timfan
02-24-2010, 07:18 PM
This makes me feel more and more that these parks should be closed...
SeaWorld trainer killed by whale in Orlando
24/02/2010 5:27:45 PM
CTV.ca News Staff
A veteran SeaWorld trainer in Florida was attacked and killed by a whale Wednesday afternoon just as a public show was set to begin -- and the same whale may be linked to another death in B.C.
SeaWorld Orlando President Dan Brown told reporters in a prepared statement that the 40-year-old woman was one of the park's "most experienced" trainers.
Brown said the park has initiated an investigation into the incident and would make the findings of that probe known "in due course."
"I must emphasize that this is an extraordinarily difficult time for the SeaWorld parks and our team members," Brown said. "Nothing is more important than the safety of our employees, guests and of the animals entrusted to our care. We have never in the history of our parks experienced an incident like this, and all of our standard operating procedures will come under review as part of this investigation."
Local officials said the Orange County Sheriff's Office and Orange County Fire and Rescue responded to a call from Shamu Stadium around 2 p.m., and found the trainer fatally injured.
Officials said it appears the trainer was in a whale holding area when she slipped or fell into the tank and was attacked by one of the whales.
However, local news reports say the trainer had just told the audience what they were about to see at the whale show when one of the whales leapt out of the water, grabbed her by the waist and thrashed her around in the water.
Victoria Biniak told Orlando's WKMG's Local 6 news that she witnessed the attack, which she described as "violent," from the stadium's viewing area.
"The trainer was explaining different things about the whale and then the trainer that was down there walked away from the window," Biniak said. "Then (the whale) took off really fast in the tank and he came back, shot up in the air, grabbed the trainer by the waist and started thrashing (her) around."
Biniak said the trainer was shaken so violently that one of her shoes flew off during the incident.
According to Biniak, sirens immediately started sounding at the stadium and spectators were quickly evacuated. The whale show was cancelled, but the Orlando Sentinel reports that the park has not been closed.
Officials said they expect to be able to release the victim's identity later Wednesday. An official death investigation is underway by the sheriff's office.
Park whale has violent history
While officials have not named which of the park's whales attacked the trainer, local news reports identify the whale as Tillikum, or "Tilly," who has a violent past.
Tillikum and two female whales drowned their trainer during a performance at Sealand of the Pacific, in British Columbia. Part-time trainer Keltie Byrne died when she slipped and fell into the water and the whales would not let her get out.
The park closed its whale exhibit and sold Tillikum to SeaWorld in 1992. In 1999, SeaWorld employees found him swimming in his pen with the body of a naked man on his back.
Officials suspected the man drowned after developing hypothermia in the cold water, but he did have bite marks and his swim shorts appeared to have been torn off. SeaWorld employees speculated the whale could have been trying to play with the man before or after he died.
A former contractor at SeaWorld told the Sentinel that Tillikum, who weighs nearly 5,600 kilograms, is often kept away from other killer whales because of his violent past.
Previous attacks on trainers
This is not the first time a whale has attacked a trainer at a SeaWorld park.
In November 2006, a 3,175-kilogram killer whale attacked trainer Kenneth Peters during a show at SeaWorld's San Diego park.
In that attack, the whale bit and held Peters underwater several times. Peters suffered a broken foot in that incident.
The same whale, a five metre-long female orca, had attacked Peters in 1993 and 1999.
In 2004, a whale tried to hit and bite a trainer at a SeaWorld park in San Antonio, Texas.
http://visit.theglobeandmail.com/counter.visit?grp=news&site=ctv&l1=sympaticoMSN&l2=story&l3=killer_whale_100224
http://visit.theglobeandmail.com/counter.visit?grp=news&site=ctv&l1=sympaticoMSN&l2=story&l3=killer_whale_100224
http://news.sympatico.ctv.ca/abc/home/contentposting.aspx?isfa=1&feedname=CTV-TOPSTORIES_V3&showbyline=True&date=true&newsitemid=CTVNews%2f20100224%2fkiller_whale_10022 4
SeaWorld trainer killed by whale in Orlando
24/02/2010 5:27:45 PM
CTV.ca News Staff
A veteran SeaWorld trainer in Florida was attacked and killed by a whale Wednesday afternoon just as a public show was set to begin -- and the same whale may be linked to another death in B.C.
SeaWorld Orlando President Dan Brown told reporters in a prepared statement that the 40-year-old woman was one of the park's "most experienced" trainers.
Brown said the park has initiated an investigation into the incident and would make the findings of that probe known "in due course."
"I must emphasize that this is an extraordinarily difficult time for the SeaWorld parks and our team members," Brown said. "Nothing is more important than the safety of our employees, guests and of the animals entrusted to our care. We have never in the history of our parks experienced an incident like this, and all of our standard operating procedures will come under review as part of this investigation."
Local officials said the Orange County Sheriff's Office and Orange County Fire and Rescue responded to a call from Shamu Stadium around 2 p.m., and found the trainer fatally injured.
Officials said it appears the trainer was in a whale holding area when she slipped or fell into the tank and was attacked by one of the whales.
However, local news reports say the trainer had just told the audience what they were about to see at the whale show when one of the whales leapt out of the water, grabbed her by the waist and thrashed her around in the water.
Victoria Biniak told Orlando's WKMG's Local 6 news that she witnessed the attack, which she described as "violent," from the stadium's viewing area.
"The trainer was explaining different things about the whale and then the trainer that was down there walked away from the window," Biniak said. "Then (the whale) took off really fast in the tank and he came back, shot up in the air, grabbed the trainer by the waist and started thrashing (her) around."
Biniak said the trainer was shaken so violently that one of her shoes flew off during the incident.
According to Biniak, sirens immediately started sounding at the stadium and spectators were quickly evacuated. The whale show was cancelled, but the Orlando Sentinel reports that the park has not been closed.
Officials said they expect to be able to release the victim's identity later Wednesday. An official death investigation is underway by the sheriff's office.
Park whale has violent history
While officials have not named which of the park's whales attacked the trainer, local news reports identify the whale as Tillikum, or "Tilly," who has a violent past.
Tillikum and two female whales drowned their trainer during a performance at Sealand of the Pacific, in British Columbia. Part-time trainer Keltie Byrne died when she slipped and fell into the water and the whales would not let her get out.
The park closed its whale exhibit and sold Tillikum to SeaWorld in 1992. In 1999, SeaWorld employees found him swimming in his pen with the body of a naked man on his back.
Officials suspected the man drowned after developing hypothermia in the cold water, but he did have bite marks and his swim shorts appeared to have been torn off. SeaWorld employees speculated the whale could have been trying to play with the man before or after he died.
A former contractor at SeaWorld told the Sentinel that Tillikum, who weighs nearly 5,600 kilograms, is often kept away from other killer whales because of his violent past.
Previous attacks on trainers
This is not the first time a whale has attacked a trainer at a SeaWorld park.
In November 2006, a 3,175-kilogram killer whale attacked trainer Kenneth Peters during a show at SeaWorld's San Diego park.
In that attack, the whale bit and held Peters underwater several times. Peters suffered a broken foot in that incident.
The same whale, a five metre-long female orca, had attacked Peters in 1993 and 1999.
In 2004, a whale tried to hit and bite a trainer at a SeaWorld park in San Antonio, Texas.
http://visit.theglobeandmail.com/counter.visit?grp=news&site=ctv&l1=sympaticoMSN&l2=story&l3=killer_whale_100224
http://visit.theglobeandmail.com/counter.visit?grp=news&site=ctv&l1=sympaticoMSN&l2=story&l3=killer_whale_100224
http://news.sympatico.ctv.ca/abc/home/contentposting.aspx?isfa=1&feedname=CTV-TOPSTORIES_V3&showbyline=True&date=true&newsitemid=CTVNews%2f20100224%2fkiller_whale_10022 4