Killer Whale Attack

Just yesterday, at SeaWorld in Orlando, Florida, a killer whale named Tilikum attacked and killed his trainer after a show. The trainer was standing on the platform, stroking Tilikum, when the giant whale grabbed her by her ponytail, dragged her under the water, and drowned her with the horrified audience watching. And what is SeaWorld doing about it...? Just about nothing. In fact, they say that they are going to continue to let trainers work with him, they will just “reevaluate” how they do it. I think that that idea is absolutely ridiculous. It seems obvious to me that Tilikum is dangerous and needs to be destroyed.

The attack was not simply a fluke accident. The killer whale, whom they believe had become agitated for some reason, intentionally grabbed and killed his trainer. It isn't the first time either. Tilikum has been involved in two other incidents in which he killed a human. Killer whales are very intelligent, so if Tilikum has killed three people, he probably knows that he has the capability of doing it again. Thus, there is a very good chance that it will happen again if trainers continue to use him for shows. Even though he is a beautiful, rare creature, he cannot be allowed to attack people like this. When a dog attacks or kills someone, it is immediately put down. This incident is really no different.

SeaWorld is claiming that they can change the way that they work with Tilikum so that the trainers will be safe. I, however, don't see how that is possible. Because of the previous two deaths, trainers were already forbidden to get into the water with Tilikum. The trainer was following these regulations and standing on the platform. Still, the irritated killer whale was able to attack her. I don't see how SeaWorld could possibly create an environment where Tilikum could be used in shows and the safety of the trainers could be guaranteed.

Now it is true that there are other options aside from destroying Tilikum. He could be released into the wild or simply cut off from all shows and contact with trainers. While both of these options would keep trainers safe, they wouldn't necessarily benefit Tilikum. Even though people may feel better by releasing him or keeping him than killing him, I am fairly certain that neither choice would be much better than death. Tilikum was raised in captivity, so it would be next to impossible for him to survive in the wild. SeaWorld has made it clear that this is not an option that they are considering. If they were to keep Tilikum in a way that was safe, he would basically have to be kept in a tank, never doing any shows and never having any contact with trainers or other people. Would it be worth the money it takes to keep him, for him to live a life he probably wouldn't enjoy? Unless SeaWorld can afford it and provide an environment that would be enjoyable for Tilikum, I do not think that keeping him would be the most reasonable or humane option.

In light of Tilikum's violent pattern of behavior, it seems clear to me that he is too dangerous to participate in shows. Despite SeaWorld's claim, there is not any obvious solution as to how the program could be revised to guarantee the trainers' safety. Since freeing him and keeping him present problems, I think that destroying Tilikum, unfortunately, is the best solution. SeaWorld, however, is not choosing this option. It is sad that they might not consider it until someone else gets hurt.