the serial killer whale

[Foschi Exotic Serpents]

Orcas are undoubtedly on the short list of sentient species on the planet, and it certainly isn't any surprise to ME that they can calculate violence, plan for the future, and seek revenge. It's been documented often enough now.

Orcas don't eat humans. They break their backs, or simply drown them. It's not predatory behavior, it's homicide. I don't blame them, of course, certainly humans, chimps, gorillas, and other sentient beings may do the same.

I recollect a pair of orcas that had a calf--the calf fell ill, and was removed for treatment, but it died. The orcas vocalized in ways that had not been recorded previously, until one day, they cooperated to break their trainer's back. The trainer lived, but of course did not return.

The odd vocalizations stopped, and the orcas returned to their normal behavior. The incident was labeled an accident, but really? One orca carried the trainer on his back, and the other breached over him, smashing the trainer into the water, but barely brushing the other orca's back. That's a precision move, and it was a very coordinated one, too.

Who can blame them? Their calf was taken away by humans, and they never saw it again. Very nice work, though, to not only exact revenge, but to make it look like an accident. If people are going to work with a creature that weighs over 10,000 pounds and has the mental capacity of, at minimum, a 5 year old human, one has to expect such things.

This right here is what I was going to say. Orcas are on the very small list of animals which are self aware. They recognize their selves in a mirror, have problem solving intelligence and just operate on a higher level than other animals. Dolphins, chimps, gorillas, elephants, crows and horses have all been proven to be sentient animals on different levels. Most of these have the ability to feel almost every emotion that we do. They learn from experiences. They stress. They plan. They remember and can hold a grudge. Dolphins, elephants and the apes show affection for family members and have been shown to grieve the death of a family member.

Dolphins are also one of the few animals that have been proven to have sex just for fun (not just procreation) and they have been seen killing other dolphins in the ocean.

Imagine how bored they must become when they are in a small tank. I would think that anything that operates on much more than just wild instinct would go nuts over time being contained like that. I love my pets but there are some animals I just wouldnt want to keep in captivity. The sentient ones. Its no different from one of us being in prison. They just dont cope like other animals can.

I do hope the HSUS and other animals rights people dont try to attack the park for this but it should not have happened. The trainers can read those animals. I have seen shows and interviews where they say how they are able to easily read when one of the marine animals is acting differently. Stress, frustration etc.. Maybe they can even pick up on weather changes or other nature related things like some other animals can. Who knows. The one real fact is that Orca should not have been bothered when it was acting differently.