Whale Mauls Trainer at Seaworld in Orlando

[mikejet]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/0..._n_475408.html

ORLANDO, Fla. — A trainer at SeaWorld Orlando died Wednesday after a killer whale attacked her in front of a horrified audience.

Orange County Fire Rescue spokesman John Mulhall said paramedics were called to the Shamu Stadium at the theme park resort where they found a worker who could not be revived.

Park guest Victoria Biniak told WKMG-TV that the trainer had just finished explaining to the audience the show they were about to see.

Biniak told the station the whale suddenly came up from the water, grabbed the trainer around the waist and "thrashed her all around" to the point the trainer's shoe fell off.

"He was thrashing her around pretty good," Biniak said. "It was violent."

The guests were asked to leave and the park was closed.

There have been several previous attacks on whale trainers at SeaWorld parks.

In Nov. 2006, trainer Kenneth Peters, 39, was bitten and held underwater several times by a 7,000-pound killer whale during a show at SeaWorld's San Diego park. He escaped with a broken foot. The 17-foot-long orca who attacked him was the dominant female of SeaWorld San Diego's seven killer whales. She had attacked Peters two other times, in 1993 and 1999.

In 2004, another whale at the company's San Antonio park tried to hit one of the trainers and attempted to bite him. He also escaped.
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In December, a whale drowned a trainer at a Spanish zoo.

At the Orlando SeaWorld, the body of a naked man was found scratched, bruised and draped over a 5-ton orca named Tilikum in July 1999. Daniel Dukes, 27, reportedly made his way past security at SeaWorld, remaining in the park after it had closed. Wearing only his underwear, Dukes either jumped, fell or was pulled into the frigid water of Tilikum's huge tank.

An autopsy ruled that he died of hypothermia in the 50-degree water. Dukes' parents filed a lawsuit against the park later that year but later withdrew it.

[Meeklo]

You'd think people would know this was possible when the whale was called a "Killer Whale"......

[DJ Manyak]

please oh please tell me it wasn't WILLY

[LeAnn]

I wonder though if the animals go a little crazy from being in captivity...


I do hate that they put animals down when they attack the people...

It is really sad about the trainer. I could not imagine the terror of the audience who were witness.

[Chordata]

That's too bad - I feel especially bad for any little kids who witnessed it.

I was there a month ago and the same whale was acting up. They had to cancel the show.

[DetroitSportsFan]

Originally Posted by LeAnn

I wonder though if the animals go a little crazy from being in captivity...

Not to mention the abuse they sometimes go through to perform for us humans.

[Blu-Benny]

It is a wild animal after all….that is the risk you run, doesn’t matter how well “trained” they are.

[Chordata]

Originally Posted by Blu-Benny

It is a wild animal after all….that is the risk you run, doesn’t matter how well “trained” they are.

That doesn't make it any less tragic.

[Blu-Benny]

Originally Posted by O_V_N

That doesn't make it any less tragic.

oh...i know that. but it is a risk when u work w/animals like this everyday.

look @ the article, that one attacked the same guy 3x over the years.

it is sad, but could it really have been prevented?? if an animal is gonna attack, there's no way of knowing it's coming or not.

[GLaDOS]

Originally Posted by Meeklo

You'd think people would know this was possible when the whale was called a "Killer Whale"......

That's true. Oh, well. Are orca attacks/kills rare?

[Teabaggins]

the whales are too smart and can only take so much...

[MaCruz]

That's terrible. It's bound to happen.

[sfmarine]

That's very tragic....

[Mubbly]

Originally Posted by LeAnn

I wonder though if the animals go a little crazy from being in captivity...


I do hate that they put animals down when they attack the people...

They should never kill an animal in captivity over something like this, but I kind of understand if it is a wild tiger randomly killing people in a nearby village. Maybe relocation..

If you guys really want to be grossed out, here is what a croc can do to you..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74KLon4ogs8

[MaCruz]

Watching a few CNN videos and they stated this was the first incident to happen in their park.

[sfmarine]

I doubt it will hurt them though. Seaworld is a huge establishment.

[walruswarrior]

Wow is all I can say. I interned at Sea World last year (hitting a little more close to home) and it's definitely a tragedy. I think they need to stop the bull from performing. This is the third time this particular male has attacked someone. Once at Sealand (I believe this is what it's called) in Seattle in 1991 and twice here. It's an aggressive wild animal that honestly has no business in performing. After all they aren't dolphins, sea lions, or otters. We're talking about killing machines. There is a huge risk when getting in a tank with orcas. I hope they don't put down the orca.

[Lord_Stewie]

According to CNN The Whale did have history. It killed its transients in Canada before moving to the Seaworld.

[Steve]

Originally Posted by MaCruz

That's terrible. It's bound to happen.

Agreed.

[Meeklo]

Originally Posted by kotsedriver

That's true. Oh, well. Are orca attacks/kills rare?

Yes