On Wednesday, February 24th, Tilikum, an orca whale at Sea World in Orlando, killed his trainer Dawn Brancheau. The killer whale killed, while horrified visitors who had come to "Dine with Shamu" watched the woman drown. No one is absolutely sure how it happened, as differing accounts have been recorded. Some say Brancheau fell into the tank; others say Tilikum pulled her in. It is unclear whether the fatal attack was an act of rage, anger, instinct, or simply play on the part of the whale, although many experts believe that the whale intended to kill or at least injure Brancheau. The orca has been linked to other deaths in the past; however, SeaWorld has announced that Tilikum will neither be euthanized nor released into the wild. The event has inspired heated debate regarding the issue of "wild" animals in captivity, which extends far past what goes on in SeaWorld's turquoise water tanks. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) responded to the incident with characteristic outrage, lashing out that all of these incidents could have been avoided by getting rid of the captivity of wild animals, which to the organization qualifies as animal cruelty. Others have taken the opposite stance, demanding that Tilikum be put down before he kills someone again. So where do we go from here? Is it ethical, or even safe, to keep animals in captivity? Do we humans believe ourselves more powerful over nature than we are? Where is the line between domestication and unfair treatment of "wild" animals? What is a "wild" animal?
As someone who rides and works with horses, this is an issue that I think about everyday. While I agree that maybe it is unfair of us to use animals for our own enjoyment, I think that we should not stop all together. I don't really feel bad for Dawn Brancheau. She had a lifelong job something she loved to do, and I'm sure she knew the risks. She was able to touch lives of people like me, people who as kids dreamed about becoming one with nature and forming a bond with an animal. People like Steve Irwin and Dawn Brancheau are invaluable in our culture because they spark passion inside us- a passion that will lead to a stewardship toward animals and nature.
Rodney Fox is lucky to be alive. He is an Australian survivor of one of the worst recorded non-fatal shark attacks- and also a shark conservationist. Fox was attacked in 1963 and miraculously lived, needing over 450 stitches and various surgeries. Yet he devoted his life to the protection of the very species that almost killed him. While the shark was of course not in captivity, and thus cannot be directly compared to the Tilikum incident, his reaction sheds some light on why I believe that keeping whales in captivity is not so bad.
Think about Shamu. Even with freak incidents like Brancheau's, people love Shamu. If "Shamu" (and I mean orcas, of course), were to go extinct, people would be upset. Charismatic species like orcas boost the marine conservation movement, because protecting orcas, or sharks, or dolphins, by extension protects plankton, and shrimp, and coral, and barnacles, and other species that tourists don't want to pay to "dine with.” In my opinion, keeping animals in captivity is directly beneficial to conserving the world’s biodiversity. We need zoos and aquariums to keep the general public concerned.
Of course, there are definitely precautionary steps that can be taken to avoid deaths like Brancheau’s as well as augment the well-being of our captive animals. Living conditions should obviously be optimal, and we need continued research on animal behavior and enrichment. In addition, I believe that, whenever possible, “performer” animals like SeaWorld’s orcas should be raised in captivity. Wild animals generally stay wild, and that occasionally leads to attacks. Tilikum was born in the wild. Every time an animal kills someone, we take a couple of steps backwards in terms of public support for conservation. But it’s a risk we must take, and I sincerely hope that people can take Brancheau’s death in stride, understanding that it was a freak accident, something that can happen when someone works in close proximity to such a magnificent creature. Please, continue to support “Shamu,” and continue to support aquariums and zoos- they need you.
