Losing my faith on Shamu’s first weekend back on the job

by Christopher Elliott on March 3, 2010


For the same reason people go to a car race (to see a fiery crash) or a hockey game (bare-knuckled fight) Shamu Stadium was packed to the gills for the 12:30 p.m. show Sunday, on Shamu’s second day on the job after the unfortunate incident in which he killed his trainer. Everyone wanted to see if something would happen.

Nothing happened.

But then, if it did, you wouldn’t be reading about it here. The news would be splattered across the front page of CNN.com.

Still, for someone who’s been to numerous “Believe” shows at SeaWorld Orlando and has seen the late Dawn Brancheau perform with these magnificent creatures many times, it was interesting enough.

The show began with a brief tribute to Brancheau — a photo montage of her with her beloved whales. The audience applauded politely.

Since her death, none of the trainers have been allowed in the water with the orcas, so the show felt different. The trainers kept a safe distance from the animals. Also noticeably absent was Tilikum, the 12,000-pound whale who killed Brancheau last week. Several smaller animals took his place.

Apart from the gap between the trainers and whales, and the sidelining of Tily, the biggest difference was the audience. The crowd breathed a collective sigh of relief whenever a trainer came close to a whale and everything went as planned. There was a nervousness that felt a lot like watching the opening night of a Broadway show in which the leading man keeps forgetting his lines.

I’m a huge fan of SeaWorld, and particularly of the “Believe” show. My family and I have annual passes to the park, and we come back to Shamu stadium again and again.

When this production is firing on all pistons, it’s truly amazing. Whales fly through the air, perform stunts and interact with their trainers and guests. No wonder it’s this theme park’s signature attraction.

But as I sat there watching the toned-down version of “Believe” I felt my faith slipping away. I wondered: Did Brancheau have to die?

I mean, there must be a reason they’re called killer whales. (Indeed, orcas are known to be fearsome predators and have attacked humans — and not just in the movies.)

Would we feel any differently about this incident if it happened during a shark show? Or God forbid, a piraña show?

I’m no animal rights activist, but enough is enough. I think the park’s owners need to ask themselves a few difficult questions before getting on with the show. Does it make sense to train killer whales? Is the cost worth the benefit? Should orcas be kept in captivity? Should they be performing?

Is a show like this morally defensible?

I hope SeaWorld’s new owners, private equity firm Blackstone Group, will mull those questions in the days to come. I’m not too hopeful, though. There are those who believe the very idea of a leveraged buyout like the one that handed them SeaWorld last year is itself immoral.

And what are a few whales in the grand scheme of things?

(Photo: Peter Nijenhuis/Flickr Creative Commons)

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Tagged as: amusements parks, killer whales, SeaWorld

  • Jeff L

    Chris:

    Quick correction:

    You said: “on Shamu’s second day on the job after the unfortunate incident in which he killed his trainer”

    As you noted later, a different caused the trainer’s death..

  • vicki

    The thing about killer whale shows is that as far I have known, at least in the past, the only way they can get these creatures for their shows is to call it “research”. The stress of living in such a small tank for such an enormous, magnificient creature must be tremendous. I personally have not been to one of these shows in many years since I started reading about how they are captured, under what conditions they are kept, and realizing that I did not believe it was the right thing to do to such creatures. They normally live in large pods of whales and to be put in a tank and isolated much be horrible for them. Do some research and make up your own mind. I know some people do not care about such things, but I for one do not feel that they were put on this earth for our entertainment or to make money for Seaworld.

  • Susan

    The show will go on as long as consumers still pay money to see the show. If anyone is truly contemplating whether confining wild animals to a small space and forcing them to do tricks or not eat, then they should not continue to pay money to see the show.
    Personally, I believe it is cruel and unnecessary.

  • Jordyn

    Re: Susan’s comment “confining wild animals to a small space and forcing them to do tricks or not eat ”

    If you have any proof of that actually happening at Sea World, I’d love to know about it. I’ve seen food or “treats” given to the animals before and after “tricks”, but I’ve never seen it withheld in the way you are implicating. As for forcing the animals to do tricks, I’ve been to at least two Shamu shows where the whales were having “off” days, and the trainers left the whales to their own devices, swimming together as they wished. The trainers apologized for the lack of an actual show, but said it is always up to the whales – there is no question of forcing the issue. I’ve also seen whales who were given the signal to perform a flip or some other trick, but swam instead and returned to the trainer, who laughed, fed them, and said the same thing – it’s always up to the whale.

    There are many, many zoos and other habitats across the country, and I’ve no doubt that cruelty to animals has or does occur in some percentage. But painting them all with the same brush is unfair. I believe Sea World in particular has done a better job than most in how they handle their animals, especially the performing ones.

    The trainer’s death is sad and unfortunate, but she knew there was a risk in working with the whales. She chose to accept the risk in order to have an incredible experience and relationship with an amazing creature. From all the accounts of her I have read, she was fully engaged in and supportive of the program. I imagine she would be deeply saddened if her death were a catalyst in shutting it down.

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