Yipe. If it was well known that this one one of the things that made whales wacky, even I would cut my hair off.

I hate to say it, but I have to: She was an idiot. May she rest in peace.

Are they related to the Hartford Whalers? Dang I miss them!

De-Lurk from my TwitterAddiction...

So, the Vet hub said that they aren't getting rid of that whale because he actually is a babymaker and if they freed him the Great White Sharks Po-Po would take a bite outta him because he'd be chum...

He did something to a trainer in Pac NW--where he's from--Killed her...

So Nut Job jumped into the Orlando pen & the whales played soccer with him.

Then now, this woman...

IDK 6 tons...

/restart Twitteraddiction & lurk

I just wonder how those people felt who actually saw it happen. I can't imagine seeing something like that. :eek: I'm afraid of whales too.

Just a couple of tidbits:

The trainer was growing her hair for Locks of Love. The whale grabbed her by her ponytail and dragged her under water.

She was an ADPi from USC (S. Carolina).

Orcas are beautiful. We have lots of them out here in the Pac NW, and if anything they're too friendly with the boats of tourists...they are curious about the boats, sometimes get too close and get hurt by the propellers.

They are huge, wild animals and do not belong in large swimming pools.

And it's true that Orcas are not whales. They're actually the largest members of the dolphin family.

Soooo....if they cut it off and give it to Locks of Love, is that considered an organ donation?

Yeah even Wikipedia can tell people they are a type of dolphin. They also look more like a type of dolphin than whale. I'm still scared of whales and all large sea mammals--dolphins included. I don't want one near me if it isn't in a pool or a cage.

Sea World is doing damage control going on shows and showcasing their well behaved Orcas. I apologize for calling this deceased lady an idiot. She violated her training and wasn't too smart.

There's been extensive explanations in many articles about why they are called "killer whales."

I don't know if it is true or not, but many people in that industry have speculated that he was playing with her, but he was just playing too rough. I don't think anyone is saying that orcas aren't friendly in general.


http://www.rr.com/news/topic/article...ainer_killed/1

It appears that they have resumed their orca shows. That's great. But I must admit that while I don't think he should be put down, they really need to start reconsidering whether it is a good thing to keep these kinds of animals in captivity. Realistically I know that money is usually the bottom line in everything, but in reading this article I get a sense that no one really cares about that. They just want to keep him because he's a moneymaker.

If dolphins are "closely related to whales and porpoises," orcas are, as well. They aren't whales but they aren't so different as to cause too much confusion. :p

I'm saying orcas aren't friendly, in general. Animal friendly doesn't always translate to human friendly, especially when the animal lives in the wild and weighs thousands of pounds. Folks can see these things perform but wanting to hug one is a different matter. "Oh look at him playing--oh look at him grabbing my leg--maybe he's just playing--I hope I don't die...."

Besides, killer whales (which is a much more scary name than Orcas) aren't as cute and widely viewed as cuddly as dolphins are. :) They are much larger and scary. Dolphins save lives, or so I've heard. I still don't want to be in the water with one. But, I'm more eager to swim with a dolphin than an orca, whale, or shark.

:D lmao

I've never been one to have an interest in touching one or hugging one or be close to one. And I'm a firm believer that even if such animals have a "record" for being friendly in general, there is always a moment where they can turn on you. It happens with all animals.

On another note, did anyone see when Campbell Brown interviewed Jack Hanna? He was EXTREMELY defensive. I've never seen him agitated like that.

Ha. I don't think so. At any rate, if that was the case, she should have kept it in a bun or bundled in a hairnet.

Yeah, I kind of stopped doing some coastal kayaking because I didn't want to get capsized by one. I'll go on Monterey Bay where the sea otters may get frisky, but I realized I was tempting fate ala a Darwin Award doing it alon ghte WA/CA/AK coasts.

But seeing one breach or a pod of them is beautiful when I'm safely on the deck of a ferry.

The latest edition of the Adelphean has a cover story on sisters who work with animals. It ends with the following:

"It is with sadness that we note the death of Dawn Loverde Brancheau, Beta Epsilon - South Carolina [chapter]. In February, the veteran animal trainer, while working at Seaworld's Shamu Stadium, was dragged underwater and drowned by one of the show's killer whales." (Jennifer McGhee Siler, Adelphean Editor) http://www.alphadeltapi.org/uploads/...manager/33.jpg