Former Sea World Trainer blames Dead Trainer for her death

[RamboLiberal]

SeaWorld's former head of animal training said Wednesday's deadly accident of veteran trainer, Dawn Brancheau, looked to him like it was the trainer's fault.

"She laid completely down, which is a very vulnerable position to be in with an animal like Tilikum," said Thad Lacinack, who left SeaWorld in 2008 to start a consulting company.

Lacinak told the Associated Press that the rules in place when he left the amusement park prohibited Brancheau, 40, from lying down on a submerged shelf next to the whale where her ponytail was within Tilikum's reach.

"It was a novel item in the water, and he grabbed hold of it, not necessarily in an aggressive way," Lacinak said.

"And apparently her ponytail drifted into the water, he just opened his mouth, sucked it in and pulled her in the water."


Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2010/02/26/2010-02-26_seaworld_to_resume_killer_whale_show_days_after_orca_dragged_trainer_dawn_branch.html#ixzz0ggd2FTnx

He's probably right - but geez I think he could've kept this within the training community. Or waited at least till the funeral has been held.

[mzteris]

1. I think she'd have wanted it that way.

She would never have wanted the orca to be blamed for something she caused, ya know?

[timeforpeace]

41. That is so sweet.

[CreekDog]

2. They should stop enslaving animals to make money off circus-like minstrel shows

That sort of entertainment should only be done by those who have the freedom to not perform or do something else.

[tonysam]

14. Oh, brother. More PETA drivel.

n/t

[CreekDog]

18. PETA this:

[GreenTea]

23. Not just "PETA drivel" I think it's complete bullshit to keep these huge fucking mammals

in small pools for your entertainment and then forgotten forever, after your uh, couple of hours of entertainment....

These massive whales obviously despise being in bullshit captivity, they absolutely need to roam hunt & swim for many, many miles a day ...are you too insensitive or uneducated to even try to be aware of this?

You want to sum it all up just like a Limbaugh..."ignore these people they are just bleeding-heart "PETA" people" and so you obviously believe it's okay to just insult and cold-heartly & ignorantly move on....

These are marvelous creatures, yet you like to what, pull rank on them, you'll tell us what their needs are, because you're what, superior, a more intelligent creature...I truly doubt it!!

[liberalhistorian]

47. I have to agree, and I am certainly not a fan

of PETA. At least, not for the past decade after they've gone completely nutso.

Whales and other such creatures do not belong in our captivity, being trained to perform ridiculous routines at our beck and call. They deserve better than that. This was not the whale's fault and people who want him put down for doing what is in his nature to do are crazy.

[Codeine]

36. Let's put you in a tiny box for the rest of your life then.

I'm not one of those idiotic New Age goofballs who thinks cetaceans are some hyper-intelligent oceanic nobility who regard us and our technology with cool fascination and treat us gently despite our wicked depredations, but they are smart enough - and enormous enough - that putting them in a pool for their entire life sucks balls.

[reflection]

43. I agree with you

and now I'm trying to figure out why I don't feel the same way about every fish that's in an aquarium... I guess I'm a hypocrite.

[BrklynLiberal]

49. Every fish in the Aquarium is not a mammal..if that matters..and they are not all is

social and sentient as whales.

However..that does not justify mankind thinking that every other creature on this planet is here to serve and amuse him.

[Name removed]

50. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[BrklynLiberal]

57. So glad that person is already on my ignore list.

[Feron]

61. I'm not a PETA fan, but..

I'll agree with them that Sea World and entities like it are cruel to these magnificent animals.

Do a little research on orcas and you'll soon see why it is cruel.

[DeSwiss]

+1 @ post #2

- I agree. They belong in the sea, not a fucking bathtub, no matter what any asshat says.....

[CreekDog]

22. and no matter where said asshat is

:evilgrin:

[swilton]

38. I second that - the whole cavalier attitude at 'See' World is to dumb

down the natural world so that it can be exploited for profit - no education whatsoever going on there - just see fish, feed fish - fish swims - fish bites trainer - how totally nauseating.

[Duppers]

27. + 2 to Post # 2

:thumbsup:

[racaulk]

29. +3 @ Post #2.

I completely agree. :thumbsup:

[nashville_brook]

33. +4 to #2 :) -- seeing The Cove really opened my eyes to the larger problem

with the dolphinariums.

Sea World has a whale of a branding problem on their hands...this is the kind of thing that actually could sink this business. Their logo -- the very image of their brand, is now associated with a brutal killing. Add to that, that the star of the show is literally called a "killer whale." I'm just saying...their public relations firm is going to have a really good next couple of quarters. In addition to the crisis communications, they've likely got a rebrand in their future.

[timeforpeace]

42. +5 to #2.

[BrklynLiberal]

51. +6 post #2...

I have actually voiced that opinion about using dogs to hunt bombs and to confront people with guns.

Law enforcement officials consciously make a choice to do that for a living. These creatures have no idea what
danger is involved and are simply trying to please their handlers.

[crew doyle]

3. Not sure "blame" is a good substitute for "careless"

I've known several people seriously injured by large animals, even domesticated ones. I'm glad I'm not 5 inches tall, my cat would probably kill and/or eat me.

[CreekDog]

34. I think it's likely the Orca was just playing and didn't intend harm

Elephants on the other hand --I think they get pissed off.

:hide:

[crew doyle]

40. I think both species are intelligent enough to get pissed off

I'll never forget how enraged I got seeing 2 pachyderms in a 'zoo' years ago, with leg irons and chains tied to stakes out in the open. They both exhibited the same repetitive movements...lifting a leg and thinking (it seemed to me) "maybe this time I can actually take a step..."

In that same facility was a Beluga whale that was restricted to a small tank and we watched as he made the exact same circuit, swimming a racetrack pattern, they could have just bolted a fake whale to a mechanism and had the same 'exhibit'.

I still shed a tear thinking back on that.

[Cetacea]

44. Welcome to DU!

[BrklynLiberal]

52. The film I saw on Keith's show showed the victim standing up in front of the Orca and shaking her

ponytail back and forth like I would do with a toy for my dog or cat when I want to play with them.

I think the Orca had no intention of harming the trainer. He just grabbed the "toy" that had been waved in his face just minutes before.

[Mike 03]

4. Thank you for this post. I saw this and it has bothered me all day.

This may be right, or it could be mis-placed psychoanalysis of an Orca, I am in no position to know.

But it was exactly like blaming that Luge athlete for his death.

I didn't like it at all, and I thought it was tactless.

Also, I have never worked with whales, but I worked with some wild dogs over the years, and you sometimes think you have a bond with them that you don't have. You forget they are wild, and you place trust in them that is irrational because of feelings in your heart, that this animal would never harm me, but the fact is that animals are unpredictable. I have been attacked by animals I only helped and thought I had a bond with.

It is such a sad story all around, for the trainer, her family, and the whale.

Just sad.

[Better Today]

5. Right, because the truth should be kept quiet till it's convenient.

If this is what happened, then sooner is better for truthtelling than later, no matter the situation. jmo.

[RamboLiberal]

8. It was already known the whale grabbed the pony tail

And I think very few are blaming the whale even in the public. I've seen polls where stupid news asks if whale should be put to death - and it's overwhelmingly no.

What this guy is saying to me is just cold at this point.

Sure, she made a mistake, she broke a rule, she's dead for it. But this IMHO could've been kept in the internal investigation and stressed in Sea World's training of their trainers.

[Better Today]

13. Clearly we disagree. Truth is truth, and sooner better than later, jmho.

And the truth he was exposing wasn't that she made a mistake, but that she broke a rule that had been specifically put in place because of her ponytail. That seems like an important detail to me.

[joeybee12]

6. Just SeaWorld's PR department doing it's job...assholes...n/t

[Codeine]

7. Nothing to do with Seaworld.

This fellow doesn't work there anymore. He's just some dude with an informed opinion.

[joeybee12]

10. Hmmm...and he just called some newspapers to let them know

what he thought, eh?

[HughMoran]

19. Please watch this interview with Jack Hanna before passing judgment

Another opinion from a friend and fellow animal trainer: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/35608337#35608337

[TheBigotBasher]

26. When I watched that video

I was just shocked at how little space that whale has.

What a horrible way to keep such a beautiful animal.

[Jokinomx]

63. Thanks for sharing this video.. I like Jack H. and I feel his analysis is correct.

:toast:

[EFerrari]

24. That's sounds about right. n/t

[Bluebear]

9. If a person has a fatal auto accident that was their fault, you still have a funeral.

I hear what you are saying, but better this than the whale being killed. Betting Dawn would have preferred it this way.

[pipi_k]

11. I don't see where he blamed her...just gave a reason as to why it happened

In other words, Tili didn't go berserk...he probably just viewed her ponytail as a toy (or food?) and grabbed it.

It's nobody's fault...it just happened.

[theoldman]

12. This is CYA at its finest.

It is so easy to blame the victim when the victim is dead. I hope her family sues.

[Bluebear]

15. Who should the family sue, the whale?

:hi:

[HughMoran]

20. Please watch this interview with Jack Hanna before passing judgment

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/35608337#35608337

[callous taoboy]

53. I've watched it. I still think, bottom line, we should not be keeping these animals

in pens for our entertainment. The trainer may have used poor judgment. Fine. I'm just saying that first there were zoos, then there was sea world. Zoos are despicable enough. Sea World is the height of grotesque.

[BrklynLiberal]

55. Thanks for posting that link. It tells us a lot more than anything else has.

[Codeine]

32. Sues?

She was playing with a fucking killer whale who had already killed two people! Good grief -- she knew what the risk factor was.

[WindRiverMan]

35. Maybe she legitimately fucked up!!!

It happens. I grew up around ranch horses, cattle, etc. You can get too comfortable and forget, take things for granted. Happens all of the time in any industry. I would imagine dealing with a giant animal like that, the margin for error is pretty tight.

[undeterred]

16. They're trying to make sense of it.

She had spent years caring for this animal, and suddenly it kills her out of the blue? Something was different that day. The visitor video shows her smiling in the water with the whale. So he didn't attack her on the side of the tank. She got into his environment (maybe she slipped and fell in) but once she as in the water it was a new situation for the whale. Its possible he thought they were playing, and he had no intention to harm her. If he'd regarded her as food/prey, he would have eaten her.

[HughMoran]

17. Jack Hanna interviewed on MSNBC had a similar take

...though he did not, of course, use the word "blame" as he was friends with her.

Watch the interview here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/35608337#35608337

[Name removed]

25. Deleted message

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[Name removed]

45. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[BrklynLiberal]

58. and he said that the victim and her family would never want the whale destroyed or released into the

wild, which in effect would be destroying it.

[RedCloud]

21. We'll never know why such animals are called killer whales, I suppose.

[REP]

28. Because they're a type of dolphin that kills whales. They're not actually whales.

[DailyGrind51]

30. I guess we now know why Orcas are aka "Killer" Whales?

[Garbo 2004]

31. Derived from "whale killer." nt

[Cetacea]

39. Correct. And we could call our species "Whale Killers" and "Human Killers"

But as you probably know Orcas are not human killers. Only this one, and I doubt killing her was his intent, or they wouldn't have found her.

[AlienGirl]

46. I prefer "Killer Apes" personally. Has more cachet.

[etherealtruth]

37. "He's probably right - but geez ..."

She probably did become complacent .... but come on. The poor woman is dead ... I think we all become complacent at times ...

[callous taoboy]

48. I'll continue to never visit a Sea World, zoo, or circus because

I remember being at a zoo when I was, like, 5 and my mom and dad had taken a wrong turn down this path and we ended up in an area behind the elephant exhibit where we were obviously not supposed to be. Chained to a stake was an old elephant and he was doing this very neurotic, repetitive movement with his feet, an attempt to walk it looked like. It struck me as incredibly sad and it made a huge impression on me and I've felt queasy about trapped wild animals ever since. Even now the science lab at the school where I work has a tarantula that was brought in by someone who'd found it in their yard, and during the month that it has been there the poor thing has continuously been clawing at the side of the plastic cage it is kept in. It has shed all of the hair on its back end. Why do we humans think that we are superior to other animals?

[BrklynLiberal]

54. Just noticed that the paper used the word "murder" instead of "death" in its headline.

So typical of the NY Daily News.:puke: :puke:

[Robb]

56. But "murder" gets us 18% more readers!!! nt

[BrklynLiberal]

59. I am sure that is no small part of why they did it...

[Generator]

60. I'm on team whale

Look, I noticed the trainer was dressed in the exact same whale colors. Whose to say Mr. Killer doesn't think she's another small whale? Whale was being whale. Does he understand having fun versus killing? Was he trying to eat or rip her up-not that I've heard. Whale thoughts are unknown.

Tragedy for her, but jeez..still I have zero desire to ever see any of these shows now. Also-how small are those pools? It's really sad-though I do love going to the zoo. Never black and white thought the whale is/was.

[johnaries]

62. I have mixed feelings about this.

First of all, when I hear that there have been 4 human deaths involving captive killer whales in 40 years and the same whale was involved in 3 of them - well, that's a major red flag.

Then I hear that one of the deaths involved some idiot who broke in after hours and decided to take a swim with the largest predator on Earth... well, we can mark that one off the list. That cannot be blamed on the whale. But that still leaves 2 out of 3.

Still, 40 years is a long time. And when you consider that being the largest and the most popular of captive killer whales that it would be much more likely that some accident would happen with Tili than other killer whales. Especially if you consider that when you are working with younger or less experienced whales you are going to be constantly on your guard. If you are dealing with a whale with whom you have a long-term relationship and with whom you have developed a mutual trust, you are going to let your guard down.

After seeing several pictures of whale and trainer together, I am convinced that they loved and trusted each other.

However, majestic animals such as killer whales have no concept of just how delicate we human beings are. They trust us and need us to set those boundries.

I am reminded of the old Warner Bros cartoon, where the big, strong, dumb dog lamented "I wished I had a little friend, so I could love him and hug him and squeeze him. I used to have a little friend, but he don't move no more."

The trainer was seen in Tili's mouth. There were some conflicting reports. Some say that Tili acted violently. But the autopsy say that the trainer died as a result of a combination of trauma and drowning. If Tili had wanted to kill her, she would have eaten her and swallowed her and there would be nothing left to autopsy.

Therefore, I think it is very likely that this report is correct. That the trainer became so complacent and confident that she "let down her guard" and that Tili acted as a curious animal would naturally act. When Tili realized that her favorite human "didn't move no more" she freaked out and carried her favorite human around in her mouth like a mother dog carrying her puppies hoping someone could help.

The key point here is that Tili did not use her immense power and strength to shred the trainer and eat and leave nothing to autopsy - which he could have easily done if he was truly angry.

So, all things considered and until more evidence comes to light, I consider this opinion to be entirely plausible.