Protected by Copyscape Web Copyright Protection

Powered By Blogger

Thursday, February 25, 2010

REST IN PEACE DAWN BRANCHEAU - AN EDITORIAL ABOUT A WHALE

You hear it all the time:  "I can't believe this happened.  He was always a quiet family man who kept to himself." after a rampage that leaves people dead or dying.  But this time, the killer was Tilikum, a huge 30-year-old killer whale at Orlando's Sea World.  A park spokesman commented:  "He was a well-balanced animal."  

I heard a reporter say that nobody was allowed in the water with Tilikum because he has a violent past, having killed two others over the years.  I heard an expert on killer whales say that whales are smart and that no doubt Tilikum, the well-balanced whale, had killed the first time as a practice run, the second time to get better at it, and the third time because he was tired of being paraded out in front of millions of people like a whale whore (my words, not the expert's).  

I can almost hear the whale thinking, "I don't care if I frickin' DIE because of this, I am taking that woman down today, then they'll either put me out of misery or let me go home."  

Personally, I think they should take him out into the middle of the ocean and let him go.  Do they think putting him to death will deter whale criminality?  I don't think that has worked for humans.  By the time a person, or a whale, gets to the point that the only way out to them is to kill, they are going to kill, then what?  We KILL them to let them know it is wrong to kill?  The lack of any logic there makes me tired.  My religion tells me thou shall not kill.  I think that probably means thou shall not kill any creature we have had trapped in a little pool, having kidnapped it from its home, the ocean, for crying out loud, no matter what crime it committed.  Set him free.  

I am sure that the PETA people will jump in with their two cents, screaming that turning him loose in the wide, wide ocean will cause him to die!  You know what?  He might just thrive out there and actually become a well-balanced, well-adjusted whale, or he might be shunned and go to whale heaven.  It sure seems like dying out there happy and free would be more acceptable than a lethal injection by a human in a tiny pool in Florida. Let his own kind be his judge and jury, I say!  I cannot help but wonder how it would feel to have a jury of twelve whales deciding my fate.  

What do you think? 

(Image by http://www.imgfave.com/)


4 comments:

Magpie said...

Well said, Kathy. I agree with you. What happened did so because of his living conditions and who imposed those conditions on him? Let him go and what will happen will happen.

Cathi said...

I agree with you. When I first read about it, I thought why are people surprised when this happens? You take animals out of their natural environment and try to put them in these shows for public consumption - it's not natural and they eventually tire of it and doing something drastic and most often deadly. Leave them be! xxoo :)

marshay said...

Will Never Change as long as the Public spends money to drag children to watch these type of shows ... Why not charter an Ocean whale watching cruise ??? Guess if we can't Go to Them they will always bring Them to Us ! Elephants have gone through this for years . I enjoying animal watching just like everyone else. Just don't blame Them when things go Wrong ! Shay

Life Is A Road Trip said...

Right. There's a reason they are called "Killer Whales". Duh.