Seven Former SeaWorld Trainers Expose Injuries, Death and Killer Whale Captivity

March 14, 2011 - PRLog -- As the details of last years’ tragic death of killer whale trainer Dawn Brancheau continue to unfold, it increasingly appears that her loss was a calculated risk SeaWorld was willing to take in order to maintain and promote their signature “Shamu” shows, which are at the core of the theme park’s multi-billion-dollar entertainment business.

A showdown with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is scheduled to begin on April 25 as SeaWorld fights a citation for willfully placing their employees at risk… a charge that has major implications beyond the $75,000 fine imposed. The floodgates will be opened for further legal action by Dawn’s family, terminated employees and witnesses and will have an impact on the future of killer whale captivity and “public display” should the charge stand.

Even with next months pending hearings before an Administrative Law Judge in Florida, SeaWorld has moved forward with their future plans of reintroducing trainers into the water with new shows and “safety improvements”. But former SeaWorld trainers continue to come forward and speak out about the safety deficiencies, the negative effects of killer whale (orca) captivity and the details surrounding the tragic, yet avoidable loss of several killer whale trainers. Seven ex-employees, some acting on a condition of anonymity, are providing a look behind the scenes of the secretive marine mammal entertainment business. Several have come forward publicly to provide an in-depth look into the realities of orca captivity as well as the injuries and deaths that occur to both trainers and animals more frequently than the industry would want the public to know.

In an exclusive interview released today, former SeaWorld trainer Samantha Berg joined us for a look into SeaWorld’s secretive breeding program, to uncover the failures in their “educational” programs and proposed “safety improvements” as well as taking an in-depth look into the death of dawn Brancheau.

With the relatively small number of killer whales housed in marine parks worldwide, 41, it’s alarming to discover that the genes of Tilikum, the largest orca in captivity who’s now been involved in the deaths of three people, are so prominent in the population:

“I think you could say that SeaWorld has created more of an “inbreeding program” which jeopardizes the health of their population and their human trainers”, Samantha tells us.

And looking back at the knowledge she has gained since her departure from SeaWorld, Samantha reflects on the part of her job where she would narrate “educational” shows for school children visiting the park:

“The facts I was trained to present to the children were made up of only the biased information that SeaWorld provided. Their “educational” programs are nothing more than a thin veil behind which all of the less savory aspects of the captive marine mammal industry can be found hiding.”

Samantha also provides us with insight into the failures of SeaWorld’s proposed safety improvements and gives us the most provocative and detailed look into what really happened the day of Dawn Brancheau’s tragic death and how SeaWorld has maintained that it was merely an “accident”. But the history and precursors to the attack will clearly show that Dawn’s death did not have to happen, and that SeaWorld’s theory into her death is nothing more than a futile attempt to protect the lucrative “waterwork” between trainers and the largest predators of the ocean.

After initially reporting Dawn’s death as an accidental “slip or fall”, SeaWorld quickly changed their story, steadfastly upholding the belief that Dawn was accidentally pulled into the water by her ponytail. But in this interview, you’ll learn what really happened and why the “ponytail theory” is still promoted by the marine park’s management.

“There are several reasons why making this distinction is important to SeaWorld”, Samantha tells us.

To read the complete, revealing and explosive interview with former trainer Samantha Berg, with access to additional former trainer interviews, please visit: http://theorcaproject.wordpress.com/2011/03/14/exclusive-...

For the latest orca updates, additional content, links, photos, videos, documents, news and stories, visit www.theorcaproject.com or http://theorcaproject.wordpress.com/

# # #

The Orca Project is a small but effective non-profit organization, collaborating with some of the world’s top marine mammal experts and caring professionals from diverse backgrounds, working to change the public’s attitude and government supervision of marine mammals in captivity through research, investigation and education. We are committed to providing the public with a look behind the scenes of the marine mammal captivity/entertainment industry, explore the legal and ethical issues of keeping orcas in captivity and to keep pressure on our government oversight agencies to enforce and improve animal welfare regulations.