On Monday, experienced Sea World trainer Dawn Brancheau drowned when a 12,300-pound orca named Tilikum pulled her into a tank after the popular Dine with Shamu show. The tragedy took place in front of dozens of tourists with varying accounts of what exactly occurred.
In the days since, I’ve received many questions about orcas like Tilikum. Several of you want to hear my take on the ethics of captive lifestyles for animals. Some use terms like “compassionate conservation” while others talk about “cruel imprisonment.” Meanwhile, lots of advocacy groups have been speaking out by making lump judgments on all zoos and aquariums–which is not right. To be fair, there is a very broad spectrum in terms of the value of–and responsibility at–each. Further, most handlers I’ve personally met are well-intentioned, and focus on conservation and science. So rather than go into a lengthy discussion on the merits and faults of parks, let’s stick to orcas and this very sad story.
Orcas have evolved to be highly intelligent, social animals, communicating to pod members using sounds that travel underwater. They are also powerful hunters. Tilikum was born wild off the coast of Iceland, where he could travel vast distances until he was captured in 1983. Since then, he’s lived in a comparatively small enclosure, siring offspring, and performing simple tricks for us, over and over and over again.
It’s relatively simple to understand why something might go wrong in this situation.
February 26th, 2010 at 11:21 am
Sheril,
Indeed it is, and that’s the real tragedy here – powerful intelligent animals make independent decisions. No matter how you slice it, humans will sometimes loose in those decisions. Rather then focus on the supposed cruelty of the animal, or its captivity, let’s celebrate the life of the trainer. She deserves that much.
February 26th, 2010 at 11:41 am
“Rather then focus on the supposed cruelty of the animal, or its captivity, let’s celebrate the life of the trainer.”
Can’t we do both? Can’t we feel bad this person died and, at the same time, point out the evil in taking these animals out of the wild and evilly and cruelly confining them to cramped, sound-dead concrete pits. That is the real tragedy.
February 26th, 2010 at 12:03 pm
I think it is most reflective of the situation to do both.
I feel sorrow that Dawn Brancheau had to die. She knew the risks, of course, but she had the bad luck to be the person dragged under by Tilikum’s stress.
I feel sorrow for Tilikum. I have serious reservations about keeping wild-caught animals in captivity and think, if this was Tilikum’s reaction to stress, that he should be released. They have other orcas, and probably others in captivity. Use a captive-born orca. Use an animal whose health is such that they cannot be released in the wild. There are plenty of animals who are rightfully in captivity because they cannot survive in the wild due to health or due to the difficulty of training them to be wild – there is a marine animal hospital in Florida (I think it’s called the Mole Center) that does this.
February 26th, 2010 at 12:04 pm
What do readers think should/will happen to Tilikum next?
AMNH’s Richard Ellis predicts isolation.
February 26th, 2010 at 12:14 pm
I think the animal should be released. I think the animal will be isolated. I think it is possible that this corporation will later decide to kill this animal for financial reasons.
February 26th, 2010 at 12:14 pm
Sheril, I’m not sure what your response is regarding captive orcas at places like SeaWorld.
Should SeaWorld Corporation reduce it’s orca population, or stop entirely, or employ more regulation?
February 26th, 2010 at 12:44 pm
These issues are far too complex to address in a blog post in my opinion. That said, what’s clear is that a large, intelligent animal like Tilikum did not evolve to live in a small pen and swim in circles for human audiences.
February 26th, 2010 at 1:00 pm
Sheril,
I wholeheartedly agree with this last comment of yours… I have never found it entertaining to watch these wondrous creatures in captivity.
February 26th, 2010 at 1:40 pm
Woody, sure WE could probably do both, but most folks won’t, nor will the media. They will rage agaisnt the animal and his behavior like rabid dogs, never really looking at what we do gain scientificly nor realizing the joy thatthis woman apparently felt working with these creatures on a daily basis.
Kathrine, nearly all, if not all captive-born orcas come from wild caught orcas one or at most two generations ago. Orcas are simply not evolved to live in tans of any kind, no matter how far along tank technology and design has come. The first generation of wild caught ones – like Tillikum, might be able to be released, but as the Keiko debacle shows, its not easy nor is it always successful.
And in Florida, stranded marine mammals got to Seaworld of Orlando (!) Mote Marine Lab, Miami Seaquarium and the Lowery Park Zoo (which has an incredible manatee hospitol).
February 26th, 2010 at 2:44 pm
too much hysteria.
from time to time a dog will chew off someones face or kill, a horse will trample or kick someone. its hard to say horses were born to carry people after all.
sometimes things go wrong. no need to go over board about it.
February 26th, 2010 at 3:53 pm
TIlikum should be isolated from humans to the furthest extent that is possible in captivity. Release is not an option, he’s lived in captivity far too long and the sad story of Keiko http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keiko_(orca) should be argument enough against that.
What I find shockingly irresponsible is that an orca who had been involved in 2 other deaths would ever be used in a show. I’d love to see orca performances end completely but the simple fact is that those performances fund the upkeep of the aquariums and keep the whales in shape. Ending all capture of wild orcas and no longer breeding them in captivity would be a start, let the population in captivity decrease naturally from there.
Dogs and horses have been domesticated for thousands of years, accidents still happen but compared to the number of dogs and horses fatalities are very uncommon. According to some quick googling there are only 42 orcas in captivity in the world. I couldn’t find stats for the number of humans injured or killed but at least 3 related to just Tikilum and this was the second killing of a trainer by an orca this year. These aren’t safe animals to work with, period.
February 26th, 2010 at 10:49 pm
How can these whales be anything other than insane? What must it be like to use sonar while confined in a box? Is it ethical to keep killer whales in captivity strictly for our amusement? Please, let’s not deceive ourselves about the educational value of domesticating whales. People take their kids to SeaWorld for the same reason they take them to Disney World. What are we teaching the children? That it’s okay to go home, pick up a turtle or a small mammal and stuff it in cardboard box for personal enjoyment. What exactly are the kids learning about whales that they could not learn outside of SeaWorld?
Aquarium shows using whales or dolphins for entertainment should be banned. Tilikum should be moved to a sanctuary. If he is isolated and unable to perform, becoming a financial liability, I have no doubt Tilikum will mysteriously contract a terminal illness.
February 27th, 2010 at 12:53 am
I just saw a video of Dawn from a tourists camera taken moments before the incident took place. The video shows Dawn laying face down on a shallow platform playing with Tilicum. While she was on a platform on the side of the pool she was still in the water with him. It seems to me that she just got to comfortable with the Orcas. As I watched her roll around and play with Tilicun I was reminded of “Grizzly Man” in the sense that Dawn may have gotten to comfortable around the Whales for her own good.
My heart goes out to her family and friends.
February 27th, 2010 at 4:56 am
We are all sad that the beautiful young trainer had to die and our hearts go out to her family. She loved the Orca. I know she would not want any harm to come to Tilikum. He and a female should be released in the wild. He is not mean’t for captivity. He is not any more dangerous than any other killer whale. He doesn’t know that he is doing wrong. He’s just being himself stuck in a man made environment trying to interact as best he can. Perhaps if you release him with a mate they will be able to survive and live a good life. Have a heart don’t hold him prisoner anymore.
February 27th, 2010 at 6:01 pm
Having these animals in captivity is not a completely bad thing, it shows the public how beautiful these animals are and 90% of the time the zoo or theme park advocates on ways to save them from going extinct. I was 8 years old when I first went to the zoo and found my love for animals and now I (like many other) help try to save them. If it wasn’t for that zoo I don’t think I would have really cared as much as I do now. However, I think these zoos, theme parks and the public need to realize that these are animals. They take the risk of something going wrong the moment they put them on display. No matter how trained these animals are they are still wild animals. It is up to the trainers and keepers to know what and what not to do around them. Or to constantly be aware of any little changes that the animal is displaying. I really hope that sea world does not put this animal to sleep. After all he is and always will be a wild animal in captivity and sea world took that risk. Tilly had nothing to do with their decision to put him into captivity. My heart goes out to her friends and family.
February 27th, 2010 at 8:36 pm
“Having these animals in captivity is not a completely bad thing, it shows the public how beautiful these animals are…”
Are you kidding? Why don’t you ask Tilikum if it’s okay to put a 12,000 lb. killer whale in a tiny holding tank for 27 years so you can see how beautiful he is? Maybe he just told us what he thinks. Why do you believe we have a right to put such an intelligent and majestic animal into a prison?
Zoo: euphemism for animal prison.
March 3rd, 2010 at 2:56 pm
“People take their kids to SeaWorld for the same reason they take them to Disney World. What are we teaching the children? That it’s okay to go home, pick up a turtle or a small mammal and stuff it in cardboard box for personal enjoyment. What exactly are the kids learning about whales that they could not learn outside of SeaWorld?”
On the above comment I have a point I would like to make. In taking our children to Sea World I am personally hoping that my daughter and son will fall in love with the animals like I have. In doing so I think that we show our children how precous the animals are and they are worth trying to save. Now my kids have not been to a zoo or Sea World yet because they are too little. They have seen orcas and other animals on TV and sure they think they are cool but it leaves no greater impression on their young minds than watching Sponge Bob for a half an hour. I can’t go to my 3 year old and go “now do you think it is ok for people to hurt these animals?” after showing them to her on the TV because she just thought they were pretty pictures or something to that effect! But if I put her beside the real thing I can see her face light up and she really goes “WOW” out loud! Most parents can tell you that is not necisarrily an easy response to get from a kid! So do we teach our kids anything by taking them to these attractions? I say YES!
Now don’t get me wrong. In a perfect world no more wild whales would be caught to be placed in captivity and zoos and aquariums would be banned all together to prevent the animals from suffering. But lets be realistic people, we do not live in a perfect world. Would I like Tili to be set free? Yes I would but the funding and training needed to perform such a feat would be immense to say the least! Plus this kind of thing has been tried before with Keiko, the whale from Free Willy, and it was unsuccesful. In the end Keiko still preferred to be with people, not other wild whales and he still needed care from his human care takers to survive. So how is it any less cruel to take away the humans that Tili knows and trusts as well as to remove him from the other whales he lives with and are his family and put him a ver LARGE ocean that he does not remember and leave him all alone? Sounds like you are just trying to isolate him in another manner to me. Plus he would not know how to catch his food so he would probably starve or seek out people to feed him which could be VERY dangerous. With that being said what other options are available for Tili? Anyone have any thoughts on that?
March 4th, 2010 at 3:50 am
All over the web we have this heated debate about “What should happen to Tilikum”.
Everyone is missing the big question of what we can learn from this orca. I don’t think it is anything as simple as an insane animal acting out of rage or frustration at being captive for so many years. Indeed , there are many reasons to believe these whales form a close bond to their trainers and in fact crave human interaction. If Tilikum had wanted just to kill the poor woman, he could have bitten her in half in a single moment. But instead, he seemed happy to play the performance with her and then at a certain moment turns on her and grabs her pony tail. It almost seems like an act of jealousy….the orca wants the girl to be *his* Once he grabs her, his emotions boil out of control and she is drowned in the process. And once it is all over, he seems almost in shock at what happened, but still will
not let go of her body.
In the news footage you can see him in the holding tank, with her body just at the side of the pool, covered with a black blanket. He is motionless, except that he keeps lifting his
head out of the water as far as he can, and turning to see her.
Maybe I’m reading too much into this, but there is much to be learned from this sad event,
and we will learn none of it by killing the orca…or by sending him out to sea.