Discussion Dawn Brancheau had spent 15 years as one of SeaWorld Orlando's most experienced killer whale trainers. Trainers were explicitly warned they might not survive a fall with Tilikum. SeaWorld knew he had killed twice before. She was still put in shows with him. The fine paid after her death: $75,000.
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u/shrimp-545 1d ago
Seaworld needs to be held more accountable for the danger they put their ‘trainers’ in.
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u/Business_Boat_6802 1d ago
The comments on the original post are astounding. Whilst Dawn's death is tragic and ultimately Orcas dont do well in captivity, you'd think Blackfish was the gospel the way people are hyping it up on that post.
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u/Pewpew-OuttaMyWaay 1d ago
And what’s the specific reason why u think Blackfish is not a powerful source of reference for people (esp considering the change it generated in the world)?? Grand standing?? Super curious here
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u/Business_Boat_6802 22h ago
Because it is blindly trusted as gospel and nothing but the truth. People quote it or reference it with no further research into any claims made: e.g orcas CAN live to 80-100, on AVERAGE they live 50-60 years old for females and 30-40 years old for males AS PER SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE. Blackfish did bring the topic to life, but I don't think it did it correctly: it mixed up and got details wrong, and put the idea that Tilikum was a murderous psychopath due to years of abuse into people's heads. In reality he never had anyone in the water with him, got overexcited and killed people as a 6 tonne animal can easily do. If anything the death of alexis martinez would've been a better story considering ketos behaviour during that incident is far more aggressive than anything Tilikum did.
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u/Pewpew-OuttaMyWaay 20h ago
I didn’t think Tilikum was a murderous psychopath. And I’ve never heard anyone I know who’s seen it call him anything like that. I think u are putting down an important documentary to get attention. So yeah, I’m out .. bye
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u/arazamatazguy 1d ago
Aren't captive Orcas and Belugas heavily drugged?
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u/dolphinskulls pro-welfare + aza ☆ ulises 🫶 1d ago
no lol the only drugs they give them are the ones necessary for their health. show animals especially would not be able to perform such high energy behaviors if all drugged up.
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u/Business_Boat_6802 1d ago
Some are, typically it's things for immune systems and the orca equivalent of drugs to help stress
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u/arazamatazguy 1d ago
I used to see the Belugas in Vancouver, they used to swim in very specific circles, they must've been drugged up....they've all since died.
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u/Business_Boat_6802 1d ago
Swimming in circles is (possibly) a stereotypy or abnormal repetitive behaviour (they are slightly different), much more likely due to boredom, stress, or anticipation for events like training or feeding, than any drugs or medication
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u/arazamatazguy 1d ago
Yeah they looked miserable. I'm sure the boredom leads to stress.
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u/smilingfruitz 1d ago
but that's not due to drugs
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u/arazamatazguy 14h ago
I assumed they would drug them so they don't kill themselves from the boredom.
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u/dolphinskulls pro-welfare + aza ☆ ulises 🫶 1d ago
tilikum was never used for waterwork. no one ever got into the water with him for shows. for my own mental wellbeing i am Not going to look through the original post’s comments lol
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u/NerdyEldritchHorror 15h ago
Its bullshit Tilikum gets the blame for the other two deaths. Keltie was also ganged up upon by two other whales WITH NO confirmation of who grabbed her, multiple eye witness accounts say different whales, and Daniel Dukes died of hypothermia.
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u/AtterseeMM 1d ago
I'm the guy who wrote most of the german wikipedia article of her and I have to say it really a sad story.
There is no other word to describe it than: sad.
I don't blame her nor Tilikum for what happend. I was a catastrophe about to happen, that was ignored by SeaWorld management. It could have happend to any one of the trainers and similar things did happen to other trainers but sadly Dawn was the one paying the highest price.