[pablonite]

Hmmmm. The horror. link$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'B')razilian tourist João Lúcio da Costa Sobrinho, 28, and his girlfriend, Talita Oliveira, 20, watched the attack from an underwater-viewing area where they had gone to take photos.

Suddenly, they saw a woman in the killer whale's jaws, her face bloody. The more than 20-foot-long orca circled round and round, turning her over and over, they said. "It was terrible," Sobrinho said. "It's very difficult to see the image."

Witnesses who watched the attack while eating at the "Dine with Shamu" show — a poolside buffet where trainers demonstrate their connection with the animals — told the Sentinel a female trainer was petting a killer whale when it grabbed her and plunged into the water.

It reappeared on the other side of the tank and leapt up holding the woman, they said. Within minutes, an alarm sounded, and security workers escorted the spectators out...

[Ayame]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('pablonite', 'S')ame goes with elephants, when the Thais use them for logging it's different, here in America we look at them. One crushed his handler a few years back at the local safari. Apparently it's frequent.

[rangerone314]

I'd probably stop sitting down too if someone's head went up my butt.

At least with the orca, the orca didn't EAT her. Otherwise it would have been the "Watch Shamu Dine" show.

[Jotapay]

These are wild animals. These freaking idiots are ignoring the simple fact that these are not humans, they are animals. Animals act unpredictably sometimes. This particular animal is hardwired to kill and eat mammals and fish in their environment. And these silly, stupid hippies get in the water with them.

Even with other animals that are supposedly domesticated like a dog, you never, EVER leave a dog alone with a baby or small child. You never know when the dog's prey instinct will be triggered and you will be less one child who got ripped to shreds by sharp teeth because the parent was a dumbass. These hippies who think that animals can be completely trusted are fools. Around horses, goats, whatever, you have to respect the fact they are animals. The only reason I will accept my German Shepherd into my house is because I weigh three times what she weighs and she knows that I am definitely dominant over her. I definitely wouldn't be one of these fools who owns a adult monkey, tiger or mountain lion for a pet.

Darwin Award candidate right here.

[rangerone314]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Jotapay', 'T')hese are wild animals. These freaking idiots are ignoring the simple fact that these are not humans, they are animals. --snip-- I definitely wouldn't be one of these fools who owns a adult monkey, tiger or mountain lion for a pet.Darwin Award candidate right here.

[Jotapay]

True enough. But I'm bigger than my dog. I'm not bigger than a bear or a killer whale. That's just foolish.

[pablonite]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Jotapay', 'I') definitely wouldn't be one of these fools who owns a adult monkey, tiger or mountain lion for a pet. Darwin Award candidate right here.

[rangerone314]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('pablonite', 'C')heck out some of the videos coming out of South Africa and the wild monkeys that rape and pillage the tourists - it's near a lookout. --snip-- The human forgot they were human and "petting" a 12,000 pound pit bull in it's element - water. It must have been a rush to go out that way though!

[WildRose]

"People Got A Lotta Nerve"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXl870NoF4E

[threadbear]

I really feel for the girl. It's terribly sad that anyone has to die this way. Sad thing is, Tillicum can never be returned to the wild, now that he's lost his fear of man but not his anger.

[Pretorian]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('rangerone314', ' ')Other good one is a chimpanzee (man's closet relative) forcing a frogAdult content deleted. I watch those two whenever I want remind myself about humans being stupid primates.

[WildRose]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('threadbear', 'I') really feel for the girl. It's terribly sad that anyone has to die this way. Sad thing is, Tillicum can never be returned to the wild, now that he's lost his fear of man but not his anger.

[rangerone314]

At least orcas aren't as heinous as that other dolphin species, Tursiops truncatus (Bottlenose dolphin). Bottlenoses crossbreed with almost anything (or try) like dogs. Wholpins... half-whale/half-dolphin. Text deleted. Dolphins are whacked.

[Pretorian]

well, I dare you to count speciesText deleted.. No, I double-dare you.

[Loki]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('threadbear', 'I') really feel for the girl. It's terribly sad that anyone has to die this way. Sad thing is, Tillicum can never be returned to the wild, now that he's lost his fear of man but not his anger.

[threadbear]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('WildRose', 'S')ure it's sad, especially because she loved the animal that killed her. I think these large animals in captivity go crazy - some of them are docile and do what's expected of them, and others lash out unexpectedly like Tillicum did. Their instincts tell them to travel great distances every day but they are stuck in tiny enclosures. Sad for all of them, trainers and animals. Hi, by the way!

[Sixstrings]

What bothers me about this story is the lack of emphasis on the human victim. From both sides of the issue, there just doesn't seem to be a recognition that a human life is more important than one particular whale. The anti-captivity folks feel sorry for the whale being cooped up, while some trainers I saw interviewed had a lot to say about what a "beautiful" whale Tilikum is, and that he needs "more love" and this and that.

What I haven't heard is a recognition that a human life was lost here, and that precautions should be taken so that a trainer's life can be saved in an emergency.

I love whales, and I really dislike the commercial whaling that some countries engage in. But in that moment where a HUMAN life is in grave danger, then there should have been a couple people already standing by with harpoons. Yes, that wouldn't be a pleasant site for the kids to see -- but really no worse than watching a woman drown. And more importantly, if that whale had been shot with 3 harpoons it would have let the woman go and she would have lived.

Ideally, they ought to figure out a nonlethal mechanism to force a whale to drop its victim. This kind of thing has happened before at Sea World, I seem to recall reading about one of the whales grabbing a trainer's foot and keeping him under for a while (he got away without injury). But until such a nonlethal emergency control system is devised, they really ought to have a couple harpooners watching at all times.

As for the captivity issue, I think overall Sea World has been good for whales. The more people that see those shows, the more that care about conservation and stopping whaling. Plus these animals may be extinct at some point, so is it really such a bad idea to have a breeding stock in captivity?

And finally, the shows really are pretty darn cool. Fact is, people like animal shows. If you're going to shut down Sea World, then you may as well shutter every circus and zoo in the world. By and large, I think modern first-world zoos have achieved a pretty good balance with human captivity. The only thing lacking, in Sea World's case, is a recognition that saving a human life should be the first priority.

[Homesteader]

Yeah, but. . .
The trainer knew the risks and made her choice. The whale has had no choice in the matter of captivity or being trained to do stupid tricks.

[SeaGypsy]

I think there are 2 big assumptions there sixstrings. 1 is that the trainer would have survived the few tens of seconds harpoons would have taken to slow down the whale. 2 is that whales are too stupid to know there are harpoons aimed at them.
Another point is that the beauty of these shows is in the cooperation of man and animal; something severely diminished by the presence of harpoons.
She knew the risks and took them.

[Sixstrings]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Homesteader', 'Y')eah, but. . .
The trainer knew the risks and made her choice. The whale has had no choice in the matter of captivity or being trained to do stupid tricks.