Safer for the Trainer .. but how about the Whale?

After over a year in isolation, SeaWorld decided to reintroduce Tilikum the killer whale back into their Believe show.
The infamous porpoise brutally killed his veteran trainer Dawn Brancheau last year. As you may already know this was not the first death caused by the 12,000 lb mammal. Tili has a record that, if he were human, would land him in prison for 3 lifetimes.
So why not retire Tili when he has made it obviously
apparent that he is not happy?
Money. Money Money.
Killer whale shows bring in big money, SeaWorld is big business and Tilli is the biggest. (Literally. Tilikum is the largest animal in captivity.) Marine mammal activist Ric O'Barry criticized SeaWorld's decision saying, "It was a calculated risk that management took in the interest of profit.
Which part of killer whale don't they get?"
SeaWorld is contemplating a couple of new mechanical solutions to handle such a predatory attraction. First, the floor of the tank will be able to rise to the surface in the event of another attack.

SeaWorld is also considering adding robots to the tank that would flash Tilli with a series of strobe lights if they believe he is acting up.

All of the these new procedures are to make sure the trainer is safer working with such a large animal. But what about Tili?

Tilikum comes from a troubled past; he watched two members of his pod being killed before being captured. He was captured near Iceland in November of 1983 at about two years of age and sent to live at Sealand of the Pacific in B.C., Canada. Tili was then obtained by SeaWorld and moved to Orlando to become their prize stud in January of 1992 after he killed a female trainer who fell in the water in 1991. In 1999, Tilikum was involved in the death of a man who stayed in the park after hours and was found dead in the pool the next morning.

Then his trainer Dawn Brancheau was brutally pulled under the water during a Believe show.

The issue here lies in this question: Are we capable of domesticating such an intelligent marine mammal as large as this?

In the wild the killer whale can travel up to 100 miles a day with a pod of its family members. These pods strategically hunt together insuring food for everyone. Like humans, killer whales need mental stimulation to sustain its sanity.

"Participating in shows is just a portion of Tilikum’s day, but we feel it is an important component of his physical, social and mental enrichment,” said Kelly Flaherty Clark, SeaWorld Orlando’s animal training curator, in a prepared statement.

I could go on for days as to why the domestication of any marine mammal is wrong but what SeaWorld is doing to Tili and his fellow killer whales is cruel.

Please visit The Orca Project to enlighten yourself on the perils of marine aquariums. Once you learn the truth as to what goes on after the show is over, you'll never be able to justify going to such a park again. The Orca Project

Wild Orcas hunting:

Domesticated Tili entertaining: