Trainer killed in rogue whale attack
Tragedy struck at Sea World this week, as 40 year old trainer Dawn Brancheau was attacked by Tilikum, an Orca who resides at Sea World Orlando.The eyewitness accounts indicate the whale seized Brancheau, thrashed with her violently and dragged her down into the tank, where she drowned. She was 40 years old.People going to Sea World weren’t expecting this, to say the least. One hopes her loved ones can find some measure of peace in the wake of this event.
Where does Shamu enter the picture?
One has to bear in mind the internet is not exactly full of Hawkings, so to speak. Each of the three Sea Worlds in Orlando, San Diego, and San Antonio, calls whales Shamu, after the whale that brought Sea World a lot of attention.The original Shamu was a female, captured in 1965 from Pugent Sound and resided in Sea World from then until she died in 1971.Shamu herself nearly killed one of her trainers, and wasn’t exactly the cuddly type.The actual Shamu is dead, and has been over thirty years.
Tilikum
Tilikum is a large male, and at 22 feet in length and 12,300 pounds, he is the largest captive bull Orca on record.He was also involved in a trainer’s death at his previous home outside of the Victoria, BC based aquarium Sealand in 1991. He was then transferred to Sea World Orlando, and 8 years later, a transient that had eluded security was found dead in his tank. He had been bitten, though it is assumed he died of hypothermia or drowning, not related to the whale. The incident that took Dawn Brancheau’s life, confirmed by eyewitnesses, was not an accident; she was deliberately taken. The attack appears to have been deliberate.
Free Willy was a pod of contemptible lies
Orcas, or as they are also known Killer Whales (a sobriquet they’ve earned), are apex predators.They are the largest of the dolphin species, typically 20 feet of length or longer, weighing 4 tons or more, and live for 50 years or more.They are sometimes referred to as wolves of the sea, as they hunt in packs, feeding on fish, sea lions, seals, and shark.They also prey on juvenile whales of other species, separating it from the mother, and surrounding so that it can’t surface and then drowns.Despite tricks you’ve seen them do, or kids movies you may have watched, these are dangerous and lethal predators.
