SeaWorld Dolphin Caught on Camera Biting Girl in Orlando: Report

NBC Miami ^ | Sunday, Dec 2, 2012

[nickcarraway]

Jillian Thomas’ father, Jamie Thomas, captured the Nov. 21 attack on video with images of his daughter’s face contorting with pain as the girl suffered three puncture wounds the size of dimes

An 8-year-old Atlanta girl and her family say they got the fright of their lives at SeaWorld Orlando last month when a dolphin lunged toward the girl and bit her hand.

Jillian Thomas’ father, Jamie Thomas, captured the Nov. 21 attack on video with images of his daughter’s face contorting with pain as the girl suffered three puncture wounds the size of dimes, reports the Orlando Sentinel.

The cuts are healing, the family was thankful the attack wasn’t worse. Still, the family posted the video online as a warning to other parents.

“The first thing I thought was I would have to jump in the water and save my daughter's life,” Jamie Thomas told the Orlando Sentinel. “I literally thought she was going to be pulled into the water.”

The girl was attacked while she was participating in the feeding at the dolphin cove, the newspaper reported.

She put the paper fish container up in the air to where the dolphin could grab it, which SeaWorld warns against. The child's mother said her daughter made a mistake and "you can't hold a minor responsible for that."

SeaWorld officials said in a statement they had not seen the video but are taking the matter seriously.

"Nothing is more important to us than the health and safety of our guests, employees and animals," the statement said. "Educators and animal care staff were at the attraction when this happened and immediately connected with the family."

[al baby]

OMG Hillary is a fish or so Huma says she smells like one

[calex59]

Your story reminds me of my BIL's dog, a German shepard named tiny. BIL's daughter, Tina, who was about 5, was holding a ball that was slightly bigger than a softball, holding it by the sides and standing in front of Tiny who obviously wanted to play. Tiny shot her head forward so fast it was hard to see the movement, grabbed the ball without touching Tina and stood there happy as a clam until Tina started crying, Tiny then dropped the ball and went up and licked Tina's face and then pushed the ball, with her nose, back over to Tina. One of the cutest things I ever saw.

When dogs want to play, they want to play:)

Animals do what they do. Sounds like the little girl in this article simply disregarded the rules and got bitten for her trouble.

[Dr. Bogus Pachysandra]

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=fish+heads+fish+heads+rolly+polly+fish+heads+original+video&oq=Fish+heads&gs_l=youtube.1.2.0l10.4798.8492.0.13058.10.8.0.2.2.0.502.1896.2j2j0j3j0j1.8.0...0.0...1ac.1.gQ4D-xgIjvg

[E. Pluribus Unum]

The should have called the police so some lucky doughnut-eater could have added a dolphin notch to his Glock.

[Finny]

If it were my business, I wouldn’t arrange for children to be in a position to be bitten by likely actions. Children and animals are unpredictable.

Wow. What a bleakly safe and timid world those children would think was "normal," and how averse to risk or adventure they'd be as adults.

Stuff happens. You pays your money and you takes your chances. The kid is fine, obviously.

Lighten up, Francis.

[GeronL]

“likely actions” being those that are explicitly not allowed

[nickcarraway]

Being bit by a dolphin isn’t scary. Being eviscerated by an attorney is very scary.

[freedumb2003]

Too bad they did not have a pyrannah tank.

[Finny]

"Candygram ..."

LOLOLOL!!!!!!! {^)

[Finny]

Oh, that’s sick!!! {^) *Wiping away the tears, laughing*

[MIchaelTArchangel]

Getting bitten in the Orlando can be painful!

[cripplecreek]

Wow. What a bleakly safe and timid world those children would think was "normal," and how averse to risk or adventure they'd be as adults.

I had it out with my liberal sister yesterday when I got tired of her tales of the "abuses" we suffered as children. Things like riding in the back of the truck, riding in the car without seatbelts, letting us have the run of our little town without supervision, riding bikes without helmets, and most horrifying of all, letting us wake up to find that there was no heat in the house because we were out of gas once.

It irritated me mostly because we never went hungry or where handed off to strangers to be killed or molested. Our parents were poor but damn good parents.

[Moonman62]

The Dad, perhaps sensing a big payout opportunity, tries to film the girl's hand.

Yep. That's why he went to the media to make a big stink out of this non-newsworthy event. If I were on the jury I'd award them a couple of dollars to pay for some disinfectant and a bandaid, and then make them pay everyone's legal costs.

[Hot Tabasco]

Be proud in your willful ignorance!

I am proud! By the way, is that you or a dolphin I smell?

[Bigg Red]

The kid wasn’t “attacked”....

**
Oh, c’mon, why let the facts stand in the way of a good story, you killjoy?

From the article:
She put the paper fish container up in the air to where the dolphin could grab it, which SeaWorld warns against.

[fr_freak]

Seriously? This kid is going to be raised as another spoiled brat if mama doesn't expect the kid to obey her parents and follow the rules.

To hell with the rules. Rules are often made by idiots for other idiots to follow. This girl's mistake was that she refused to obey reality. Reality is a much harsher master, and says quite clearly that if you hold a food container in front of an animals face, it will want to gobble that food and anything holding it. Her parents are guilty of failing to teach their kids about reality.

[Bigg Red]

The Dad, perhaps sensing a big payout opportunity....

&&&
Bingo!

[GeronL]

reality and rules mesh in this particular case

past experience I guess

lol

[blueunicorn6]

I’ve been there. The youngest step-daughter played the game of pretending she had a fish to get the dolphin to come over and then laugh and show the dolphin she didn’t have a fish and say the dolphin was stupid. Dolphins are nice but they come from the big, bad ocean. In the big, bad ocean life oftentimes comes down to whether you have the smarts, physical ability and strength to get something to eat. You can starve to death in the ocean or get so weak that a shark can finish you off. I told my step-daughter these facts and that what she was doing was cruel to the dolphin. She gave me her typical dazed chimp look, so I grabbed her and held her by the ankle over the dolphin pool while I yelled, “Come and get it, Flipper! It’s chow time!” She still won’t send me a birthday present.

[rlmorel]

She held it in the air which they apparently explicitly tell people not to do, and she had her limb between the dolphin and the paper tray with fish.

The dolphin just doing what a dolphin does.

Parent’s fault, in my opinion.