Killer whale living up to its name



Every day we casually kill unfathomable numbers of animals, but when an animal kills one of us alarmists flock from the woodwork.

In light of the unfortunate death of Dawn Brancheau at SeaWorld, many animal trainers and psychologists find it necessary to defend the actions of the whale, which killed its trainer in front of an audience at the amusement park.

Others argue the orca should either be euthanized or released to the seas. Neither being a fair option.

In acquiring Tilikum – a 12,000 pound Orca - SeaWorld assumed an ethical responsibility both for his care and for the safety of those who worked with him.

SeaWorld and similar animal parks perform the mission of introducing exotic animals into our world for us to see, to marvel at and even to connect with.

Advocates contend that seeing and interacting with these rare animals up close allows humans to develop a better sense of concern about their fate in the wild. Awareness is raised about conservation, poaching and other various issues linked to the animals’ well being.

An ascertain resulting from a fault in our species.

Unless humans perceive a personal benefit in something, we tend to devalue it. And when we appreciate animals for their entertainment value, their companionship or perhaps their “cuteness”, we are more likely to advocate for their welfare.

On the flip side, we are less likely to show concern about species considered inconsequential or ugly. How often do you hear talk about the fate of the Lesser Prairie Chicken or the Louisiana Pine Snake?

Parks like SeaWorld further enhance the perception, not only by introducing animals into the human environment, but also in a sense by “humanizing” them – transforming them into lovable giants.

Except, of course, they are not. Even when bred in captivity, they are wild animals. It is not Tilikum’s fault that he reverted to the nature of the species’ other name - killer whale.

PETA exploited the premise last week protesting outside of SeaWorld, arguing the orca “desires” to be set free.

Projecting human emotions onto animals is a blatant example of skewed logic. For instance, if you say humans don’t want to live in captivity, therefore orcas don’t either, then you can also use the same logical structure to say, humans don’t want to live in the ocean, therefore orcas shouldn’t want to live in the ocean.

Truth be told, while PETA paints a horrific picture of zoo life, animals generally live longer in captivity than they would in the wild.

However sad, the death of Ms. Brancheau was the result of her choice to work with dangerous animals – an occupational hazard. Various news reports indicate she attended a killer whale show when she was 9 years old and immediately made a life’s goal of becoming a marine mammal trainer. She achieved that goal and at 40, she was a senior trainer, working at what many would consider a dream job.

She was clearly aware of the associated risks of working with dangerous animals.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, an average of 265 tractor related deaths occur each year – an adequate premise to discontinue farming? Of course not.



Armand Nardi is the publisher of the Gainesville Daily Register. He can be contacted at: anardi@ntin.net