by the looks of it, it has happend before.
All the more reason doing shows with animals is completely wrong. Set up sanctuaries for them, yes, but get in the water and make them perform then you have sealed your fate in my books.

Orcas are suppoosedly very close to humans in intelligence. Now picture yourself in this poor animal's place. You'd want to kill the bastards who keep you locked up too. Then again it might not have been intentional, as humans are pretty frail in the animal world. An annoyed slap a bear or a big cat gives to a younger cub or another animal would like seriously injure one of us, if not kill.

I'm all for ending the trapping/hunting and capture of all cetaceans. You want to see a killer whale, pay for a whale watching tour, or at the very least create huge enclosures(bays and Fjords) and set up underwater viewing to observe these creatures in their natural habitat, not behaving like a dog in a swimming pool.

I'm not a big fan of watching large intelligent animals perform for us either. It's no suprise they go batshit crazy once and awhile. Ask any musician that's touring for the first time with 4 other people and gear in a van for 6 months across North America, they can become as neurotic as a wet cat near the end. Imagine that elephant getting shipped around in a big rig from city to city can have the smae result once and awhile. Better off in the wild, even if it means their death.

I'll never go to these places, for now Animal Planet will have to do.

But, but, but... Were it a dog or a coyote or a bear, it would be shot...

Regardless of the conditions & surroundings, without freedom and liberty, such a life is prison. What did any of these critters do to deserve such a fate?

They're called whales, for Christ's sake.

"and the same whale is linked to another death in B.C."

Linked????

It's a serial killer whale

They should release it into the wild.
Seeing as it has a taste for killing people, it should be a real hit for sea kayakers everywhere.

That's the first thing I thought of!

When will we learn that whales, tigers, bears, etc DO NOT belong in captivity, whether in zoos or in a circus. I always get a kick out of these "experts" and "trainers" that insist the animals are perfectly happy and content living in a cage and entertaining people who pay money to see them. They like to lean on the educational benefit of the captivity as if they are doing us a favor at the cost of the animal's freedom.

Want to learn more about them? Then watch some of the excellent documentaries on TV created by people who are out there in the animal's environment. Want to get close-up and personal? Then go to their environment yourself and get as close as you dare for that perfect picture. You may just do the animal a favor too by providing them with an easy to catch meal.

I've gone diving with whales on a few occasions the dolphins(orcas included) have always been the most curious ones, and when you look into their eyes, you can really sense a keen intelligence looking back at you. These are the alpha predators of the oceans The larger whales all but ignore you.

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