| death of Dawn Blancheau; -Sea World | |
|---|---|
| Topic Started: Feb 25 2010, 08:01 PM (203 Views) | |
| Dominic Guglieme | Feb 25 2010, 08:01 PM Post #1 |
|
the human MICROscope!!
|
I normally do not pay attention to "event" news. It does not interest me very much. But, I would be lying if I said that I was not following the news out of Sea World closely. As most anyone reading this knows, I really like animals. Aside from 2 very short (and terribly lonely) points in my life, I have always had pets. I firmly believe that love and pateience are the two most important factors in handling an animal. If someone does not like their pet, or they are afraid of it, the problem is with them, not the animal. (I have seen people screw this up more than one might think.) Based on the news, (and a video taken just before the attack), Brancheau liked animals. She liked the whales at the park. And, she was clearly unafraid of them. A professional animal handler once told me, (when I asked if a young alligator they had was prone to biting), that any animal with a mouth can bite. The animal weight about 35 pounds, and could easily have shattered, if not severed, a limb. I elected to pick up the gator, and had no problem with her. (I was very careful to do exactly as the handler told me to do.) The handler also said that they only bit if given reason. Of course "reason" is a pretty broad term. I have had animals snap at me out of fear, (when I was trying to help them), and petulance. (I do not antagonize animals for the hell of it.) As far as the animals that snapped at me were concerned, I was threatening or simply harrassing them. But, as with people, some individual animals are aggressive. And, some species are more prone to aggression than others. Orcas in the wild more than earn the popular name "killer whale". They are smart and ,(frankly), brutal creatures. (Dolphins are very much the same actually.) That both species tend to respond so well to human attention is an exception to the rule. And, objectively, Orcas do pretty well in captivity. But, as noted above, rules can have exceptions. I love dogs. They are amazing animals. But, there are a few that live nearby that I do not approach. Frankly, they are not nice animals. I can vouch for the character of their owners. In once case, I have known the family for over 20 years and seen them raise 2 of the finest dogs I have ever met. But, their current dog is, at best, a lout. He is brutish, petty and ill-tempered. But, he isan exception. I know plenty of other dogs, (large and smalle), that range from shy to gentle to charmingly rambunctious. (I have the good fortune to live near an extremely friendly boxer. He is big and dumb and demands to be a friend to everyone he sees.) Normally, when I see news of an animal attack, I have to wonder what was done to the animal. But, by all accounts, the whale was treated pretty well. And, this whale was involved in two other deaths. In one of those cases, the person was arguably asking for it. But, unless we assume this is an extremely unlucky animals, this is more than coincidence. (Note: There is no evidence that the whale intentionally killed the second person.) This whale needs to be killed. I dislike terms like "euthanized", or "put down" or "put to sleep". Childish euphemisms detract from what needs to be done. That animal needs to die. It is a threat to its handlers as well as the other animals it shares space with. There was no reason for him to turn on his handler. There was no reason for him to grab her and thrash her around as if she were a meal. None of the reports that I have read indicated that he actually tried to eat her. This was a purely discretionary attack. There will be calls for mercy, complete with the old saws about how wrong it is to keep animals in captivity and how foolish it is to get into an enclosure with them. But, if one argues that the animal is not responsible, (despite being measurably intelligent), then what moral basis is there to keep it alive beyond its ability to serve? If we argue that an animal has moral capacity, then should we not argue that they bare a measure of responsibility? Provided that a person or group has the ability to care for an animal, there is nothing wrong with keeping them in captivity. (One of my current cats has no interest in going outside, even if I were to give her the option.) Plenty of large animals, even "wild" animals, get along fine with people in captivity. This is neither a systemic nor a structural problem with animal parks or society as a whole. This is problem with one aggressive whale. His trainer, Dawn Brancheau, did everything she was supposed to have done. Given how scarce animal-care resources are, it will be hard to justify keeping this animal alive in captivity. And, given that it has a proven record of killing people, unleashing it is not an option. I cannot say I would be strong enough to make such a call about one of my pets. (I once came close to having to, and I am still unsure about what I would, or could, have done.) Had this been a case of an animal fighting back against an abusive handler, then the situation would be different. Had the person killed been an interloper who was doing things they should have known to avoid, that would be a point in the whale's favor. But, Tili the whale needlessly attacked, and killed, Dawn Brancheau. Tili the whale has to die. Nick -loves animals as much as anyone here. |
|
Keep it local. The healthiest leper in the colony is still very very sick. www.theanimalrescuesite.com | |
 |
 
|
| andersonh1 | Feb 25 2010, 09:33 PM Post #2 |
 
|
I agree. And this isn't the first time this particular whale has killed someone, from what I've read. |
|
------ My Doctor Who reviews | |
|
|
|
| Dominic Guglieme | Feb 26 2010, 09:52 PM Post #3 |
|
the human MICROscope!!
|
He has killed at least one other person, with yet another being very likely. |
|
Keep it local. The healthiest leper in the colony is still very very sick. www.theanimalrescuesite.com | |
|
|
|
| andersonh1 | Feb 27 2010, 04:25 PM Post #4 |
|
To me it seems like this whale is the same as any other animal that attacks a human. It shouldn't be treated any differently. The thing needs to be put down. On the other hand, when someone is dealing with a wild animal, the risk of attack is always there. Always. No matter how careful the trainer is. So these people certainly took a calculated risk, and for Mrs. Blancheau, the worst happened. But the whale should still be put down so that it can't kill anyone else. |
|
------ My Doctor Who reviews | |
|
|
|
| 1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous) | |
| « Previous Topic · XTRA! XTRA! · Next Topic » |
11:26 PM Jul 31
