SeaWorld Curator: Ponytail Likely Caused Fatal Killer Whale Attack

abc ^ | 25 Feb 2010 | LEE FERRAN and RUSSELL GOLDMAN

[PilotDave]

Chuck Tompkins, curator of zoological operations at SeaWorld Orlando, told "Good Morning America." "Dawn had very long hair in a ponytail. That ponytail had swung in front of him. He grabbed her by the hair and pulled her underwater and held her underwater." Eyewitnesses could see clearly through viewing glass as the 12,000 pound killer whale named Tillikum thrashed Brancheau viciously underwater.Though it's the third time Tillikum has been involved in a human's death, there are reportedly no plans to take the massive animal out of the show.

"We need to evaluate how to do this the right way," Tompkins said. "We need to evaluate our handling procedures and how we interact with him... I can guarantee we will make any change necessary.

"He's a good animal," he said.

[PilotDave]

You really can't make this up.

[GoCards]

No ponytails just buns.

[screaminsunshine]

I just think he was hungry.

[Red Badger]

Blame the victim........................

[South Dakota]

It was the ponytail, yea. everthing is all right,,,uhm next?

[Varda]

Back in the days when human life meant something, this animal would have been euthanized after the first death.

[massmike]

Is it true Obama insisted that the whale be read his miranda rights?

[Tarpon]

LOL — this is just stupid. Food for ignorant people.

[Red Boots]

Killer whales hate pony tails ? Who knew ?

[ConorMacNessa]

They won’t take him out of the show? They ought to take him out of this world!

[Badabing Badablonde]

"We need to evaluate how to do this the right way," Tompkins said. "We need to evaluate our handling procedures and how we interact with him... I can guarantee we will make any change necessary.

"He's a good animal," he said.

Good gravy, he's killed three people....what's the limit? Does he have to kill 5 before you harpoon his ass?

Animal-hugging morons!

[Red Badger]

"We need to evaluate how to do this the right way,"

[PapaBear3625]

A dog who killed a human would be put down after the first death. This orca has reportedly now killed three.

I guess Sea World has decided that it's multi-million-dollar investment is worth more than the lives of its staff.

[Hodar]

First there was a trainer killed by ‘accident’; then there was some loser to hid in the park until the park was closed so he could play with the whales, now this.

In the case of the ‘tourist’ who snuck into the whale’s tank, he was partially eaten by this whale.

Now if I kill 3 people and I’m an American, I can expect to got to jail and may be executed. If I’m an illegal I’ll be told that I’m a ‘bad man’ and may get shipped back across the border.

But if I’m cute and can do flips in teh water; why it’s just another day in the park.

[conservativemusician]

It’s Bush’s fault.

[ClearCase_guy]

"He's a good animal," he said.

Friends say that he's an honor roll student and has really begun to turn his life around.

[MrB]

Protecting this animal’s life is putting an equivalence, or even superiority, of his life, and that of his species, above human life.

Clearly a secular, ironically, “humanist”, viewpoint.

[TomGuy]

So, this was the FIRST and only time in her years at Sea World that she had her hair in a ponytail?

I just got a whiff of something, and it wasn’t fish; it was BS.

[Puppage]

SeaWorld Curator: Ponytail Likely Caused Fatal Killer Whale Attack

This was fatal attack number 3 for this whale..... what hair style did the other 2 victims have?

[AD from SpringBay]

Sounds like Tillikum is a man-killer. At this point he represents a whole lot of sushi - and if I were a trainer and they told me, ‘You’re next,’ I’d find a new job. But then again, maybe all they need is a killer-whale whisperer.