The animal world is reeling from the news this afternoon that a SeaWorld Orlando trainer died after an attack from a killer whale. The online reaction seems sympathetic to the whale, questioning the sanity of keeping such wild animals in captivity and putting people so close to them.
@krisjacobson Time to stop putting them in captivity?
@Tsemnar There’s a reason why it’s called a KILLER whale. Should we be surprised that it killed that trainer in SeaWorld? NOPE.
@veganmommy Amen to shutting down SeaWorld. I understand helping the animals when they are hurt or sick. Not for entertainment.
Animal lovers will be watching how SeaWorld handles the incident — and what becomes of the whale. I heard a crisis communications expert say that the theme park has a major problem on its hands. If it keeps the whale, that attraction will always have a dark shadow. But removing the whale will create a huge hole for the park.
The attack also made me wonder about the Georgia Aquarium’s “Dive with Gentle Giants” program that allows swimmers and divers into the tank that holds four whale sharks. Whale sharks are apparently gentle and typically don’t eat anything larger than plankton, but some animal advocates have criticized the program and the stress it creates for the animals.