One assumes that the girl who died believed in what she was doing and while it may be worthwhile to discuss animal treatment or the no-longer-practiced system of “kidnapping”, if you’re using Ms. Brancheau’s death and calling into question her life’s work to further a political cause, you’re no different than those you’re accusing.

Of course Jack Hanna and others of his ilk are going to defend holding animals against their will in captivity. Without this animal abuse they call “entertainment,” Hanna wouldn’t have a job. Wild animals do not belong in captivity for any reason (except to treat an injury) especially not to be paraded in front of a group of noisy parents and their screaming brats ad nauseam.

You don’t learn anything from forcing a wild animal to perform unnatural acts in an artificial setting. They weren’t meant to be confined or to perform stupid tricks for human entertainment.

It was a terrible accident, but Tilly did not deliberately mean to kill this woman. He acted on instinct which is totally unpredictable. When things like this happen the trainers are usually careless. It is amazing that Tilly is being held more accountable than supposedly intelligent human beings who deliberately and maliciously commit murder.

I think the two stupidest things I have heard so far is Jack Hanna telling Larry King that whales are better off in captivity and that these animals are “happy.” How does he know what they are feeling? No Jack whales were meant to be where nature put them, in the ocean, not in a “pool” of water at Sea World.

That is why they are called “killer whales.”

Thad Lacinak came on like a bully from the start in a clear ploy to throw the dialogue off-center. His attacks on Tippy Hedren and Rick O’Barry came out of nowhere, and as if he intended to sideline the issue of animal abuse. To Jack Hanna, I can only say that that people do not go to Sea World for education. Sea World entertainment represents that old fuzzy lovey tv dreamworld many of us live in, where we humans see ourselves as animals’ bests friends . . . hugging them, kissing them, stretching out on their backs, like they are pets. I’ve watched the video of Tilly feeding and doing tricks the full minute before the attack on Ms. Brancheau, and all I can possibly imagine is a huge beast acting on instinct, without any intention of malice. And for that reason alone, this sort of entertainment should come to an end. If we want to observe the Orca scientifically, it can only be done objectively in the animal’s native surroundings.

First off let me give an example of Sea World’s educational benefit. When asked if Tillikum was a resident or a transient orca at the time of his capture, the response was that he was resided at Sea World full time. I $#%^ you not.

Secondly why is it that every time I have seen a spokes person for Sea World debate the issue they inevitably resort to attacking the messenger? I can tell you why, its basic psychology, they’re lying. We don’t want to address the claims being made so lets attack the person making the claim.

I don’t care if Ric O’Barry can’t get a job, I don’t care if a trainer was fired for refusing to jack Tillikum off, and demoted to the sea lion pool. I don’t care if a former trainer is disgruntled and trying to give Sea World bad PR all of that is irrelevant when I all I want is for Sea World to address the claims made by these people. When they attack the credibility only of the people saying this stuff, it just convinces me that Sea World is full of shit.