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Another Death, Money More Important Than Human Life?

27 February 2010 27 Comments

Cemetary
At SeaWorld this week, Dawn Brancheau, a 40-year-old orca trainer, was pulled underwater by a 12,000-pound killer whale in front of an audience during a show. It turns out that this whale was involved in two other deaths in the past. This makes me so sad and makes me wonder, why does it seem that the right choices are not made in our world today because making money is all important?

Did the operators think about the luster of money coming in more than the safety of this young woman? Did sensationalism overrule safety and good judgement? No doubt, this trainer did this for the love of it. Didn’t she have the right to know that the park owners were ensuring her safety? This young woman is gone, her family broken by her death…all because the right choices were not made. I am not a fan of big government, but I thank God for laws that protect people from the decisions that are made to put them in harm’s way because of greed. Should this orca have been allowed to be used for entertainment after being involved in these other death’s? How do you feel?

27 Comments »

Susie's Homemade said:

The whale was originally in British Columbia and he was sold to Sea World after the first death. The BC trainer’s said that the whale should be used for “display for educational purposes” and not for entertainment. Had those words been heeded, two people would still be here.

# 27 February 2010 at 4:03 pm

Jen said:

I’m not fan of big government myself and you can’t legislate for stupidity. I’m sure Sea World would have found a loop hole. Last I heard they had no plans to do anything different with this animal.

I am sorry this woman lost her life.

However, they are called killer whales for a reason. We as humans have to stop thinking that we can control and manipulate wild animals, even if they are housed in a zoo.

# 27 February 2010 at 4:07 pm

Lyn said:

I doubt that such tragedies will ever stop The Money Makers of the world from continuing to do what they do best. It’s been that way since the beginning of written history; a group, some entity, weighs the loss against the overall gain, and with the seasoning of greed lightens the conscience enough to balance it all out.

# 27 February 2010 at 4:24 pm

OldOldLady Of The Hills said:

Well, there’s the question, isn’t it? The right choices would have been to NEVER have taken this Orca or any other, out of their Natural Environment. They are called Killer Whales for a reason. These Orca’s have been put ‘in harm’s way’ and there is almost nobody to speak for them. I am really sorry that this young woman died—that is a trgaedy. But, as I said, these Orcas should NOT be penned up and trained, etc. They should never be removed from their natural environment and have to perform, Just as seals should not either, or Elephants, or any Animal. To me thi is the true crime here, from the Get Go.

# 28 February 2010 at 1:07 am

Granny Annie said:

Whew Dorothy, that’s a big question. Is it really greed that makes these persons take such risks? It seems to me that many people are born risk-takers and they make a decision that the thrill is a greater reward than the danger. Evil Knievel jumped motorcycles, Sir Edmund Hillary climbed Everest, America’s Funniest Home Videos show crazy risk-takers every week who barely escape within and inch of their lives. I,on the other hand, am a snail who much prefers my cozy shell. I do not believe government or corporations or any group will ever stop those who thrive on danger. We need those gutsy people in this world because many go on to serve and protect us in our military, in our police and fire departments, on search and rescue teams,etc.

# 28 February 2010 at 8:18 am

Barb at WillThink4Wine said:

I don’t believe wild animals should ever be used for profit.

I’ve perused your blog and clearly, you are a woman with much to say and much to offer. Congratualtions on kicking cancer to the curb! My mother in law’s ovarian cancer, diagnosed when she was 52, was not discovered until it had spread to her colon. She died at 54 after a valiant fight. I still miss her all these many years later.

Big bloggy hugs

# 28 February 2010 at 8:23 am

Letter2V said:

Your questions are valid and match my sentiment. I felt horrible about this woman’s death. It could have be prevented.

# 28 February 2010 at 12:29 pm

celticmusicfan said:

i read about this news a couple of days ago and I was shock. I agree that money is behind it all. for crying out loud that whale is a serial killer. if a dog did that sot of thing then it would have been put to sleep. but not this whale. because seaworld will still make money out of it…neglecting those lives of PEOPLE(OMG for the first time, people here became second class citizens of this world)

# 28 February 2010 at 2:04 pm

meleah rebeccah said:

Im not sure if her death could have been prevented. After all, just because the killer whale was in captivity doesn’t mean its natural instincts will cease. I am sorry this woman lost her life, and I also feel terrible for any of the children that witnessed this tragedy.

# 28 February 2010 at 2:39 pm

Tabor said:

Whenever we take animals out of their natural environment and then have them do unnatural things (remember the Tiger attack in Vegas?) we have only ourselves to blame. I do not think this was total greed, just our stupidness forgetting what is wild is wild and should remain wild.

# 28 February 2010 at 5:48 pm

Denise@TogetherWeSave said:

This make me so sad… I have seen the show and they even announce sometime these animals are not in the “mood” for them to be able to get in the water. I just hope this woman’s death will make people realize these animals are dangerous.

# 1 March 2010 at 11:34 am

Rosebelle said:

Animals shouldn’t be exploited in the first place for humans entertainment. Animals should be free not domesticated. I took my daughters to the circus last year and gosh, I felt so awful the entire time watching the elephants, the monkeys, and some other animals up on stage doing the act.

The amusement park definitely should have notified all of its employees about any deaths or accidents so that everyone is aware and can make informed decisions whether or not to continue to do what they do. I was saddened and shocked when I heard about this tragedy too.

# 1 March 2010 at 12:13 pm

Cascia @ Healthy Moms said:

I’m not a fan of big government either but you make a great point here. Surely Sea World could have done something to prevent this from happening. This was an awful tragedy.

# 1 March 2010 at 2:27 pm

Peter McCartney said:

Hi! I think everything that has to be said has been said. Yes, it’s extremely sad and a terrible loss. Reading up on this a few days ago, anyone searching for the clip is most likely to be hit with some virus! Probably serves them right!

# 1 March 2010 at 6:20 pm

debi9kids said:

Sadly, I don’t think leglislation would have done anything to avoid this from happening. (I am definitely not a big fan of big govt. )
I do think it’s shameful that this happened and I think the whale should’ve never been sent anywhere else after killing the first time. Common sense should’ve told everyone involved. yes, it’s a killer whale, but geez, once it has ACTUALLY killed, pretty sure it shouldn’t be “performing”.

I do think that anyone who works with these animals must understand the risk, but all i can think about are the horrified people who watched it happen. I am sure if it was me, it would scar me for life.

# 2 March 2010 at 1:51 am

askcherlock said:

It sickens me that Sea World is taking such a defensive stance and not even blinking about the loss of this young woman. They are a mega-corporation making billions from parading wildlife that should be in their natural habitat. Sea World is on my “never visit” list. Haven;t been and will not go.

# 2 March 2010 at 3:15 am