Loro Parque Orca killed Trainer at Loro-Parque

One has to look at such stories in context. My colleague Dr Margaret Klinowska a well know cetacean biologist made the very good point that for every person pushed ashore and 'rescued' by dolphins there is likely to be quite few pushed out to sea and drowned and by that very nature their story is never told as they are dead

It's sad that someone died but it sounds like a drowning accident. Orcas are of course very large animals and I think the comparison to working with animals such as elephants is appropriate.

I have to point out that there have been reports of both dolphin and orcas inactions with people both in captivity and the wild that could be considered aggressive. The whole idea that these animals are benign is a myth. They are much the same in there behaviour as any other large mammal and should be treated with respect and caution.

Ironically the incident at Loro Park has yet to be reported in the English speaking media aside from a mention on PETA's web site. Which, of course, uses it as an anti-captive diatribe regarding captive orcas being wild caught etc. without mentioning that all the orcas at Loro Park are captive bred. But what else would you expect from PETA: never let the truth get in the way of good bit of propaganda

The PETA Files: Whale Trainer Dies During Rehearsal

 

I am not aware of this? I think you maybe referring to the incident at the now closed Sealand of the Pacific in Canada in 1991:

[ame=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sealand_of_the_Pacific]Sealand of the Pacific - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/ame]


Someone has codifed the various incidents with captive orcas here:

Orca Trainer Incidents

However, one has to be objective when looking at such information. If an orca wanted to do the trainer real harm they could have. Watch wildlife footage of wild orcas attacking whales and seals!

These reported captive 'attacks' in most cases are rather low key if they are 'attacks' at all. I think we have to be very careful making judgements on situations in which the observed behaviour maybe far more complicated than they appear.

Here is some reporting I have found on the Loro Park incident:

Loro Parque update on the tragic death of Orca coach Alexis Martínez

And another here:

Tragedy in Loro Parque as whale kills trainer | Janet Anscombe

I did find the hysterical anti-captive comments made after this news story rather insensitive as regards this young mans family but I have grown to expect nothing more from people like 'Marine Mammal Specialist' (sic) Richard O’Barry etal

BTW: my marine animal welfare web site has some actual facts rather than propaganda regarding some of the misinformed comments in the above link.

Marine Animal Welfare - dolphins in captivity

 

@Ash. Sorry, I'm not working in a zoo, I'm asthmatic, so I can't work with animals. My Job has nothing to do with animals, and thats important, because my youngest daughter has an allergy against any kinds of animal fur, so we can't keep any pets at home.

I've written in my statement"maybe", not"They did". Its very unuasally to bury someone just two days after the death, and I know, some cruel things are happening in some zoos, especially in private, commercial parks. A lot of things happening in zoos came never to the public....

I've found that video you meant, digusting to see that, and normally, I don't watch such videos. Its very uncommon that orcas bite. But as far I can see, the leg of the woman wasn't almost bitten of, but she was hurt very hard. Unfortuantely, they don't say, in which park this attack has happend, somewhere in southern california...Do you know, at which park this video was taken ? The bathing clothes of the woman look old style, so maybe this incident has happen many years ago, maybe in the 1987 closed Marineland of the Pacific at Palos Verdes ?

 

Ok so even if you don't work in a zoo (which I've heard otherwise of but there we go) it's still no reason for you to slander a park with "I think this happened because I have a vendetta against pretty much every zoo". Just because he had a quick burial doesn't mean it's the park thinking "Quick, our orca killed him so let's do away with the evidence". Do me a favour, you sound like you work for Born Free

 

Can I just point out here that I doubt that Loro parc burried this poor guy, I would say it was his family? is that not standard? here in Ireland people are usually waked for two days then buried so I see this as nothing suspicious!

 

That too! It's so stupid that we're even having this debate, do some people live to stir things like this up?