Some of you may have been watching the drama unfold since the death of long-time Seaworld trainer Dawn Brancheau. While that was certainly a tragedy, the incident begs the question, “What to do about Tilikum?” For those of you who may have missed all or part of the situation, we provide this recap:

The day of the attack, the orcas had been notedly uncooperative, as most orca experts not on the payroll of SeaWorld would attest. After the main show, Dawn was grabbed by Tilikum, an adult male orca (who had already killed two other people) while in captivity. Though as many as 85 people may have been involved in rescue efforts, Ms. Brancheau died from the attack. Initially, SeaWorld tried to play the incident off as an unfortunate accident in which the trainer slipped, fell into the pool and drowned. Only when one of the patrons who had witnessed the attack spoke up, did the truth of the matter surface.

[Read more...]