Meet "Tilly" -- A Real Killer Whale

OK, if y'all are going to be that way ....

Free Willy just sprouted wood and doesn't know why.

 

Awesome.

And ...
I guess heaven needed a killer whale trainer.

 

It's already been done:

 

Beef, please set up some kind of notification system when you kick.

I will want to know when to shut it down.

 

Sorry to interrupt the current joke fest, but sheesh, someone was violently killed. Trainer was 40; she worked with the whales for 10 years.

Story said she one of the park's most experienced, who, at 9, visited the park decided she wanted to be a whale trainer when she grew up.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35566392/ns/us_news-environment/

Horrible way to be killed.

 

Horrible way to get killed but really should anyone be suprised? It's a freaking whale, let it swim in the ocean. IMO opinion Seaworld having a captive whale is not that different than an elephant in a circus.

I am not exactly what one would consider an animal rights activist but IMO there are certain animals that should not be in zoos or aquariums. My kids will never swim in an enclosure with dolphins and Seaworld will never get a penny of money.

 

The same reason the Tiger pounced on the guy in Vegas and the Grizzly bit the head off the guy who claimed he was some kind of bear whisperer. With apologies to Chris Rock, the killer whale didn't go crazy. He went killer whale. There are two kinds of tree-huggers: PETA, who thinks there should be no zoos, no circuses, no pet stores, etc., and the kind who think they're some New Age kind of Doctor Doolittle.

This is one time I'm with PETA.

 

I'm never with PETA those people are fucking insane.

But this isn't the first time something like this has happened with Orcas.

 

The story said the cause of death is likely drowning, which could mean the whale was just playing, and pulled the trainer down deep, and didn't let her up. With these massive animals interacting with humans on a regular basis, there's bound to be tragic occurrences sometimes. I'm sure the veteran trainer knew that as well.

 

Notice that on that Web page, the Orlando Sentinel has an announcement/house ad item (left side) asking readers who may have been at Sea World today, and who may have photos/video of what happened, to come forward to the paper and contact it.

Wow. I doubt that ever would have happened even just a few years ago. It's one thing for a reporter to just be there working, or even to just happen to be there, and to record things. But for a paper to be asking outsiders, openly and obviously, for recorded images of a grisly death of a private individual?

The question for all of us journalists that is apropos these days is this: If somebody does come forward with something -- something complete and clear and graphic -- would you really run it in your paper and/or on your Web site, as if it was just another YouTube, or something?...Especially given the actual outcome and how it sounds like things looked and went down.

What are the ethical implications of this for a newspaper? How would you handle it?

And, a question for Sea World: What to do about Tilly. Should it release him? Euthanize him? What?

 

One horrible thing the story referenced was the fact that Tilly was supposedly kept isolated.

If that is so, then Sea World was asking for trouble, even more so than for any reasons having to do with the animal's size or his natural/wild inclinations.

Orcas are among the most intelligent, social creatures there are in the animal world, and keeping one in isolation on a long-term basis is bound to have a dangerous effect on it and possibly cause many of the same or similar type issues as that condition may cause in humans. It is almost a sure way to turn the animal into a potential sociopath.

 

I don't think it should be euthanized at all. Part of what SeaWorld prides itself on is conservation and protection of animals. Not all animals have to be part of a show. If this whale isn't able to be returned to the wild, which is likely, it can still be taken care of without having to be a part of the entertainment stuff SeaWorld does.