Killer Whale Free...?

[Axer NZ]

Axer, what the hell???

Try holding it back a little.

That wasn't exaggeration... it's actually what happened to the whale that played Willy in Free Willy. They released him into the wild, he couldn't feed himself, and he died. You can go and visit his grave, it's on the aforementioned Norwegian coast.

[Violation_s51]

Sorry, but I disagree. You can't "train" an orca any more than you can "train" a human being. These are highly intelligent and evolved beings with strong individual personalities. You can't compare an orca to a dog or a cat either. Those are domesticated animals that have been bred over thousands of years as companion animals. An orca is it's own being and has no need of humans at all. In their natural habitat they will not harm humans and have even been known to co-operate with humans in hunting whales.

Notice I said co-operate? That is what these intelligent captive creatures are forced to do. I believe they understand the nature of their captivity and simply decide to co-operate because they a) get free food, b) are bored and c) hope that doing what is asked of them will improve their lot. Many dolphins and orcas in captivity may even come to like their human handlers and "perform" to please them but every now and then there will be an individual who does not like the idea of being confined and ordered around and they will strike out. Much the same as some humans would.

Human beings have a lot to learn in the ways we interact and treat other forms of life. H.E.-double L, we still have a lot to learn about how we interact and treat each other.

How can you say you disagree with me? I said they were intelligent... and I said they were not designed as pets... and I said they create a bond with their handlers... you look like you took what I said and made it easier to understand... never once did you disagree... You seam to be a bigger human hater than myself. I have a great respect for animals; however, I have the most respect for my species

For the record, The whale pulled her into the water, I don't think anyone swims with orca when shows are going on.

I think if they are going to keep the whale for show's, They need to at least take more steps to help prevent this (Somehow) from happening again.

Actually they do swim with them... I've seen it four times out of the nine shows I've been to personally It's really cool!

[Violation_s51]

That wasn't exaggeration... it's actually what happened to the whale that played Willy in Free Willy. They released him into the wild, he couldn't feed himself, and he died. You can go and visit his grave, it's on the aforementioned Norwegian coast.

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/152384_keiko13.html

yes it was an exaggeration... he got sick with pnumonia (spelling)... after a year... you sir fail.

[Brooke ♥♥]

Actually they do swim with them... I've seen it four times out of the nine shows I've been to personally It's really cool!

...Oh,

[Lord Arumen]

I beg to differ but I don't think this particular orca is too happy about being kept in confinement and being made to perform tricks for tourists. It never ceases to amaze me the incredible patience of other animal species to the mis-treatment they recieve at the hands of us naked apes, especially compared to the incredible lack of compassion and understanding and patience we show them.

Here you have a highly developed, intelligent, top line predator being forced to perform unnatural acts for the amusement of the great unwashed. Put me in that situation and I would probably try to kill my handler as well, given half a chance.

The animals at Seaworld are some of the best taken care of creatures you can find. They are not mis-treated, they are treated like kings. All play, easy food, adoring fans. Hey, I would be one of them if I could.

For the record, The whale pulled her into the water, I don't think anyone swims with orca when shows are going on.

I think if they are going to keep the whale for show's, They need to at least take more steps to help prevent this (Somehow) from happening again.

Aqualungs? Thin scuba tanks?

Actually they do swim with them... I've seen it four times out of the nine shows I've been to personally It's really cool!

Yes, and high people think that they can swim with the Orcas...

A naked man was found dead on the back of a killer whale at Sea World in Orlando on Tuesday morning, a victim of drowning or hypothermia in the 55-degree water. "There were no obvious signs of trauma. He wasn't chewed or dismembered," the sheriff's office said. The body had scrapes on it, possibly signifying that the victim had been dragged along the bottom of the tank.
Is a man who swims with Orcas worthy of a Darwin Award? Insights into his bizarre history may help us decide.

He was identified as a marijuana-smoking drifter named Daniel. The South Carolina native carried a tattered Florida DMV card, and police traced the address on the card to a Hare Krishna temple in Miami.

Priest Paul Seaur provided insights into Daniel's month-long stay with the community of six worshippers. He had a great love of nature, writing in his journal and feeding wild birds in the temple garden. Daniel had difficulty adjusting to the religion's 4AM wake-up time, their dietary prohibitions, and their abstinence from liquor, drugs, sex, and gambling. He preferred to dodge work and meditate in the chapel listening to heavy metal music.

Daniel unexpectedly announced that he was taking a vow of silence, which puzzled the Hare Krishnas, since their religion does not urge its members to be silent. He left abruptly in the spring, saying, "I want to be free. I want to travel around."

Daniel left a string of petty offences throughout South Carolina, Washington, Texas and Florida. Just days before his death, he had completed a three day sentence to the Indian River County Jail for stealing a 3-Musketeers candy bar from 7-Eleven. He resumed his vow of silence in court. "The suspect could not speak," a Vero Beach officer reported, so instead he used paper and pen to deny the charge.

Three days later, our intrepid stoner gained admittance to SeaWorld and loitered near the whale pools until 10PM closing, evading the 24-hour security. After stripping to his bathing trunks, he scaled a 3-foot plexiglas barrier, crossed a short stone wall, and climbed into Tillikum's frigid enclosure using steps ringing the 80x100-foot pool. An employee spotted Daniel's nude form draped just below Tillikum's dorsal fin at 7:35AM. His swimming shorts were found elsewhere in the tank. Tillikum apparently tried to remove his shorts with his razor sharp teeth, the medical examiner said.

The nature lover left few clues about his state of mind when he decided to commune with a carnivore the size of a bus. A joint was found inside his pile of clothes, but no admission ticket to SeaWorld. Anonymous park workers made a surprise announcement that this was not the first time Daniel had communed with sea mammals. Two years ago, they recall that he jumped into the manatee tank, which is filled with warmer water and less offensive creatures.

Notes about Tillikum the killer whale:

The 8-year-old mammal is the largest killer whale in captivity, at 22 feet and 11,000 pounds. He was appraised at 1.5 million dollars when purchased by SeaWorld in 1991, where he joined 13 other killer whales. He was considered dangerous, as he was never trained for human contact. Biologists say he probably played with Daniel like a toy, without realizing that he was a fragile human being.

This is not his first encounter with death. Tillikum and two other whales were involved in the drowning of a trainer in Victoria, Canada in 1991. Keltie Byrne fell into the whale tank at the SeaLand Marine Park and was dragged beneath the surface to her watery demise.

Tillikum is a fecund marine predator, and the sire of four calves born during his breeding stay in Florida.

In a comparison between Tillikum and Daniel, it's clear who is higher on the evolutionary scale.

This is the second death out of three that Tillikum accidentally caused

[Rodri]

The animals at Seaworld are some of the best taken care of creatures you can find. They are not mis-treated, they are treated like kings. All play, easy food, adoring fans. Hey, I would be one of them if I could.

Would you be so willing if you had no choice in the matter?

[Lord Arumen]

Would you be so willing if you had no choice in the matter?

Perhaps in the same way a King is. A King is caged to his country and does "tricks" for them all day, yet lives a great life, much as one of these whales.

[Violation_s51]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAfTHFiiNF8

Starting at 6min 20 seconds... enjoy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvdPY5F522o

Start this one around 4 minutes... the ride and the swimming is around 5 minutes...

[Rodri]

A captive is not a king. It is a captive. It cannot choose it's fate and it cannot live it's natural life. I don't care how well you think they are treated. Obviously this particular orca decided it was not happy about it. Now people think they have the right to decide if it should live or die. For one thing it's part of a protected species (and no, I don't think keeping it captive is protecting it).

[Aramis]

Lets be honest here- there have been what, 4 deaths in 22 years? Yes it was tragic and sad, but in the nearly 8000 days 4 people have died. By the time my thread is posted that amount of people have died eating popcorn, and we are not demanding to take Orville Reddenbacher out to pasture- that would make me cry.

Also, the retard that tried to hump the Killer whale and got killed deserved what he got; so his death should not count against Tilikum, he was defending his honor.


We have to realize that Animals are animals; and that there is always an inherent danger when there is interaction with humans. It was not that long ago when they hunted us for food; and you have to figure their evolutionary ancestors are just shaking their heads as the animals do tricks for food.

There was this little ghetto aquarium where I live, there are some Sea Lions who were hurt and now they are unable to be released in the wild; so they have learned to do some tricks for the tourists who throw food at them. One time a Dad decided to lean his little kid over to feed the sea lion super close and the Sea lion took off part of the kids hand. There was such an uproar of people wanting to close down the aquarium, kill the Sea Lion; no one ever considered it was the human who crosed the line and thought it was a cuddly little bugger.

I am not blaming the trainer in this, but you have to figure that sometimes people give humanistic characteristics to animals they are around on a daily basis. We love watching the Orca show; and it was a tragedy.


PS. Orcas are not what you have to worry about. Manatees are the silent Killers; why do you think there are so many missing kids in Florida?