SeaWorld Shamus Gone Wild: 2007 Cal/OSHA Report Quashed?

In doing further research due to mainstream media reports regarding last week's death of an experienced trainer at SeaWorld Orlando, I came across an investigative report published by the local news media in San Diego from 2007 with respect to an incident which occurred at the San Diego SeaWorld Park and then was subsequently investigated by Cal/OSHA.

Strangely enough, during the investigation of the 2007 incident, another incident came to light from 1987 involving a whale I am more than familiar with, Orky, that was aggressively pursuing a female trainer at a show me and my family attended back in 1983-84 before Marineland of the Pacific was purchased by SeaWorld and then closed, and Orky then subsequently transferred to SeaWorld San Diego.

During the 1987 incident, Orky apparently did get a male trainer against the ropes, as it were, which resulted in some broken bones and lacerations to the trainer's internal organs after being thrashed around.

Apparently, even after this 2007 incident, there was little change instituted with respect to true protection of those trainers such as mandating provision of life saving equipment (such as guns or harpoons) be available during training sessions or shows in order to protect the human population from such reoccurrences back then, other than those "noise buckets" most that have attended those shows have either seen, or if as in my family's experience, saw them actually used in order to distract or redirect the whale's attention.

But does appear they can be singleminded in their quests for either attention, or communicating their displeasure, if so inclined.

In fact, it appears from this article, that the OSHA review was quite cursory, and conducted by the state, rather than federal, OSHA authorities although this park is now not simply a national commercial conglomerate and venture, owned now by a global investment company out of New York to boot, but also a global park and industry.

The argument, of course, the park used was that they were "visited" by the U.S. Department of Agriculture two or three times a year, and had had no previous violations during this investigation.

And that Cal/OSHA "wasn't qualifed" to conducted the investigations, it appears, so the files in that matter were successfully supressed by the legal team for SeaWorld, who indicated that the USDA had oversight.

My reaction to that, though, is that it is my understanding that the USDA's primary concerns in visiting the park would be the food safety as a public venue, and just what type of inspection would they conduct with respect to these whales and their interactions with the trainers, other than check them for any viruses or communicable diseases that might contaminate any food sources consumed by the public?

Whereas OSHA is supposed to be charged with protecting the job site and working conditions of the trainers and staff, and would be the most definitely the appropriate state and federal authorities to so do with jobsite safety issues.

Apparently, Cal/OSHA is merely conducting "reactive" visits to these parks and not pro-active ones, since it apparently closed its file on SeaWorld after it's investigation of this 2007 incident after losing that round after the 2007 incident in a California court was either suppressed or ignored, and I would assume since OSHA is an agency that is over thirty to forty years old, the incident with Orky from 1987 which involved a male trainer who was slammed around by the whale that was the same one that was involved in the incident in 1983-84 that we viewed agressively challenging and chasing a female trainer, who then subsequently went after a male trainer that attempted to intervene and assist the "pursued" female trainer was simply viewed as the "risks" of the job by higher level management and most likely not reported at all.

Where has the federal OSHA authorities been due to the fact that this is fundamentally a national (and global) chain?

No one was hurt, luckily, in that 2003-2004 incident.

Let's hope the investigation into this latest tragedy involving another male orca that was captured in the wild, one that is linked now to three separate deaths in two different parks, results in some measure of protection for those trainers.

Perhaps in giving some credence to those suggestions some of those trainers made to the Cal/OSHA authorities as contained in this article which also apparently were ignored by corporate in order to reduce the risks which have now resulted in a violent death in Orlando.

In any event, just maybe if there had been harpoons and guns available to those trainers as a real distraction, or fewer shows and less stimulation of them since this "new and improved" show "Believe" I understand involves quite a bit of high tech gadgetry and stunts from all reports - Ms. Brancheau just might still be alive.

I mean there are actually about three to four of these shows per day, and now even huge screen TV's and loud, loud speakers with high tech "new age" type music accompanying the story line, and that would get on my nerves if I had to listen to it daily, much less three or four times per day.

But not to have adequate protectionary measures in force, or "shoot to kill" orders for some of these incidences that have subsequently resulted in human injury and now even multiple deaths begs the question, just whose life is more important?

I mean, there are no shortages of whales in captivity actually, as there are and have been numerous calves born each and every year due to the increase in the captive whale populations and their breeding programs throughout the world due to SeaWorld's past success as a commercial/educational venture in their efforts to domesticate and study them under their prior ownership, in large part.

And with tickets at over $250-300 for the average family for a visit to their parks, it would seem their profit margins have soared since the early days, and at this point, would seem to me that orcas like Tilly (and Orky before) are more of a liability than asset, what with all those vet bills and other expenses that are piling up as more and more of these incidents have occurred.

But I found really no published reports at this point tracking just how many injuries, major or minor, these trainers have been subjected to since it appears OSHA is not a frequent visitor pro-actively, nor logging or following up comprehensively on some of these reports at this now global billion dollar theme park enterprise.

Or apparently only superficially acting on them, or being quashed into submission due to corporate special interests at the state level that apparently have been sealing records, and using the California court system, at least, in order to silence and intimidate the critics, both from the public and even some in the field of animal science.

Or, perhaps in the case of some of those affected trainers, potentially the unemployment line?

http://www.10news.com/news/13343165/detail.html

Where Were The Harpoons: Shamu Show Resumes Amid Questions

The AP reported that today the Orlando Sea World resumed it's killer whale Shamu show, "Believe," less than three short days after the death of one of its most experienced trainers, Dawn Brancheau, who was killed by one of the whales after a dinner show, "Dining with Shamu."

As one who was present at a show over twenty years ago where a male orca became agressive with a female trainer at another park (now defunct) in Southern California, it surprised me that it was "business as usual," less than three short days after what was reported has occurred, and the history now of this particular killer whale, although he was not part of the performances.

I am no animal rights activist, but in the case of these killer whales and the manner in which they have been showcased and displayed by this and many other marine "zoos," is rather disturbing.

Especially after the tragedy of the several days ago.

At least for the short term, the trainers were not getting into the tanks and performing physically with the whales.

But who knows as this event recedes from the public consciousness when such stunts may resume.

It appears in order to draw in the crowds, bigger and better stunts are the marketing ploys, no matter that these animals have proved that they are quite unpredictable, and highly intelligent in their methods for expressing their displeasure at being made to perform for the masses and entertainment.

There is an educational focus somewhat of these shows, and wonder if the parks are also recipients of some of those government grant monies as an "educational" institution.

Maybe that would explain why there has been so little real regulation over these parks, and accountability for both their purchases, and training methods.

This whale was purchased from a park in Canada, and had been involved in another death of a trainer along with two other whales, and a female trainer also was drowned as a result. So "playful" was this whale and the two others, that her clothes were ripped from her body and she was naked when they eventually were able to recover the body.

And according to media reports, the sale to Sea World of this particular whale specified he would only be used as a stud, and not for performance purposes.

Sea World was sold to a Wall Street investment firm, Blackstone Group, last year by Annheuser Busch for over 2 billion dollars. The "Dining with Shamu" show was initiated in the 90's in order to bulk up revenues of this multi-billion dollar theme park, and just for the average family to visit this park is now over $300 conservatively estimated for a Sunday afternoon family outing, or vacation.

He has been described as the "alpha" male of this pod of whales at Orlando's Sea World, and according to the marine biologist we spoke with after the incident my family witnessed in the early 1980's where a male orca was aggressively pursuing his female trainer while in the water, he indicated that the males are much more aggressive by their very nature than the females as the "hunters" of the group.

The whale involved in the incident we witnessed actually actively prevented a male trainer who was attempting to distract and intervene in what was occuring from assisting and "rescuing" the female trainer.

I'm sure most of the trainers do know that there is an inherent safety risk in working with such animals, but in this instance, this animal had a prior history of aggression, yet was being asked to perform three or four shows a day on command.

In a tank that given his size and age, would seem that this accident and outcome was only a matter of time.

At this point, I can only assume that those that would get any enjoyment out of these shows would be those that thrive on "reality" television shows such as "Fear Factor," or own police radios and are the first on the scene at most auto accidents.

And asking those trainers to get back in the tank, or even working with these animals just two short days after the horrific death of one of their co-workers, seems that corporate greed knows no bounds.

I hope if such events continue and for their own protection, those trainers have access to a gun and harpoons, and not merely "noise buckets." Just where was OSHA? I mean with all the bank bailouts now for global corporations, and now this involving another "global" corporate entity, we do certainly have a problem with adequately regulating "commerce" in this country now that is impacting and affecting Americans more and more every day in both loss of homes, and their lives. Ms. Brancheau just might be alive today if simply one shot of a harpoon hit that whale, which would have truly been the distraction needed in order to potentially save her life.

Are the federal and state governments so greedy also for the sales and other taxes these global corporations bring, that it appears that the larger and more profitable some fo these global businesses are, the more "privileges and immunities" it appears they seem to receive at both the state and federal levels?

Since it appears that this little scenario went on for several minutes before the trainer's death by drowning, at least providing those trainers with guns and harpoons in any event would prevent another trainer's life being offered up for corporate profits