State of California declares it is only “a matter of time” before captive orca kills trainer

State investigators have concluded that it is just a matter of time before one of the orcas held in captivity at Sea World’s Adventure park kills a trainer. A report by the state Department of Industrial Relations' Division of Occupational Safety and Health has been released following the attack on a trainer by a killer whale at SeaWorld Adventure Park in San Diego last November.

During a show on Wednesday 29th November at Sea World’s San Diego theme park, a 30-year-old orca known as Kasatka, a 7,000-pound, 17-foot-long female, grabbed a trainer’s foot and pulled him underwater twice, before letting go so he could escape from the pool and be taken to hospital for treatment. The incident happened towards the end of the show during a routine which was supposed to include Kasatka and the trainer diving under water to emerge with the trainer jumping off her nose.

The report goes on to state that the animals prove deadly to their human trainers by virtue of their size alone, and that as carnivores, are armed with teeth that could tear “flesh and bone”. It is recommended that Sea World staff be prepared to use lethal force to prevent the loss of human life by one of the captive orcas.

There have been many incidents of trainers being injured by the orcas they are interacting with during Sea World’s shows, which show trainers in elaborate in-water displays with the huge mammals. Sea World’s other theme parks have also had such incidents occur, including in 2004, at Sea World Texas and in 2005 at Sea World Orlando. According to the latest report, "The trainers recognize this risk and train not for if an attack will happen but when”.

WDCS is strongly opposed to keeping these animals in captivity. Scientific evidence indicates that orcas in captivity suffer extreme mental and physical stress, which is revealed in aggression between orcas and towards humans, boredom, and a lower life expectancy and higher infant mortality than in the wild.

WDCS also notes that it knows of no cases of aggression displayed by orcas towards humans in the wild, but several documented cases of aggression displayed by captive orcas, both towards their pool mates and towards humans. The two most serious cases resulted in fatalities to the people involved.

For further information about orcas in captivity please click here.

Source: WDCS / LA Times