[redbeerman]

I think killer whale pretty much says it all.

[MrNate]

Just a point in fact - Killer whales do frequent the CA coastline. I would hazard a guess that they don't attack surfers because their bellies are full of gray whale. You don't take potshots at the rabbits when there's a bull elk in front of you.

Also a fun fact - I've actually seen a mommy Orca teach her young'uns how to hunt by trapping a baby gray whale in the shallows with the Orca pod standing guard at the perimeter, while the juvenile Orcas went in over and over to try to take the gray down as a pack.

They are highly intelligent, utterly ruthless creatures. But they're still just creatures.  

[dean]

Spot on MrNate!  I agree!

But a rogue will teach some juveniles a new food item and tactic along those same coastlines.  From one of the quotes today, "never leave fish to find fish."   

[babalu87]

Just a point in fact - Killer whales do frequent the CA coastline. I would hazard a guess that they don't attack surfers because their bellies are full of gray whale. You don't take potshots at the rabbits when there's a bull elk in front of you.

Also a fun fact - I've actually seen a mommy Orca teach her young'uns how to hunt by trapping a baby gray whale in the shallows with the Orca pod standing guard at the perimeter, while the juvenile Orcas went in over and over to try to take the gray down as a pack.

They are highly intelligent, utterly ruthless creatures. But they're still just creatures.  

This I know, look up the LA pod, I think they are bloods  

However, if the whale from Sea World is put way up in Alaska where during the Salmon run when it could join up with another pack I dont think Cali surfers have anything to worry about

[nicneufeld]

I think a big part of why we envision them as gentle creatures is their looks.  The black and white "paint job" has a sort of cute cuddliness to it, moreso than a shark.  Silly, but I imagine it is a factor at least.

There was a slightly amusing South Park about this last season.  Anyway, I bet if they harvested this whale and sold the meat to the Japanese, they could at least get a pretty penny for it, if not recoup their losses.  The Japanese aren't particularly squeamish about eating anything that swims.

The funniest/saddest thing I read was a news report that said the trainer "drowned" in an "incident" with the whale.  Like there was this accidental happening that occurred during a minor verbal dispute with the whale or something.  They can't just say what happened, the whale attacked and killed the person.  Not a huge deal, I don't fault the animal particularly, but they shouldn't be putting trainers into a pen with it any more and charging for admission.  We put dogs down every minute of every day.  This is no different except for all the $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.

[MrNate]

Well, the trainer did drown. That's how they kill most of their prey. But my point is that there's a fundamental difference between a dog and an orca - The dog is domesticated. It's presumed to not be a threat until proven otherwise, and is put down when it kills because of its easy access to the population at large.

This whale is presumed to be a killer, and is no threat to the population at large.

I agree that if this were a shark there would be no outcry because, well, duh! you were swimming with a shark! Cute and cuddly looking does make a difference in public opinion.

And I've never been a fan of releasing captive animals to the wild, unless it was a very short period of captivity. It's not good for the animal and it's not good for the wild.

[MrNate]

Holy mary, I just googled the LA pod!

That's crazy!

[maxieboy]

I believe confining any creature to a space other than it's natural habitat is inhumane.

Absolutely. Not a fan of zoos. 

[dean]

The LA Pod is very interesting, its described or implied that they may be a new species or subspecies... behaving differently as well as having different physical configuration than other killer whales.    

How true this is... who knows?

http://great-white-shark.blogspot.com/2007/01/gang-of-killer-whales-killed-great.html

[babalu87]

Holy mary, I just googled the LA pod!

That's crazy!

Rat a tat tat I wonder if the swim with a Gat 

Trainer drowned because thats what Orca do with prey of that size
They drown it, then shake it soft and swallow it whole.

[denny]

Why is it at all the animal's fault that he did what comes naturally to him? It's a wild animal, in captivity - trained like a circus animal. When the animal acts "natural" - we're shocked and call for it's murder. BTW: they just said 2Million is the animal's worth.

He was the prime male for their breeding stock.  I find it repugnant that that trumps human safety.

[dean]

I didn't know they were able to breed Killer Whales in captivity?  Wow, I guess I need to catch up on some documentaries or research it some more.  Seems that Bud (Budweiser?) has definitely made a load of money on this whale and wants to keep the cash rolling in... just more greed thats all.  When will it stop and why is it allowed, exploitation of wildlife?

All animals kept for stud become agressive in time.  A person only needs to talk to farmers and they'll walk away with a lot of knowlege from their centuries of experience.   

How do you spell bologna?   

[a10t2]

I believe confining any creature to a space other than it's natural habitat is inhumane.

Absolutely. Not a fan of zoos. 

Or dogs, right?

[dbeechum]

Seems that Bud (Budweiser?) has definitely made a load of money on this whale and wants to keep the cash rolling in...

A-B Inbev divested itself of Busch Entertainment last year and has no interest/stake in the running of any of the Sea World / Busch Garden parks anymore - aside from the beer concession that they negotiated into the sale.

[beerocd]

He was the prime male for their breeding stock.  I find it repugnant that that trumps human safety.

Whale is as Whale does. -Forrest Gump

Humans created this mess - not the whale.