Pressure From Animal-Rights Groups Has Agencies Pledging Not to Use Great Apes for Ad Entertainment
By Brian Steinberg
Published: February 06, 2011
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- They were once stars. After a rough start in life -- taken from their mothers during infancy -- they found themselves on the national stage, making millions laugh during the Super Bowl. Their careers were short, two or three years at most, and now they've been shunted aside. But they're the lucky ones. Sent to finish out their lives in Florida, the four chimpanzees from the original CareerBuilder Super Bowl ads share a home with Michael Jackson's former pet, Bubbles, at the Center for Great Apes in Wauchula. They could have ended up in cages in roadside attractions, or on the nightly news, put down after going on a rampage.
Before this year's Super Bowl, it had likely been years since most Americans had seen a national TV spot featuring an ape. That's because chimpus commercialus and its kin, thanks to pressure put on marketers and ad agencies by animal-rights groups, are on the verge of extinction.
But there are still reminders. After moving away from the use of chimpanzees in its Big Game commercials, CareerBuilder has sparked a minor controversy by reviving interest in the animals that have long been a staple of big-budget TV advertising. CareerBuilder ads in last night's game returned to the theme from the company's memorable efforts in 2005 and 2006: chimpanzees as obstinate, time-wasting cubicle-mates who demonstrate the need for CareerBuilder's online job listings.
Last night's spot could mark the last for this close relative of the monkey that has ridden on Madison Avenue's back for decades.
Eighteen different ad agencies have agreed in the last few years to stop using great apes in the commercials they produce, the result of an ongoing effort started in 2008 by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
Among the big firms involved are Omnicom Group's BBDO, GSD&M and Merkley & Partners; Interpublic Group of Cos.' McCann Erickson, DraftFCB and RPA; Havas' Arnold and Euro RSCG; WPP's Grey Group, Ogilvy & Mather, Young & Rubicam and JWT; and Publicis Groupe's Saatchi & Saatchi and Leo Burnett.
"The list is only going to grow," said Julia Galluci, a primatologist with PETA who studies the use of apes in commercials.
Indeed, Omnicom's DDB and TBWA/Chiat/Day, two agencies that work for marketers that have made memorable ads with chimps in the past -- Anheuser-Busch InBev and PepsiCo -- are not yet on the list.
PETA also successfully lobbied several major advertisers to modify or pull ads in 2010 when apes were featured. Pfizer edited out an orangutan used in a commercial crafted by Grey Group for its Robitussin, and decided instead to incorporate a digital image of a chimp. Dodge, AT&T and Travelers Insurance made similar moves after PETA's approach.
For its part, CareerBuilder, which created its ad in-house, said it has treated the animals involved in this year's Super Bowl plans well. "During the production of our ad, we followed the strictest guidelines to ensure our chimpanzee stars were treated well and not harmed in any way. We hired top trainers known to provide the highest standard of care for their animals. We also had a member of an animal rights group, the American Humane Association, on set during the entire filming to ensure the chimpanzees were treated with respect," the company said in a statement. "This was very important to us."
But it's not the treatment of the animals on set that is the main concern from animal-rights groups. Rather, it's the procurement and disposal of apes for acting.
Apes in the wild stay with their mothers for nearly the first decade of life, and typically nurse for the first five or six years, said Patti Ragan, founder and director of the Center for Great Apes, the private sanctuary that hosts those four CareerBuilder chimps as well as Bubbles. But to work on an ad, movie or TV program, a chimp or orangutan needs to be under the age of 8. When they pass that age, she said, "they are too dangerous and strong to work around humans" and are therefore retired. Caring for the animals after they can no longer work on shoots can require something in the neighborhood of $20,000 a year, she estimated.
Heartstring-plucking details such as these are likely not immediately clear to the consumers who thrill to monkeyshines in TV pitches. And even those who protect the chimps admit that there has been no consumer outrage. If it did, the animals wouldn't show up year after year in the Super Bowl, the nation's broadest advertising showcase.
Great apes have appeared in 10 different ads tailored for the Big Game since 2000, according to research from students of Chuck Tomkovick, a professor of marketing at University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, who has studied Super Bowl ads for years. There's good reason: Mr. Tomkovick's recent research suggests that placing any sort of an animal in an ad increases its likability.
The ad industry's eagerness to distance itself from chimps and their cousins comes even though capturing consumer attention with TV ads has become increasingly difficult. And it arrives despite the fact consumers are more likely to stop and notice chimps and apes when spotted on the TV screen. Chimps and apes have particular appeal, said Barbara J. King, an anthropology professor at the College of William and Mary, who has studied apes and monkeys in the wild and in U.S. zoos for 30 years.
"They are like us, but they're not like us," she said. "It's exactly that strange paradox that grabs people."
Further, when it comes to convincing consumers that apes need protecting, there is a perception problem. "It looks to me like these commercials are making these animals seem cute and perfectly well-cared for," said Ms. King, the anthropology professor. "It's not clear to me from the surface of it why consumers would necessarily be concerned unless someone tells them the back story."
And PETA has been relaying that story to ad-agency executives to some effect. "The cruelty of separating baby apes from their mothers, the brutal training, and the tragic 'retirement' provide a real incentive not to use them," said Andrew Robertson, president-CEO of BBDO Worldwide.
"They are cute. They behave like humans. They are cuddly," said Tony Granger, global chief creative officer at Young & Rubicam. "But what really does it for me is understanding that the apes are taken away from their mothers. We honestly didn't know any of this."
PETA expects to press its case, Ms. Galluci said. The organization is in early talks with BBDO to create an ad campaign aimed at ad-industry employees and make them aware of the problems with using live apes in ad shoots. "It's the agencies that are writing the stories, writing the scripts for these ads," she said. Once agency executives hear the details about the simians, she added, "they are really quick to agree" not to use them any longer. Whether the entire industry apes the move remains to be seen.
http://adage.com/superbowl/article?article_id=148714
Showing posts with label performing animals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label performing animals. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Friday, June 11, 2010
Anger as penguins and monkeys visit Kingland House Residential Home
8:26am Thursday 10th June 2010CONSERVATIONISTS have attacked the decision to bring a captive monkey and two penguins to a Poole nursing home for the day.
Dr Alison Cronin, of the ape rescue centre Monkey World, spoke to the Daily Echo after a 12-year-old squirrel monkey and two Humboldt penguins took centre stage at Kingland House Residential Home on Wednesday.
Around 50 people, including residents, their families and staff packed a room to meet and handle the animals.
The visit, carried out by Oxfordshire’s Amazing Animals – a company that specialised in training animals to work in film and TV – saw Dougie the squirrel monkey and two miniature penguins, Charlie and Ferrari, enthral the crowd.
Mayor of Poole Chris Bulteel was among the guests, but the visit was quickly attacked by Dr Cronin and serious reservations were also voiced by the RSPCA and staff at Bournemouth Ocenarium.
Dr Cronin said Dougie – who has starred alongside Hollywood heartthrob Johnny Depp in promotional shots for the Pirates of the Caribbean films – could carry and be susceptible to disease.
“The most important thing for Dougie is companionship with his own kind, as squirrel monkeys are social animals that live in large groups in the wild,” she said.
“In our experience most squirrel monkeys we’ve rescued have been kept in isolated conditions. Even if this company says Dougie is kept in a group of his own kind, taking him away from this group for visits and film work would be equally stressful for him and the other squirrel monkeys.
“Quite frankly, I cannot see any way how it is acceptable for Dougie to live like this – he is a wild animal and needs to be with his own kind.”
Squirrel monkeys are also prone to carrying bacteria, including salmonella and E-coli.
“Dougie may be at risk from human viruses, especially in a nursing home. We don’t let members of staff come to work, even when they have the first feeling they’re getting a cold,” she said.
The animals were handled by residents on the visit, although alcohol gel was available to disinfect their hands.
Bournemouth Oceanarium aquarist Chris Hill said the conditions would not have been ideal for the two penguins.
He explained: “Remember, these are not land animals. Having them travel around by road without a water tank is hard to justify. I’m sure the owners do their best for them, but this could prove stressful for the penguins.”
Sarah Moseley, from Weymouth Sea Life Park, said: “Even wild animals bred in captivity are still going to be wary towards humans. It is their nature. Therefore, putting them in an environment like that could put unnecessary stress on the penguins.”
Jim Clubb, of Amazing Animals, said: “Our animals are multi-generation captive bred and kept in modern zoo-like conditions.
“They are all trained and used to human interaction as they are used for the audiovisual industries on a regular basis. This means that the animals are not stressed in any way and are used to travelling.
“To say that primates such as Dougie have to be kept in isolated conditions in order to attend visits like this is simply not true.
“In fact, we are in the process of obtaining squirrel monkeys to enlarge our group.”
Poole mayor Chris Bulteel appreciated Dr Cronin’s expertise, but said the three animals on show seemed to be well treated.
He added: “A lot of the people there were elderly and probably some were quite lonely, so it was great to see big smiles on their faces. I really think that animals can have a therapeutic effect.”
Care home manager Janet Matthews agreed the booking after Amazing Animals featured on a television programme with Alan Titchmarsh.
She said: “Everybody clearly enjoyed the occasion and if it’s good enough for Alan Titchmarsh, it’s good enough for us.”
The RSPCA said: “We would be concerned if such visits increase stress levels or cause unnecessary disturbance to animals. The animals’ welfare must be paramount.”
http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/8211522.Anger_as_penguins_and_monkeys_visit_nursing_home/
(Submitted by Mark North)
Thursday, April 29, 2010
At last, it's monkey riding a goat walking on a tightrope
Tom Phillips - 29th April, 2010For all those of you who have been waiting ages for a decent picture of a tightrope-walking goat being ridden by a nervous monkey, today will be a good day.
For those of you who have not been tingling with anticipation at the faint hope of a tightrope-walking-goat-riding-monkey picture, we hope you'll get something.
The tightrope/goat/monkey incident occurred at a zoo in Fuzhou, in China's southeastern Fujian province.
A close examination of the picture suggests that the goat seems to be going about its tightrope walking duties with an air of calm equanimity, while the monkey is clearly rather less pleased about the whole affair, and quite probably wishes it wasn't chained to a goat being made to balance on a rope for the entertainment of a gawping public.
Goats, of course, have naturally good balance, and in Morocco can often be seen happily climbing trees. Monkeys, on the other hand, are not natural goat-jockeys.
http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/823916-at-last-its-monkey-riding-a-goat-walking-on-a-tightrope
Friday, April 16, 2010
Painting whale
16 April 2010 16:30 GMT
A Chinese water park has a new attraction - an artist whale.
Keepers at Qingdao Polar Ocean World now charge hundreds of pounds for a portrait from Xiao Qiang, a Beluga whale who started painting after a visitor accidentally left behind a brush.
Trainer Zhang Yong said: "He showed a lot of interest in painting right from the start so now all we have to do is give him the brushes and hold the paper while he paints with his mouth."
According to experts, Xiao Qiang is able to work on his artistic talents because his species have a lot more soft tissue around their mouths than others, which allows him to manipulate a brush.
http://entertainment.stv.tv/showbiz/170750-painting-whale/
See video here: http://www.reuters.com/news/video/story?videoId=66184503&videoChannel=4
A Chinese water park has a new attraction - an artist whale.
Keepers at Qingdao Polar Ocean World now charge hundreds of pounds for a portrait from Xiao Qiang, a Beluga whale who started painting after a visitor accidentally left behind a brush.
Trainer Zhang Yong said: "He showed a lot of interest in painting right from the start so now all we have to do is give him the brushes and hold the paper while he paints with his mouth."
According to experts, Xiao Qiang is able to work on his artistic talents because his species have a lot more soft tissue around their mouths than others, which allows him to manipulate a brush.
http://entertainment.stv.tv/showbiz/170750-painting-whale/
See video here: http://www.reuters.com/news/video/story?videoId=66184503&videoChannel=4
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Elephant kills trainer at Pennsylvania circus
(CNN) -- Tragedy struck at a Pennsylvania circus Friday after a startled
elephant stomped its trainer to death, police said.
People at the Irem Shrine in Wilkes-Barre, which has been hosting the James Hamid Circus all week, rushed to help but not before the trainer sustained life-threatening injuries, said police Lt. Steven Oshefski.
It was unclear what spooked the elephant, but the pachyderm was calmed by those on the scene.
The victim is not being identified until next-of-kin have been notified, Oshefski said.
The incident was classified as a workplace accident and the investigation has been turned over to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. A balloon vendor at the circus told CNN affiliate WBRE that the death was shocking.
"In the 30 years I've been doing my vending, I've never heard an animal killing their trainer and all," said Ed Conrad. "So something must have happened."
Oshefski said the elephant came into contact with electrical wires, but it was unclear what exactly startled the animal. Animal rights activists decried the use of animals in circuses. "It should come as no surprise that elephants and other animals sometimes snap and attack circus employees and members of the public," said Robbyn
Brooks of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).
"PETA has obtained shocking photos and video of circus trainers as they beat elephants and subject them to violent training methods using barbaric devices such as bullhooks," Brooks said. Circus members observed a moment of silence for the elephant handler who died, WBRE reported. The circus, however, made a decision almost immediately after the death that the performance would go on.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/04/10/circus.worker.elephant/index.html
elephant stomped its trainer to death, police said.
People at the Irem Shrine in Wilkes-Barre, which has been hosting the James Hamid Circus all week, rushed to help but not before the trainer sustained life-threatening injuries, said police Lt. Steven Oshefski.
It was unclear what spooked the elephant, but the pachyderm was calmed by those on the scene.
The victim is not being identified until next-of-kin have been notified, Oshefski said.
The incident was classified as a workplace accident and the investigation has been turned over to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. A balloon vendor at the circus told CNN affiliate WBRE that the death was shocking.
"In the 30 years I've been doing my vending, I've never heard an animal killing their trainer and all," said Ed Conrad. "So something must have happened."
Oshefski said the elephant came into contact with electrical wires, but it was unclear what exactly startled the animal. Animal rights activists decried the use of animals in circuses. "It should come as no surprise that elephants and other animals sometimes snap and attack circus employees and members of the public," said Robbyn
Brooks of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).
"PETA has obtained shocking photos and video of circus trainers as they beat elephants and subject them to violent training methods using barbaric devices such as bullhooks," Brooks said. Circus members observed a moment of silence for the elephant handler who died, WBRE reported. The circus, however, made a decision almost immediately after the death that the performance would go on.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/04/10/circus.worker.elephant/index.html
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Chinese Whale Wows Crowds With Art Work
12:33pm UK, Thursday April 01, 2010
Lorna Blount, Sky News Online
A beluga whale with performing and painting skills has been drawing crowds at a Chinese theme park with its art work.
The seven-year-old star has been churning out abstract watercolour works on paper at Qingdao Polar Ocean World in eastern China's Shandong Province.
Holding a brush in its mouth and either nodding or wagging its head, the whale, named Xiao Qiang, can create paintings within minutes.
The soft blubber around the whale's head allows flexible facial movement, which may have enabled Xiao Qiang to develop his expressive style.
In addition to enjoying the rare sight of an artistic animal at work, some visitors keep a souvenir of their experience by buying one of the paintings.
See video at: http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Strange-News/Beluga-Whale-Draws-In-Crowds-In-Shandong-Province-Theme-Park-With-Abstract-Art-Work/Article/201004115590737?f=rss
Lorna Blount, Sky News Online
A beluga whale with performing and painting skills has been drawing crowds at a Chinese theme park with its art work.
The seven-year-old star has been churning out abstract watercolour works on paper at Qingdao Polar Ocean World in eastern China's Shandong Province.
Holding a brush in its mouth and either nodding or wagging its head, the whale, named Xiao Qiang, can create paintings within minutes.
The soft blubber around the whale's head allows flexible facial movement, which may have enabled Xiao Qiang to develop his expressive style.
In addition to enjoying the rare sight of an artistic animal at work, some visitors keep a souvenir of their experience by buying one of the paintings.
See video at: http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Strange-News/Beluga-Whale-Draws-In-Crowds-In-Shandong-Province-Theme-Park-With-Abstract-Art-Work/Article/201004115590737?f=rss
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Trainer's death reopens debate on dangerous animals in captivity
Dawn Brancheau, 40, had just finished a show with Tilikum, a 12,000-pound killer whale, when the animal grabbed her by her ponytail and dragged her underwater.
The Orlando Sentinel
By KEITH MORELLI The Tampa Tribune
and RAY REYES The Tampa Tribune
Published: February 25, 2010
The debate has raged for years.
Animals used in theme park shows are important in educating the public on particular species, some say.
Then again, these shows are fraught with danger and people should not share the same tank or cage with aggressive animals, others say.
The old arguments flared up again after orca trainer Dawn Brancheau died Wednesday at SeaWorld in Orlando. Brancheau, 40, had just finished a show with Tilikum, a 12,000-pound killer whale, when the animal grabbed her by her ponytail and dragged her underwater.
Autopsy results show Brancheau most likely died from multiple traumatic injuries and drowning after the whale pulled her into a pool, authorities said.
Chuck Tompkins, the corporate curator of zoological operations for SeaWorld, said all procedures were followed and the death of Brancheau was a tragic accident. Orca shows have been suspended indefinitely.
But the park has been offering marine mammal shows for 46 years and the programs are an important part of learning about the animals, Tompkins said.
"Obviously, we need to evaluate our safety procedures and how we work with these animals, Tompkins said. "But we need to move forward knowing these animals are an incredible, valuable tool for us to learn about them."
Robert Rose, the curator of the Miami Seaquarium, agreed.
"These animals serve a very specific purpose," he said. "They're ambassadors to animals out in the wild. Through parks like ours, you can be entertained and learn about these animals."
But Naomi Rose, a marine mammal scientist with The Humane Society of the United States, said the image presented by the theme parks that the animals are "happy performers" is not true.
As long as orcas are used in interactive shows, incidents involving injury and death are "absolutely going to happen again," Rose said. Orcas, she said, are large predators, "unsuited to permanent confinement, often exhibiting neurotic behaviors in these settings."
Whales and dolphins are intelligent, socially-complex predators that often hunt in pods, Nancy Black, a marine biologist and orca expert with the Monterrey Bay Whale Watch in California said.
"We know so much about their intelligence, their social structures," Black said. "We know they need a lot of space. Living in a tank only stresses them. They are too intelligent for that."
She rejected arguments that parks with orcas in captivity offer educational opportunities and do research into the species. Black promotes excursions into whales' natural habitats.
"There are so many opportunities to see these animals in the wild," she said. "And it costs just as much to go whale watching than go to SeaWorld."
Tompkins agreed that orcas are social animals but said Tilikum exhibited no strange behavior before he pulled his trainer into the water.
"Everything seemed absolutely normal with him," Tompkins said. "There was no abnormal behavior with any other killer whale in the environment, so nothing would lead me to believe that there was anything different in the environment or wrong."
SeaWorld said Tilikum will be kept in isolation and not released into the wild. Russ Rector, a former dolphin trainer at Ocean World in Ft. Lauderdale, said Tilikum won't be set free because the orca would probably attack beachgoers.
"Once an animal kills, it's going to kill again," Rector said.
As for the orca's isolation, Rector said it's because Tilikum is used in breeding and he's worth millions to the theme park.
"If this was a big cat or an elephant that hurt somebody, it would be put down," said Rector, who left the industry after he became vocal about how trainers and marine mammals were treated. He is now a marine animal activist and a rescuer who founded the Dolphin Freedom Foundation.
"This industry is a monster with a happy face," Rector said.
Robert Rose, the Seaquarium curator, said the care and wellbeing of the animals is the trainers' top priority.
"This is what we do for a living," Rose said. "We care for these animals 365 days a year, building a relationship and rapport."
Tompkins said orca trainers at SeaWorld parks are highly specialized.
"Obviously, you don't step in front of a whale on your first day," he said. "It's years before you interact with these killer whales. They're taught about the animals; how to train, how to handle themselves, how to react in just about every environment."
Rector said it doesn't take much to become a marine animal trainer who starts with dolphins and move up the ranks.
"If you look good in a bathing suit, you can do it," he said.
Marine theme parks also downplay the daily injuries trainers receive from agitated or aggressive animals.
"They hurt trainers every day. You just don't show your bites," Rector said. "Captivity dements dolphins. They get tired of people. They go crazy when you put them in pools and make them do stupid pet tricks."
Robert Rose said aquatic parks have an enormous amount of safety protocols in place and trainers form strong bonds with animals to be able to sense when something is wrong.
But Rector said there's only one reason why humans even risk getting in the same tank with megaton predators that dwarf them.
"One word: money," he said. "Orcas are worth more than people. It's a cash cow."
There are 24 orcas in parks across the U.S. and 42 in captivity around the world, said Naomi Rose, the marine mammal scientist from the Humane Society. The last wild capture of an orca was in 2005 when Russia netted a pair, she said.
"Both died within a month," she said.
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2010/feb/25/trainers-death-reopens-debate-dangerous-animals-ca/news-breaking/
Killer whale Tilly saved
26h February 2010
By Gemma Wheatley
KILLER whale Tilly who attacked and drowned his trainer will not be put down – and may even perform again.
SeaWorld in Florida said last night that six-tonne Tilly is to be spared.
He will remain at the marine fun park, where experts will care for him.
There was an outcry after the giant mammal grabbed his trainer Dawn Brancheau’s ponytail and dragged her to her death in front of a horrified crowd.
Tourists at the park in Orlando, Florida, watched helplessly as the beast “thrashed her around” in the water like a doll.
Tilly, blamed for killing two other people, then swam under water with Dawn, 40, and refused to let her surface.
She died from “multiple trauma injuries” and drowning, an interim post mortem found.
There were angry calls for the “rogue” whale to be executed as a danger to humans.
He also drowned another trainer in 1991, and there was a bizarre incident in 1999 when the body of a naked drowned man was found on the whale’s back.
But animal rights activists demanded the whale should be freed into the ocean.
David Phillips, of the International Marine Mammal Project for the Earth Island Institute, said: “The vast majority
of orca whales in captivity would be better off if they were returned to the wild.
“Orcas are unbelievably ill-suited to life in theme parks and can be successfully released into the wild.”
David, who led the effort to rescue and release killer whale Keiko, made famous by the 1993 movie Free Willy, added: “Orcas deserve a better fate than living in cramped pools. This isn’t the first time stressed-out orca whales have injured or killed people and it won’t be the last.”
But SeaWorld have decided to keep Tilly.
Chuck Tompkins, Corporate Curator of Zoological Operations at SeaWorld Parks, said: “Tilly will not be killed.”
He added that bosses would be looking at safety procedures while keeping the whale in the safest possible environment.
Tilly will mingle with other whales at the park, some of which it fathered.
Chuck added: “We’re going to physically and mentally take care of him. It’s too early to say that he won’t perform again.”
Yesterday tourists released grim pictures of the last moments of Dawn, who had worked at the theme park for 17 years.
Chuck said: “He grabbed her hair and pulled her under.”
See video at: http://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/view/123925/Death-not-whale-s-fault-say-animal-rights-group/
By Gemma Wheatley
KILLER whale Tilly who attacked and drowned his trainer will not be put down – and may even perform again.
SeaWorld in Florida said last night that six-tonne Tilly is to be spared.
He will remain at the marine fun park, where experts will care for him.
There was an outcry after the giant mammal grabbed his trainer Dawn Brancheau’s ponytail and dragged her to her death in front of a horrified crowd.
Tourists at the park in Orlando, Florida, watched helplessly as the beast “thrashed her around” in the water like a doll.
Tilly, blamed for killing two other people, then swam under water with Dawn, 40, and refused to let her surface.
She died from “multiple trauma injuries” and drowning, an interim post mortem found.
There were angry calls for the “rogue” whale to be executed as a danger to humans.
He also drowned another trainer in 1991, and there was a bizarre incident in 1999 when the body of a naked drowned man was found on the whale’s back.
But animal rights activists demanded the whale should be freed into the ocean.
David Phillips, of the International Marine Mammal Project for the Earth Island Institute, said: “The vast majority
of orca whales in captivity would be better off if they were returned to the wild.
“Orcas are unbelievably ill-suited to life in theme parks and can be successfully released into the wild.”
David, who led the effort to rescue and release killer whale Keiko, made famous by the 1993 movie Free Willy, added: “Orcas deserve a better fate than living in cramped pools. This isn’t the first time stressed-out orca whales have injured or killed people and it won’t be the last.”
But SeaWorld have decided to keep Tilly.
Chuck Tompkins, Corporate Curator of Zoological Operations at SeaWorld Parks, said: “Tilly will not be killed.”
He added that bosses would be looking at safety procedures while keeping the whale in the safest possible environment.
Tilly will mingle with other whales at the park, some of which it fathered.
Chuck added: “We’re going to physically and mentally take care of him. It’s too early to say that he won’t perform again.”
Yesterday tourists released grim pictures of the last moments of Dawn, who had worked at the theme park for 17 years.
Chuck said: “He grabbed her hair and pulled her under.”
See video at: http://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/view/123925/Death-not-whale-s-fault-say-animal-rights-group/
Should the Killer Whale That Fatally Attacked Its Trainer Be Euthanized?
'World News' Wants to Hear What You Think
Feb. 25, 2010
At SeaWorld in Orlando, Fla., Wednesday, a killer whale turned on its trainer, pulling her below the water and thrashing her around until she drowned. Trainer Dawn Brancheau was one of the park's best killer whale trainers, with 16 years of experience working with the animals.
Chuck Tompkins, SeaWorld's curator of zoological operations, told ABC News that Tillikum, the killer whale, may have reacted to seeing Brancheau's ponytail swinging in front of him. "Dawn had very long hair in a ponytail. That ponytail had swung in front of him. He grabbed her by the hair and pulled her underwater and held her," Tompkins said.
A day after the attack, many questions remain. Why was the whale still performing with a human after it had been involved in two previous deaths? Did the whale show any signs of agitation before the attack?
But the biggest question, which we ask you today: Should Tillikum be euthanized?
http://abcnews.go.com/WN/killer-whale-attack-world-news-question-day/story?id=9936503
Feb. 25, 2010
At SeaWorld in Orlando, Fla., Wednesday, a killer whale turned on its trainer, pulling her below the water and thrashing her around until she drowned. Trainer Dawn Brancheau was one of the park's best killer whale trainers, with 16 years of experience working with the animals.
Chuck Tompkins, SeaWorld's curator of zoological operations, told ABC News that Tillikum, the killer whale, may have reacted to seeing Brancheau's ponytail swinging in front of him. "Dawn had very long hair in a ponytail. That ponytail had swung in front of him. He grabbed her by the hair and pulled her underwater and held her," Tompkins said.
A day after the attack, many questions remain. Why was the whale still performing with a human after it had been involved in two previous deaths? Did the whale show any signs of agitation before the attack?
But the biggest question, which we ask you today: Should Tillikum be euthanized?
http://abcnews.go.com/WN/killer-whale-attack-world-news-question-day/story?id=9936503
Does the Killer Whale Need a Lawyer?
CBSNews.com's Dan Farber on the Finer Points Of SeaWorld Tragedy
By Daniel Farber
(CBS) Animals kill people. People kill animals. People kill people, animals kill animals. The strong prey on the weak, the smarter species prey on the less intellectually well endowed. So it goes on planet Earth.
This week, a 12,000-pound male killer whale named Tilikum grabbed his human trainer in his mouth and drowned her in his SeaWorld tank in Orlando, Fla.
Tilikum has a violent history. In 1991, Tilikum and two female killer whales killed a trainer by drowning in Victoria, British Columbia. In 1999, the orca killed a man who had sneaked into the SeaWorld tank for a swim with the whales.
Tilikum is a serial killer. Perhaps, he should have been put into a higher security facility after the first, or even second, act of violence.
Chuck Tompkins, curator of zoological operations at SeaWorld Orlando indicated that the marine park plans to continue using Tilikum in its shows. "We need to evaluate our handling procedures and how we interact with him .... I can guarantee we will make any change necessary," he said.
Despite Tompkins' wishes, Tilikum, who is an acknowledged member of the top predator species in the ocean, could face the death penalty via lethal injection for his actions.
While Tilikum's actions cannot be condoned, he is also a product of his environment.
Tilikum is a wild animal, by human standards. But in the oceans of the world, the orca dominates as humans do on terra firma. Whales might think of humans as wild animals; diminutive creatures who nonetheless prey on them.
Orcas have an intelligence optimized for their environment. Their brains are nearly four times the size of a human brain. While brain size doesn’t necessarily equate into more intelligent behaviors, at least from a human point of view, according to various studies whales exhibit complex communication, elaborate social structures and cognitive capabilities, including learning-based foraging, cultural variation and possibly mirror self-recognition.
"I don't doubt the intelligent behavior in whales," said Dr. Patrick Hof, a professor of neuroscience at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine who has done research on whale brains. "The brain of the whale is organized quite differently from the primate brain, especially when you look at microscopic architecture of the cerebral cortex. It's quite likely as a result of adaptation over millions of years to the aquatic environment. The whale brain is wired completely differently from a chimpanzee or human, but it has functions that other animals don't have."
But no one is going to read Tilikum his rights or provide a court-appointed lawyer. The whale-human language interface has not evolved enough for inter-species communications at that level.
It could be that Tilikum needs to be represented by an attorney. A defense lawyer could claim that Tilikum was captured by humans against his will, and has been confined to small space. He is unable to socialize with his pod, which is very family-oriented, and is under extreme duress in an unnatural habitat.
He has also been exploited by marine parks for his splash and studliness. Like a Kentucky Derby winner, Tilikum is worth millions for his sperm, impregnating female orcas who spawn the offspring that puts people into the seats of SeaWorld and other marine parks.
"The setting of SeaWorld is completely foreign to whales,” said Dr. Hof. “A killer whale is a predator, a wild animal. Their hunting behavior is well documented and they can become extremely aggressive. The same situation has happened to elephants in Africa with the pressure of a growing human population encroaching on their habitat. They become anxious and stressed, and can become aggressive.
"In the end, it's an impoverished environment compared to their natural habitat-a big swimming pool, enriched food and some activity programs."
Tilikum cannot defend himself or be judged by a jury of his peers. The human judges should take into account the extenuating circumstances that brought the orca to this juncture.
See video at: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/02/25/opinion/main6243928.shtml
By Daniel Farber
(CBS) Animals kill people. People kill animals. People kill people, animals kill animals. The strong prey on the weak, the smarter species prey on the less intellectually well endowed. So it goes on planet Earth.
This week, a 12,000-pound male killer whale named Tilikum grabbed his human trainer in his mouth and drowned her in his SeaWorld tank in Orlando, Fla.
Tilikum has a violent history. In 1991, Tilikum and two female killer whales killed a trainer by drowning in Victoria, British Columbia. In 1999, the orca killed a man who had sneaked into the SeaWorld tank for a swim with the whales.
Tilikum is a serial killer. Perhaps, he should have been put into a higher security facility after the first, or even second, act of violence.
Chuck Tompkins, curator of zoological operations at SeaWorld Orlando indicated that the marine park plans to continue using Tilikum in its shows. "We need to evaluate our handling procedures and how we interact with him .... I can guarantee we will make any change necessary," he said.
Despite Tompkins' wishes, Tilikum, who is an acknowledged member of the top predator species in the ocean, could face the death penalty via lethal injection for his actions.
While Tilikum's actions cannot be condoned, he is also a product of his environment.
Tilikum is a wild animal, by human standards. But in the oceans of the world, the orca dominates as humans do on terra firma. Whales might think of humans as wild animals; diminutive creatures who nonetheless prey on them.
Orcas have an intelligence optimized for their environment. Their brains are nearly four times the size of a human brain. While brain size doesn’t necessarily equate into more intelligent behaviors, at least from a human point of view, according to various studies whales exhibit complex communication, elaborate social structures and cognitive capabilities, including learning-based foraging, cultural variation and possibly mirror self-recognition.
"I don't doubt the intelligent behavior in whales," said Dr. Patrick Hof, a professor of neuroscience at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine who has done research on whale brains. "The brain of the whale is organized quite differently from the primate brain, especially when you look at microscopic architecture of the cerebral cortex. It's quite likely as a result of adaptation over millions of years to the aquatic environment. The whale brain is wired completely differently from a chimpanzee or human, but it has functions that other animals don't have."
But no one is going to read Tilikum his rights or provide a court-appointed lawyer. The whale-human language interface has not evolved enough for inter-species communications at that level.
It could be that Tilikum needs to be represented by an attorney. A defense lawyer could claim that Tilikum was captured by humans against his will, and has been confined to small space. He is unable to socialize with his pod, which is very family-oriented, and is under extreme duress in an unnatural habitat.
He has also been exploited by marine parks for his splash and studliness. Like a Kentucky Derby winner, Tilikum is worth millions for his sperm, impregnating female orcas who spawn the offspring that puts people into the seats of SeaWorld and other marine parks.
"The setting of SeaWorld is completely foreign to whales,” said Dr. Hof. “A killer whale is a predator, a wild animal. Their hunting behavior is well documented and they can become extremely aggressive. The same situation has happened to elephants in Africa with the pressure of a growing human population encroaching on their habitat. They become anxious and stressed, and can become aggressive.
"In the end, it's an impoverished environment compared to their natural habitat-a big swimming pool, enriched food and some activity programs."
Tilikum cannot defend himself or be judged by a jury of his peers. The human judges should take into account the extenuating circumstances that brought the orca to this juncture.
See video at: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/02/25/opinion/main6243928.shtml
Killer Whale Trainers Are Like Astronauts
February 25, 2010
By Jack Hanna - FOXNews.com
Of course there are dangers when we work with animals but the risks are worth it.
Jack Hanna spoke with "America's Newsroom" host Bill Hemmer on Thursday, February 25.
I knew Dawn, and obviously I'm still in shock with this whole thing. I've actually done stand-ups with Tili in the background over the years when I do "Whales In the Wild -- Killer Whales," I do my stand-ups there. I just want to say real quickly that if Steve Irwin when he died, he would have wanted his legacy carried on, I know Dawn would have, I know if something happens to me, I would have. Because it's an incredible thing what these folks do. These killer whale trainers are like astronauts, they're like Olympic athletes. Dawn, especially was at the top of this entire group of very few people in the world that are killer whale trainers. It says "killer whale" which means it's a dangerous animal. Just like the guys that work with elephants in zoos, the largest land mammal, things happen. Just like when our space shuttle went up and came back and those astronauts were killed. But what did they do? They went back up into space. You know something? I hope SeaWorld continues what they do.
Now as far as Tili...the news is correct, there were two previous deaths. But let's face it, the one several years ago -- it was not SeaWorld's fault or Tili's fault. Someone snuck into the park, at nighttime, at 1:00 a.m. in the morning, jumped in with the whale. -- That's like me jumping across the fence at a NASCAR race and getting hit by a car. The previous death, yes, in Canada, that was Tili. But I have take my hat off to SeaWorld for taking this animal to SeaWorld where this animal has produced..many babies. That is so valuable to the killer whale population. One last thing, most all animals, most all the whales at SeaWorld, were born at SeaWorld, not in the wild. Ninety-nine percent of our animals born at zoos are born at zoological parks, not the wild. People don't know these facts.
And I can tell you that Dawn was an incredible human being and she loved everything she did, and... I just hope that SeaWorld continues the great work.
They're killer whales, they're dangerous animals, and we all know the jobs we have to do. You know, out of one million plus interactions that trainers have had with whales, this is the first time that someone has been killed at SeaWorld, as far as a trainer is concerned and no one ever swam with Tili at SeaWorld.
Jack Hanna is director emeritus of the Columbus Zoo in Ohio and host of Jack
Hanna's "In the Wild."
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2010/02/25/jack-hanna-trainer-killed-sea-world-death-killer-whale-orca/
By Jack Hanna - FOXNews.com
Of course there are dangers when we work with animals but the risks are worth it.
Jack Hanna spoke with "America's Newsroom" host Bill Hemmer on Thursday, February 25.
I knew Dawn, and obviously I'm still in shock with this whole thing. I've actually done stand-ups with Tili in the background over the years when I do "Whales In the Wild -- Killer Whales," I do my stand-ups there. I just want to say real quickly that if Steve Irwin when he died, he would have wanted his legacy carried on, I know Dawn would have, I know if something happens to me, I would have. Because it's an incredible thing what these folks do. These killer whale trainers are like astronauts, they're like Olympic athletes. Dawn, especially was at the top of this entire group of very few people in the world that are killer whale trainers. It says "killer whale" which means it's a dangerous animal. Just like the guys that work with elephants in zoos, the largest land mammal, things happen. Just like when our space shuttle went up and came back and those astronauts were killed. But what did they do? They went back up into space. You know something? I hope SeaWorld continues what they do.
Now as far as Tili...the news is correct, there were two previous deaths. But let's face it, the one several years ago -- it was not SeaWorld's fault or Tili's fault. Someone snuck into the park, at nighttime, at 1:00 a.m. in the morning, jumped in with the whale. -- That's like me jumping across the fence at a NASCAR race and getting hit by a car. The previous death, yes, in Canada, that was Tili. But I have take my hat off to SeaWorld for taking this animal to SeaWorld where this animal has produced..many babies. That is so valuable to the killer whale population. One last thing, most all animals, most all the whales at SeaWorld, were born at SeaWorld, not in the wild. Ninety-nine percent of our animals born at zoos are born at zoological parks, not the wild. People don't know these facts.
And I can tell you that Dawn was an incredible human being and she loved everything she did, and... I just hope that SeaWorld continues the great work.
They're killer whales, they're dangerous animals, and we all know the jobs we have to do. You know, out of one million plus interactions that trainers have had with whales, this is the first time that someone has been killed at SeaWorld, as far as a trainer is concerned and no one ever swam with Tili at SeaWorld.
Jack Hanna is director emeritus of the Columbus Zoo in Ohio and host of Jack
Hanna's "In the Wild."
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2010/02/25/jack-hanna-trainer-killed-sea-world-death-killer-whale-orca/
Florida whale shows will go on after deadly attack
Published Date: February 28, 2010
US entertainment park SeaWorld plans to resume killer whale shows at its facilities yesterday, just days after an orca it described as "an important part of our team" killed a trainer in front of horrified onlookers. "He will remain part of our team," SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment president Jim Atchison said of the whale that killed trainer Dawn Brancheu. "Tilikum is an extraordinary animal," he added. "He is a very special animal that requires very special handling.
Trainers will not be allowed into the water with the Florida marine park's killer whales until a thorough safety review has been completed and its recommendations implemented, he said. Tilikum-a five-tonne orca already linked to two other human deaths since 1991 -- grabbed Brancheau, 40, by her ponytail on Wednesday and dragged her into the water at the end of a show at SeaWorld Orlando.
Atchison addressed reporters Friday at a sometimes tense press conference that took place in front of an underwater observation tank, where seven of the park's orcas swam peacefully. Tilikum was not present. He told reporters, who were escorted one at a time into the park to the observation tank, that Tilikum would not face punishment or isolation. "It's important that I again stress that we provide the highest standard of care and no animal is ever subject to punishment in any form. Tilikum is no exception.
Colleagues from other marine parks in Miami, Georgia and Niagara Falls as well as the United States Navy are assisting in the park's internal investigation, as preparations are made for funeral services for Brancheau in Chicago today and tomorrow. Multiple outside agencies are also investigating the tragedy, including the Orange County, Florida, Sheriff's Office and the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
The US Department of Agriculture, which administers the federal Animal Welfare Act, will also conduct an inspection. SeaWorld has scrambled to prevent the gruesome attack from becoming a public relations disaster that could hit its lucrative marine show business, and Atchison rejected comparisons between Wednesday's incident and two prior human deaths involving Tilikum.
Those incidents and (the) nature of them had nothing to do with the nature of this event... and are not relevant to his particular altercation," he said. He acknowledged that Wednesday's event was videotaped, but said the footage is part of the ongoing investigation. He also defended the shows and exhibits as educational and an "extraordinary way for people to make connections with marine animals.
Witness Sue Nichols, 67, said the crowd had no warning that anything was brewing as the show was already ending with most of the 50-strong audience having left their seats. The trainer would "pet him, and she would get very close to him. She'd throw fish in his mouth and throw buckets of water in his mouth, which he seemed to enjoy. There was nothing aggravating or anything about it," Nichols told AFP.
She was petting the whale and talking to him, and then all of a sudden he just reached up. He got her in the water, and he took her underwater, and he had her under for quite a while," she said. "He came up out of the water, and he had her in his mouth." Despite the apparently harrowing nature of the attack and wide media coverage, park officials said attendance numbers had not dropped off.
Casey Morgan, 36, visited the park Friday with her husband. "It's going to have to go on. Life goes on," said Morgan, visiting from Alberta, Canada. "We can't just stop and live inside a bubble." The park's chief zoological officer, Brad Andrews, said employees were saddened by Brancheau's death but looking forward to resuming the shows. - AFP
http://www.kuwaittimes.net/read_news.php?newsid=NDk5NDUxNTU3
US entertainment park SeaWorld plans to resume killer whale shows at its facilities yesterday, just days after an orca it described as "an important part of our team" killed a trainer in front of horrified onlookers. "He will remain part of our team," SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment president Jim Atchison said of the whale that killed trainer Dawn Brancheu. "Tilikum is an extraordinary animal," he added. "He is a very special animal that requires very special handling.
Trainers will not be allowed into the water with the Florida marine park's killer whales until a thorough safety review has been completed and its recommendations implemented, he said. Tilikum-a five-tonne orca already linked to two other human deaths since 1991 -- grabbed Brancheau, 40, by her ponytail on Wednesday and dragged her into the water at the end of a show at SeaWorld Orlando.
Atchison addressed reporters Friday at a sometimes tense press conference that took place in front of an underwater observation tank, where seven of the park's orcas swam peacefully. Tilikum was not present. He told reporters, who were escorted one at a time into the park to the observation tank, that Tilikum would not face punishment or isolation. "It's important that I again stress that we provide the highest standard of care and no animal is ever subject to punishment in any form. Tilikum is no exception.
Colleagues from other marine parks in Miami, Georgia and Niagara Falls as well as the United States Navy are assisting in the park's internal investigation, as preparations are made for funeral services for Brancheau in Chicago today and tomorrow. Multiple outside agencies are also investigating the tragedy, including the Orange County, Florida, Sheriff's Office and the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
The US Department of Agriculture, which administers the federal Animal Welfare Act, will also conduct an inspection. SeaWorld has scrambled to prevent the gruesome attack from becoming a public relations disaster that could hit its lucrative marine show business, and Atchison rejected comparisons between Wednesday's incident and two prior human deaths involving Tilikum.
Those incidents and (the) nature of them had nothing to do with the nature of this event... and are not relevant to his particular altercation," he said. He acknowledged that Wednesday's event was videotaped, but said the footage is part of the ongoing investigation. He also defended the shows and exhibits as educational and an "extraordinary way for people to make connections with marine animals.
Witness Sue Nichols, 67, said the crowd had no warning that anything was brewing as the show was already ending with most of the 50-strong audience having left their seats. The trainer would "pet him, and she would get very close to him. She'd throw fish in his mouth and throw buckets of water in his mouth, which he seemed to enjoy. There was nothing aggravating or anything about it," Nichols told AFP.
She was petting the whale and talking to him, and then all of a sudden he just reached up. He got her in the water, and he took her underwater, and he had her under for quite a while," she said. "He came up out of the water, and he had her in his mouth." Despite the apparently harrowing nature of the attack and wide media coverage, park officials said attendance numbers had not dropped off.
Casey Morgan, 36, visited the park Friday with her husband. "It's going to have to go on. Life goes on," said Morgan, visiting from Alberta, Canada. "We can't just stop and live inside a bubble." The park's chief zoological officer, Brad Andrews, said employees were saddened by Brancheau's death but looking forward to resuming the shows. - AFP
http://www.kuwaittimes.net/read_news.php?newsid=NDk5NDUxNTU3
Thursday, February 25, 2010
SeaWorld trainer dies in killer whale attack in Orlando
Thursday, 25 February 2010
A trainer at the SeaWorld park in Orlando, Florida, has died after being attacked by a killer whale.
Witnesses said the whale had jumped and grabbed Dawn Brancheau by the waist from a poolside platform before dragging her underwater.
Guests were evacuated while fire crews tried to rescue the 40-year-old, but they were unable to revive her.
The orca, Tilikum, was also involved in the death of a female trainer in Canada in 1991, reports said.
Other orcas were also said to have attacked trainers at SeaWorld parks in 2006 and 2004.
'Shaking her violently'
Chuck Tompkins, SeaWorld parks' head of animal training, was quoted by Reuters news agency saying: "She was rubbing the killer whale's head, and [it] grabbed her and pulled her in."
SeaWorld said an investigation was under way into Wednesday afternoon's death of Ms Brancheau, a trainer with 16 years' experience.
Jim Solomons, a spokesman for the Orange County Sheriff's Office, said early accounts indicated she could have slipped and fallen into the tank.
He said it was too early to tell if she had been attacked by the 12,000lb (5,450kg) orca.
But witnesses told a different story.
Park visitor Victoria Biniak told a local TV channel that the trainer had just finished explaining to the audience what they were about to see.
At that point, she said, the whale "took off really fast, and then he came back around to the glass, jumped up, grabbed the trainer by the waist and started shaking her violently. The last thing we saw was her shoe floating."
Audience member Eldon Skaggs told AP news agency the whale had "pulled her under and started swimming around with her".
A male spectator who witnessed the tragedy gave CNN a similar version of events.
Brazilian tourist Joao Lucio DeCosta Sobrinho and his girlfriend were at an underwater viewing area when they saw the whale with the trainer in its mouth.
The entertainment park, known for its killer whale, seal and dolphin displays, was closed after the incident. SeaWorld in San Diego also suspended its killer whale show.
Tilikum is said to have been involved in previous incidents, the BBC's Andy Gallacher reports from Florida.
A SeaWorld spokesman said the orca had been one of three whales blamed for killing a trainer in 1991 after she had fallen in a pool at a marine park in British Columbia, Canada.
Naked man
After the whale - nicknamed Telly - was sold to SeaWorld Orlando it was involved in a second incident when authorities discovered the body of a naked man lying across his back in 1999.
Officials later concluded the man, who had either crept into SeaWorld after closing time or hidden in the park until it closed, probably drowned after suffering hypothermia.
There have been incidents involving other whales at SeaWorld.
In November 2006, a male trainer escaped with a broken foot after he was bitten and held underwater by a female killer whale during a show at SeaWorld's San Diego park.
In 2004, another whale at the company's San Antonio park attempted to bite a trainer, but he too escaped.
Though called a killer whale, the orca (Orcinus orca), is actually the largest member of the oceanic dolphin family.
Animal rights group Peta says it has long been asking SeaWorld to stop taking wild, ocean-going mammals and confining them to an area that, to them, is "the size of a bathtub".
See full story, videos, etc: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8535618.stm
(Submitted by Oll Lewis)
See also: http://www.startribune.com/nation/85237837.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUac8HEaDiaMDCinchO7DU
(Submitted by D.R. Shoop)
A trainer at the SeaWorld park in Orlando, Florida, has died after being attacked by a killer whale.
Witnesses said the whale had jumped and grabbed Dawn Brancheau by the waist from a poolside platform before dragging her underwater.
Guests were evacuated while fire crews tried to rescue the 40-year-old, but they were unable to revive her.
The orca, Tilikum, was also involved in the death of a female trainer in Canada in 1991, reports said.
Other orcas were also said to have attacked trainers at SeaWorld parks in 2006 and 2004.
'Shaking her violently'
Chuck Tompkins, SeaWorld parks' head of animal training, was quoted by Reuters news agency saying: "She was rubbing the killer whale's head, and [it] grabbed her and pulled her in."
SeaWorld said an investigation was under way into Wednesday afternoon's death of Ms Brancheau, a trainer with 16 years' experience.
Jim Solomons, a spokesman for the Orange County Sheriff's Office, said early accounts indicated she could have slipped and fallen into the tank.
He said it was too early to tell if she had been attacked by the 12,000lb (5,450kg) orca.
But witnesses told a different story.
Park visitor Victoria Biniak told a local TV channel that the trainer had just finished explaining to the audience what they were about to see.
At that point, she said, the whale "took off really fast, and then he came back around to the glass, jumped up, grabbed the trainer by the waist and started shaking her violently. The last thing we saw was her shoe floating."
Audience member Eldon Skaggs told AP news agency the whale had "pulled her under and started swimming around with her".
A male spectator who witnessed the tragedy gave CNN a similar version of events.
Brazilian tourist Joao Lucio DeCosta Sobrinho and his girlfriend were at an underwater viewing area when they saw the whale with the trainer in its mouth.
The entertainment park, known for its killer whale, seal and dolphin displays, was closed after the incident. SeaWorld in San Diego also suspended its killer whale show.
Tilikum is said to have been involved in previous incidents, the BBC's Andy Gallacher reports from Florida.
A SeaWorld spokesman said the orca had been one of three whales blamed for killing a trainer in 1991 after she had fallen in a pool at a marine park in British Columbia, Canada.
Naked man
After the whale - nicknamed Telly - was sold to SeaWorld Orlando it was involved in a second incident when authorities discovered the body of a naked man lying across his back in 1999.
Officials later concluded the man, who had either crept into SeaWorld after closing time or hidden in the park until it closed, probably drowned after suffering hypothermia.
There have been incidents involving other whales at SeaWorld.
In November 2006, a male trainer escaped with a broken foot after he was bitten and held underwater by a female killer whale during a show at SeaWorld's San Diego park.
In 2004, another whale at the company's San Antonio park attempted to bite a trainer, but he too escaped.
Though called a killer whale, the orca (Orcinus orca), is actually the largest member of the oceanic dolphin family.
Animal rights group Peta says it has long been asking SeaWorld to stop taking wild, ocean-going mammals and confining them to an area that, to them, is "the size of a bathtub".
See full story, videos, etc: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8535618.stm
(Submitted by Oll Lewis)
See also: http://www.startribune.com/nation/85237837.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUac8HEaDiaMDCinchO7DU
(Submitted by D.R. Shoop)
Friday, February 19, 2010
Monday, February 15, 2010
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Bull gores 12-year-old 'torero'
1 February 2010A young Mexican bullfighter is gored twice by a bull as the 12-year-old performs in Colombia.
See video at: http://uk.news.yahoo.com/4/20100201/video/vod-bull-gores-12-year-old-torero-f1a0497.html
(Submitted by Richard Freeman)
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Monday, December 21, 2009
India's 'last' dancing bear freed
Sunday, 20 December 2009An animal rights charity from East Sussex says it has made history by freeing the last dancing bear in India.
See video at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/8423504.stm
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Ice skating bear kills Russian circus hand
Fri October 23, 2009
From Yuri Pushkin
CNN
MOSCOW, Russia (CNN) -- A bear on ice skates attacked two people during rehearsals at a circus in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, killing one of them, Kyrgyz officials said Friday.
In the incident, which happened Thursday, the 5-year-old animal killed the circus administrator, Dmitry Potapov, and mauled an animal trainer, who was attempting to rescue him.
"The incident occurred during a rehearsal by the Russian state circus company troupe which was performing in Bishkek with the program, Bears on Ice," Ministry of Culture and Information director Kurmangazy Isanayev told reporters.
It is unclear what caused the bear to attack Potapov, 25, nearly severing one of his legs while dragging him across the ice by his neck. Medical personnel were unable to save Potapov, who died at the scene.
The 29-year-old circus trainer Yevgeny Popov, who attempted to rescue Potapov, was also severely injured, according to doctors.
"The victim has sustained serious injuries - deep scalp lacerations, bruising of the brain, lacerations on his body. His condition is considered critical," Dr. Gulnara Tashibekova told reporters on Russian state television.
After the incident, the circus was cordoned off by police and emergency service workers. Experts have been brought in to examine the bear, which was shot and died at the scene.
Russia has a long-standing tradition of training bears to perform tricks such as riding motorcycles, ice skating, and playing hockey. Fatal attacks are unusual.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/10/23/russia.skating.bear.death/index.html
(Submitted by Chris Kraska)
From Yuri Pushkin
CNN
MOSCOW, Russia (CNN) -- A bear on ice skates attacked two people during rehearsals at a circus in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, killing one of them, Kyrgyz officials said Friday.
In the incident, which happened Thursday, the 5-year-old animal killed the circus administrator, Dmitry Potapov, and mauled an animal trainer, who was attempting to rescue him.
"The incident occurred during a rehearsal by the Russian state circus company troupe which was performing in Bishkek with the program, Bears on Ice," Ministry of Culture and Information director Kurmangazy Isanayev told reporters.
It is unclear what caused the bear to attack Potapov, 25, nearly severing one of his legs while dragging him across the ice by his neck. Medical personnel were unable to save Potapov, who died at the scene.
The 29-year-old circus trainer Yevgeny Popov, who attempted to rescue Potapov, was also severely injured, according to doctors.
"The victim has sustained serious injuries - deep scalp lacerations, bruising of the brain, lacerations on his body. His condition is considered critical," Dr. Gulnara Tashibekova told reporters on Russian state television.
After the incident, the circus was cordoned off by police and emergency service workers. Experts have been brought in to examine the bear, which was shot and died at the scene.
Russia has a long-standing tradition of training bears to perform tricks such as riding motorcycles, ice skating, and playing hockey. Fatal attacks are unusual.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/10/23/russia.skating.bear.death/index.html
(Submitted by Chris Kraska)
Ice skating bear kills Russian circus hand
Fri October 23, 2009
From Yuri Pushkin
CNN
MOSCOW, Russia (CNN) -- A bear on ice skates attacked two people during rehearsals at a circus in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, killing one of them, Kyrgyz officials said Friday.
In the incident, which happened Thursday, the 5-year-old animal killed the circus administrator, Dmitry Potapov, and mauled an animal trainer, who was attempting to rescue him.
"The incident occurred during a rehearsal by the Russian state circus company troupe which was performing in Bishkek with the program, Bears on Ice," Ministry of Culture and Information director Kurmangazy Isanayev told reporters.
It is unclear what caused the bear to attack Potapov, 25, nearly severing one of his legs while dragging him across the ice by his neck. Medical personnel were unable to save Potapov, who died at the scene.
The 29-year-old circus trainer Yevgeny Popov, who attempted to rescue Potapov, was also severely injured, according to doctors.
"The victim has sustained serious injuries - deep scalp lacerations, bruising of the brain, lacerations on his body. His condition is considered critical," Dr. Gulnara Tashibekova told reporters on Russian state television.
After the incident, the circus was cordoned off by police and emergency service workers. Experts have been brought in to examine the bear, which was shot and died at the scene.
Russia has a long-standing tradition of training bears to perform tricks such as riding motorcycles, ice skating, and playing hockey. Fatal attacks are unusual.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/10/23/russia.skating.bear.death/index.html
(Submitted by Chris Kraska)
From Yuri Pushkin
CNN
MOSCOW, Russia (CNN) -- A bear on ice skates attacked two people during rehearsals at a circus in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, killing one of them, Kyrgyz officials said Friday.
In the incident, which happened Thursday, the 5-year-old animal killed the circus administrator, Dmitry Potapov, and mauled an animal trainer, who was attempting to rescue him.
"The incident occurred during a rehearsal by the Russian state circus company troupe which was performing in Bishkek with the program, Bears on Ice," Ministry of Culture and Information director Kurmangazy Isanayev told reporters.
It is unclear what caused the bear to attack Potapov, 25, nearly severing one of his legs while dragging him across the ice by his neck. Medical personnel were unable to save Potapov, who died at the scene.
The 29-year-old circus trainer Yevgeny Popov, who attempted to rescue Potapov, was also severely injured, according to doctors.
"The victim has sustained serious injuries - deep scalp lacerations, bruising of the brain, lacerations on his body. His condition is considered critical," Dr. Gulnara Tashibekova told reporters on Russian state television.
After the incident, the circus was cordoned off by police and emergency service workers. Experts have been brought in to examine the bear, which was shot and died at the scene.
Russia has a long-standing tradition of training bears to perform tricks such as riding motorcycles, ice skating, and playing hockey. Fatal attacks are unusual.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/10/23/russia.skating.bear.death/index.html
(Submitted by Chris Kraska)
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