Whale kills SeaWorld trainer during Orlando show

[Mr Walker]

A killer whale has killed a 40-year-old female trainer at the SeaWorld marine park in Orlando, Florida.

Officials described the incident as an accident, saying the woman fell in the water, but witnesses said the whale jumped up and grabbed her by the waist.

Guests were evacuated while fire crews tried to rescue the woman, but they were unable to revive her.

The killer whale - called Tilikum - was also involved incidents in 1991 and 1999, reports said.

Other whales also attacked trainers at Sea World parks in 2006 and 2004.

Conflicting accounts

Wednesday's incident took place at around 1400 local time (1900 GMT) inside Shamu Stadium.

Mr Brown described the woman as highly experienced

"One of our most experienced animal trainers drowned in the incident," Mr Brown said in a brief statement to the media. He said an investigation was under way.

Jim Solomons, a spokesman for the Orange County Sheriff's Office, said the trainer "apparently slipped or fell" into the tank, but that it was too early to tell if she was attacked by the whale.

"There is no sense of foul play. Right now this appears to be an accident," said Mr Solomons.

The official account differed from that of eyewitnesses.

Park guest Victoria Biniak told a local TV channel that the trainer had just finished explaining to the audience what they were about to see.

At that point, she said, the whale "took off really fast, and then he came back around to the glass, jumped up, grabbed the trainer by the waist and started shaking her violently. The last thing we saw was her shoe floating."

Another male audience member gave CNN a similar version of events.

Part of the entertainment park, known for its killer whale, seal and dolphin displays, was closed after the incident.

Previous attacks

The killer whale, known as Tilikum, was reportedly involved in several incidents in the past, the BBC's Andy Gallacher reports from Florida.

BBC's Andy Gallagher: Reports say this whale has a dubious past

One involved the death of another trainer in 1991 while Tilikum was performing in British Columbia, Canada.

After the whale - nicknamed Telly - was sold to SeaWorld Orlando it was involved in a second incident when authorities discovered the body of a naked man lying across his back in 1999.

Officials later concluded the man, who had either snuck into SeaWorld after hours or hidden in the park until it closed, most likely drowned after suffering instant hypothermia.

There have been incidents involving other whales at SeaWorld.

In November 2006, trainer Kenneth Peters was bitten and held underwater by a 7,000lb (3,000kg) female killer whale during a show at SeaWorld's San Diego park. He escaped with a broken foot.

In 2004 another whale at the company's San Antonio park attempted to bite a trainer, but he too escaped.

Though called a killer whale, the orca (Orcinus orca), is actually the largest member of the oceanic dolphin family.

Animal rights group Peta says it has long been asking SeaWorld to stop taking wild, ocean-going mammals and confining them to an area that, to them, is "the size of a bathtub".

[Mr Walker]

I know Les likes posting pictures of whale penises, so I just figured...

[kwame k]

'No sense of foul play' in whale trainer death'

I was going to post this and in the article I read this was the quote from the cops......

WTF? I guess we can rest easy knowing the whale didn't premeditate the murder.....

Seriously, the number of attacks the whales have done in the past indicate that they were playing or considered the trainers play toys.......kinda like getting a love tap from a Grizzly but x's ten.

[Diamondjimi]

Well, they are called Killer Whales for a reason....

[fryingdutchman]

It's ashame...but not shocking.

There's always that little sliver of a chance that one of those fuckers goes haywire.

No matter how well the trainers think they "know the whale", and no matter what kind of "relationship" they have with the whale...there's always that chance that it will snap.

Yes, the whales are "smart." But at the end of the day they're still beasts motivated by primal urges. One of their primary primal urges is to kill...hence the name "killer whale" (as DJ so aptly pointed out).

[Anonymous]

Yes, the humans are "smart." But at the end of the day they're all still beasts motivated by primal urges. One of their primary primal urges is to kill...

While I do agree with your post, I couldn't help but point out some similarities...

Another one is to get laid, by the way.

Not that I'm offering it to you.

Dear Gawd, no.

Not that there's anything wrong with you.

I'd probably do you, if I was gay.

But I'm not.

Not that there's anything wrong with it.

I mean, if you're... um...

Guys, are there any chips left? Where's the beer?

Cheers! :bottle:

[Seshmeister]

The Sea World show has become such a sickly abortion of schmaltz and flag waving it's hard not to feel the killer whale was provoked. It now has some sort of bizarre 'Pro War, Pro Environment' message courtesy of the other right wing 'Bush' dynasty.

I took the kids there a couple of summers ago and was pretty shocked at the change - never again. Also the more I read it seems that the whole performing sea life industry is severely dodgy ethically.

Also of course they aren't really whales, they should be called Killer Dolphins.

Dolphins have a great guy doing their PR... :)

[LoungeMachine]

There ARE no "accidents"

Signed,

The Whales

:gulp:

[LoungeMachine]

.

Dolphins have a great guy doing their PR... :)

Is that moron Dan Marino still shilling?

:gulp:

Hang it up already....

[Terry]

The Sea World show has become such a sickly abortion of schmaltz and flag waving it's hard not to feel the killer whale was provoked. It now has some sort of bizarre 'Pro War, Pro Environment' message courtesy of the other right wing 'Bush' dynasty.

I took the kids there a couple of summers ago and was pretty shocked at the change - never again. Also the more I read it seems that the whole performing sea life industry is severely dodgy ethically.

Also of course they aren't really whales, they should be called Killer Dolphins.

Dolphins have a great guy doing their PR... :)


Yeah, the Shamu show IS a bit odd re: shots of American flags on the jumbo-tron displays which serve as a backdrop for the pre-show...it's like, I didn't spend $70 to be indoctrinated into the Sea World super patriot citizen brigade. Just bring on the fucking whales. I also remember something on the pre-show p.a. about "honoring our soldiers of past and present wars". Fuck's sake, I suppose it's one thing to hear that kind stuff at a ball game or at the Air Force air show. One expects that kind of stuff at those functions. Not at an Orlando theme park.

Kind of funny in that the last time I was there, the Sunday after Christmas last year, the show was delayed for about 15 minutes because one of the whales had been, to quote the trainer, "acting out". I can't remember if the trainer and the whale were the same ones involved with this latest incident or not.

[Seshmeister]

At the one I was at last there was this bullshit about standing up to salute the troops in Iraq.

I thought 'Fuck this'. As you say that's not what I'm here for.

Ended up in the uncomfortable position of sitting there with the kids whilst the rest of the stadium stood.

I think I saw another couple of Middle Eastern looking types(probably terrorists ;)) not standing but that was it out of a few thousand. I'm happy to donate and respect remembrance days and so on but the way this thing was pitched and the timing was totally inappropriate.

[fryingdutchman]

While I do agree with your post, I couldn't help but point out some similarities...

Another one is to get laid, by the way.

Not that I'm offering it to you.

Dear Gawd, no.

Not that there's anything wrong with you.

I'd probably do you, if I was gay.

But I'm not.

Not that there's anything wrong with it.

I mean, if you're... um...

Guys, are there any chips left? Where's the beer?

Cheers! :bottle:

Rare form tonight, Imapus?

You're becoming as cryptic as WARF...

[Dr. Love]

I suspect there'll be a new item on the menu at sea world pretty soon.

[Little Texan]

You mean an animal called a KILLER Whale actually KILLED someone? I'm totally shocked!

[Seshmeister]

I suspect there'll be a new item on the menu at sea world pretty soon.

The world famous Trainer Burger©®™

[Dr. Love]

my thoughts exactly

[Terry]

I suspect there'll be a new item on the menu at sea world pretty soon.

Best...flash...clip...picture...signature...EVER (see above post)

[Seshmeister]

I'm getting so old.

I was looking at that thinking it would be a bit annoying... :D

[FORD]

Dolphins have a great guy doing their PR... :)

Well they probably got a lot of mileage out of the Douglas Adams "Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy" book series which said they were the most intelligent species on Earth, and had the good sense to leave before the Vogons showed up.

[Anonymous]

I'm getting so old.

I was looking at that thinking it would be a bit annoying... :D

Well, then... it's not old you're getting.

Cheers! :bottle:

[Dr. Love]

I just think it's sad that there's all those tits, cunts, mouths and she-anuses and he's still jerking himself off.

[Seshmeister]

Well they probably got a lot of mileage out of the Douglas Adams "Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy" book series which said they were the most intelligent species on Earth, and had the good sense to leave before the Vogons showed up.

They actually do a lot of rape and killing of their own but having mouths that naturally go up and look like a human smile goes a long way.

Kind of like squirrels which are exactly like rats but are lucky enough to have fluffy tails.:)

I'm not saying I would eat a dolphin sandwich or shoot a squirrel but it is all completely fucking arbitrary.

I was thinking that this morning eating a bacon sandwich whilst looking at the kitten I got for the kids for Xmas...

[Seshmeister]

I just think it's sad that there's all those tits, cunts, mouths and she-anuses and he's still jerking himself off.

I hate to break the mood but he's probably just doing that to try and keep a hard-on because of the misery of trying to keep one with 10 guys looking on with cameras and sound equipment.

[DavidLeeNatra]

good one! go whales!!! I hope many, many kids saw it, got traumatized and will never go to these shows again...

this is where an orca belongs:

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/staticfiles/NGS/Shared/StaticFiles/animals/images/primary/orca-killer-whale.jpg

[Nickdfresh]

Well, they are called Killer Whales for a reason....

If you've ever seen those nature documentaries with footage of them going after seals, you fucking know why they call them "Killer" Whales...:(

[Nickdfresh]

They actually do a lot of rape and killing of their own but having mouths that naturally go up and look like a human smile goes a long way.

Kind of like squirrels which are exactly like rats but are lucky enough to have fluffy tails.:)

I'm not saying I would eat a dolphin sandwich or shoot a squirrel but it is all completely fucking arbitrary.

I was thinking that this morning eating a bacon sandwich whilst looking at the kitten I got for the kids for Xmas...

And pigs are pretty close to humans DNA-wise. So close, in fact, that they're used in experiments for skin burns to simulate human flesh....

How was breakfast BTW? :):barf:

[Anonymous]

If you ask me, I think the whole murder was orcastrated.

Cheers! :bottle:

[kwame k]

If you ask me, I think the whole murder was orcastrated.

Cheers! :bottle:


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[FORD]

If you've ever seen those nature documentaries with footage of them going after seals, you fucking know why they call them "Killer" Whales...:(

Yes, but it's also true that an Orca in the wild has never attacked a human. Orcas are social animals. They hunt in packs. Or pods or whatever they call it. You never see one alone, except in captivity. Isolation can really fuck with your mind, and apparently that's not limited to one species.

[PETE'S BROTHER]

Well they probably got a lot of mileage out of the Douglas Adams "Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy" book series which said they were the most intelligent species on Earth, and had the good sense to leave before the Vogons showed up.

"...and thanks for all the fish"

[Ally_Kat]

I was going to post this and in the article I read this was the quote from the cops......

WTF? I guess we can rest easy knowing the whale didn't premeditate the murder.....


Not what some people are saying - Whale expert says killing of trainer was 'premeditated' - Paw Print Post: A community for Dog, Cat, and Pet Owners - USATODAY.com (http://content.usatoday.com/communities/pawprintpost/post/2010/02/whale-expert-says-killing-of-trainer-was-premeditated/1)

[Dan]

Holy Shit.:D

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[vh rides again]

Well, they are called Killer Whales for a reason....

thats what i was thinking, LOL. good one.