Some facts about killer whales

orlandosentinel ^ | February 24, 2010 | Dewayne Bevil

[JoeProBono]

Experienced whale trainer Dawn Brancheau died in an incident at SeaWorld Orlando on Wednesday afternoon while working with a killer whale. Facts about killer whales such as those found at the Orlando theme park include:

•Tillikum (nicknamed Tilly), the whale involved in Wednesday's death at SeaWorld Orlando, is considered the largest orca in captivity, weighing in at nearly 12,000 pounds. He has lived at the Orlando theme park since 1992.

•" Shamu" is merely a stage name that SeaWorld parks use for any adult whale — male or female — in a park show.

•Adult killer whales at SeaWorld parks eat from 140 to 240 pounds of food — mostly fish — per day.

•Newborn calves are about 8 feet long and weigh between 265 and 350 pounds.

•When SeaWorld's "Believe" show had its Orlando debut in 2007, trainers were said to have incorporated 60 separate behaviors from subtle maneuvers to the trainers launching from atop the surging whales' beaks.

•Killer whales are found in both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

•Life expectancy for a male killer whale in the wild is about 30 years. For females, it's 50 years.

[JoeProBono]

Tillikum

[JoeProBono]

[ConservativeMind]

So, “Fish Bambi” killed its trainer?

[oh8eleven]

Some facts about killer whales
They kill.

[Marty62]

BAAAD Whales!

[Darksheare]

But.. but.. certain leftist ecoterror groups would have you believe these are NOBLE creatures.
(The ‘noble’ creature is a myth, people! Get over it!)

[JoeProBono]

SeaWorld trainers Dawn Brancheau and Sam Davis go sky high with a pair of killer whales during a performance of the park's new Shamu show, Believe.

[BradyLS]

The first and most important fact!

[Styria]

Until I read the caption, I thought that picture was of a pair of narrow wooden cow heads that someone had put in front of the altar in a New Age church sanctuary.

[kanawa]

Looks like the bottom teeth have been filed down in the top two photos.

[JoeProBono]

Tilly

[brwnsuga]

That’s what happens when folk try to treat wild animals as if they can be domesticated.

[wally_bert]

http://video.adultswim.com/robot-chicken/whalias.html

[Trust but Verify]

What a horrendous thing to do to any wild animal-—keep them in captivity for decades. I cried at the Sea World show when we took our kids there. I cannot go to the zoo anymore either. It isn’t right.

[oh8eleven]

I surfed into a CNN interview w/ a trainer from a public aquarium in Georgia.
First, I thought I heard Blitzer say this was the third person killed by this whale. It could have been the third person ever killed in the US.
When Blitzer asked what next (as in - do we put down this whale?) I heard the trainer say we have to work on the relationship with the whale and give it more love.

[smokingfrog]

They are called ‘killer whales’ for a reason.

[trumandogz]

Free Tilly!

[raybbr]

You appear to be right about the filing of their teeth. Imagine having THAT job?

[cripplecreek]

It should be noted that there is a good reason they aren’t called cuddly sea puppies.

[BigCinBigD]

From the article I have the impression it was more misguided play than viscous attack on the whales part.