Jeffrey Ventre was initially delighted when he landed the role of SeaWorld trainer in 1987, saying: My day to day activities were performing for the public and taking care of whales and dolphins. Get email updates with the day's biggest stories. All Rights Reserved. . Trainers will no longer stand on dolphins' faces or surf on them in circus-style . SeaWorld's orca tanks haven't actually been people-free since trainers were ordered out of them. Animal rights group PETA has pushed for the company to relocate its animals to coastal sanctuaries. Thats the most important part of the equation, after all. One Ocean revolved around a conservation theme. According to Digital Journal, on Christmas Eve 2009, trainer Alexis Martinez was killed by Kato and that is about as light-hearted as this story gets. Daniel Dukes was found dead on the orca's back while he was in his sleeping pool. It was just too dangerous. It was a decision that would change the fabric of the company, and would tear apart the image of bonding nature and humans that SeaWorld worked almost 50 years to create and perfect. So at one point during the play session with her son, I had her son throw me over into Freyas pool, after Id already established control with her through the gate. David Kirby wrote "Death at SeaWorld" and is following the current Could that work? Sealand of the Pacific, a marine park that has since closed down in British Columbia, Canada, in 1991, with the trainer accidentally falling into a tank with Tilikum and two other whales. Released in 2013, the movie Blackfish tells the story of the controversial choice for SeaWorld to keep animals captive. Alexis was used to working with orcas after being a trainer for several years and the 29-year-old was very familiar with Keto. Legally speaking, yes, if the trainers were independent contractors and, thus, were not SeaWorld employees, they would not be subject to the current OSHA ruling that prohibits the trainers from being in the water. Erik Beard said in an email. SeaWorld sets the stage and is supposed to give the employees all the training and the environment they need to stay safe. "For example, when we spoke to kids we were told to tell them that killer whales live 25 to 30 years on average. A career that included a swim with orcas every day was a 90s kid's dream come true. Chillingly, four years before her tragic death, 10 years ago today, Dawn had spoken out about the dangers of working with orcas. And though Im not a theologian, I am confident that thats not what this scripture means. When she graduated, she spent two years working with dolphins at an attraction in New Jersey before landing her job at Seaworld. Tilikum did not instigate the attack started by an 8-year-old female named Haida, but he joined in. at SeaWorld San Antonio. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued citations against SeaWorld in 2010 after a trainer died during a killer whale show. But though SeaWorld denies it, this was a horrific, aggressive event. Is it likely? Start your day with heartwarming and hilarious animal stories that will make you fall in love. November 13, 2013 / 11:01 AM A National Geographic team has made the first ascent of the remote Mount Michael, looking for a lava lake in the volcanos crater. SeaWorld San Diego Announces Arctic Rescue Roller Coaster, Coming 2023. Billed as Shamu, Tilikum, a 12,000-pound (5,440-kilogram) male killer whale, reportedly grabbed Brancheau by the upper arm and pulled the trainer underwater. Eco-friendly burial alternatives, explained. ", In court documents filed Wednesday, SeaWorld stated that "close Can we bring a species back from the brink?, Video Story, A journey of the senses through Abu Dhabi, Video Story, Copyright 1996-2015 National Geographic Society, Copyright 2015-2023 National Geographic Partners, LLC. This is not true. They may even use their own equipment and tools to perform the stunt and they have authority to say whether the conditions are right to perform it at all. #velocicoa, Seven Seas Food Fest @seaworldorlando is back! In a filing with the SEC, SeaWorld notes that its trainer's death has made it subject to "significant media attention" that may be harming its reputation and attendance. history at the SeaWorld parks have yielded occasion after occasion where SeaWorld also campaigns against shark finning and ocean pollution and has switched its focus to rescue operations. She suffered multiple traumatic injuries and was held under the water until she drowned. Another trainer used controls that had always worked with the killer whales, but Keto refused to respond and pushed Alexis to the bottom of the pool using his rostrum, or the tip of his snout of beak. In the wild, he could have lived for more than 100 years. Football players face a growing concern about long lasting brain damage due to concussions and injuries. trainer Ken Peters was repeatedly dragged to the bottom of the pool "And regardless of TripAdvisors position, SeaWorld will continue to advance education and animal conservation efforts along with our millions of supporters, professional scientists and other science based organizations around the world., Jury inspect eerie Murdaugh murder scene where mom & son were executed, US Navy faces being totally outgunned by China in just seven years, says expert, Dances with Wolves actor pleads not guilty in 'sex cult' case, TikTok star, 28, is charged with child abuse after 'attack on boyfriend', 2020 THE SUN, US, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | TERMS OF USE | PRIVACY | YOUR AD CHOICES | SITEMAP, This week, the park came under further scrutiny following the "sudden and unexpected", One of SeaWorld's star attractions is their killer whale shows. A video, uploaded last October but recently picked up by Cetacean News Network, shows one trainer riding around and surfing atop the back of a 12-year-old male orca whale at SeaWorld San Diego. At least 170 orcas have died in captivity, not including 30 calves that were miscarried or still being born. A U.S. appeals court upheld the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration's decision to prevent trainers from directly working with orcas at SeaWorld. They put their lives on the line every time the director says action. Orcas at SeaWorld San Antonio. The. Erik Beard is the author of the Legal Roller Coaster, a legal blog in which he uses his legal expertise to write about the legal side of the theme park industry. But I had this argument with a French friend, though I have lost her friendship now because of all of this. OSHA came back with the decision that SeaWorld was obligated to protect their trainers from any known risk, and having them in the water with the oceans top predator was way too dangerous to ever have happen again. John Hargrove, author of Beneath the Surface: Killer Whales, SeaWorld, and the Truth Beyond Blackfish, was the senior trainer at the time and one of the most experienced orca handlers in the world. 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In 2006 at San Diego, SeaWorld Initially it was claimed she had been pulled into the pool by her ponytail, but there were later suggestions Tilikum had grabbed her by her shoulder. staff writer. After the tragedy that took the life of Dawn Brancheau, there were way too many questions without answers to allow the trainers back in the water. Addressing the claims, a Seaworld spokesperson said: These are many of the same tired, false and misleading claims uninformed activists and disgruntled former employees have been repeating for years. And he never gave her body up. They were wonderful people, and I loved her very much and her whole family. It was when the underwater stage call came, and Alexis started to swim, that Keto began leaning into his trainer. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. Her death was announced by the park in a statement, saying: It is with a heavy heart SeaWorld announces that Amaya, a 6-year-old female orca, died unexpectedly on August 19, 2021The entire SeaWorld family is saddened by the loss.. Tilikum died in a barren tank on January 6, 2017, at SeaWorld. Then she opened her mouth. From pioneering the use of solar energy to helping to eradicating disease, here are just a few ways the 39th U.S. president has made the world a better place. OSHA also recommended that SeaWorld forbid its workers from coming in direct contact with whales without supervision and physical barriers present. SeaWorld apparently did not see it that way, and the killer whale shows have continued as before, only now the trainers do not perform any water work with the orcas. Tilikum is 29 years old and the largest orca in captivity. Do you think orcas should be kept in captivity? If they can do that, theres a good chance that you will see trainers and whales performing together again. That is important because, generally speaking, workers cannot sue their employers for on-the-job injuries or deaths. But SeaWorld cant release these whales into the wild anyway, because theyve inbred them. "So they got meds for that. However, if everything is left to the trainers discretion, even the power to cancel shows, it might be a different story. SeaWorld, the marine entertainment titan, had hoped to overturn the OSHA ruling, which includes a ban on contact between whales and their trainers. I do believe that he loved her, and I know that she loved him.". Is Shamu still at SeaWorld 2021? He dismembered her. It was after one of the Dine With Shamu shows that Tilikum carried out his brutal act. Whats so outrageous about that is that he didnt just drown Dawn. She maneuvered me into the middle of the pool, exactly where she wanted me: farthest from safety and other trainers. 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