A female animal trainer was killed by a whale Feb. 24 in Orlando Sea World Park.
The event makes us think that the tragedy might have been prevented if humans respected animals and left them in their natural habitat.
While we are not here to go all PETA on this issue, we thought it was important to bring the subject upfront.
No matter how much training and nurturing humans give to the animals that are in captivity, there is never a guarantee that they can remain peaceful. The animals will always carry around their natural instincts and they can surface at any time.
This is obviously not the first example of a show animal lashing out at its human handlers. These types of incidents can happen at any time, no matter how much training the animals receive or how effective a human handler may be.
One of the higher profile incidents involved Roy Horn, one half of Siegfried and Roy, who almost lost his life when a white tiger bit him on the neck during a show.
The point is that it shouldn't surprise us when incidents like this occur. When dealing with predatory animals for show, there is always the risk of something unexpectedly tragic happening, whether it is in the middle of the spectacle or behind the scenes.
While radical animal rights groups will be the first to point out the injustices that are being carried out on animals, we must not jump to their side right after an event like this happens.
Many of these groups will resort to dramatic and dangerous measures that will put human lives at risk, while they proclaim to be trying to save the life of an animal.
The relationship humans have with other species is a complicated one and must be taken cautiously. Some animals are of the cute and cuddly kind that are easy to control and take care of, while others are much more dangerous.
The fact of the matter is that these creatures are wild animals that were not meant to be held in captivity.
Hopefully this will be one of the last times we hear about a trainer falling victim to an encaged animal.
Remember that no matter how gentle they may seem, any animal, domestic or otherwise, may revert to their instincts and take a turn for the worst. The whale should be released to its natural habitat.
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3 comments
This is a very sad situation for all concerned....and yes, in most cases the animal is the one punished with death or total isolation for being him/herself. Only in the case of Montecore (of Sigfired and Roy) was the animal not punished for being himself....a wild animal.
Grandma