Live animals at theme parks have become quite popular amongst families and tourists. The chance to watch killer whales perform stunts or swim right beside dolphins draws great crowds.
But lurking beneath all that excitement, there are some hidden dangers to take into consideration. Such attractions, especially those involving large marine animals, carry certain dangers for workers and visitors.
In some cases, those risks have even led to death. The most famous example of this is SeaWorld, where there have been a number of high-profile accidents over the years.
Read on to learn more about the safety risks and deaths at Seaworld.
Article Contents
Key Risks in Animal Attractions
Animal attractions can appear to be secure environments tended by watchful staff, but this isn’t always the reality. Working with large, uncontrollable animals can be dangerous.
Marine animals such as orcas and dolphins who appear tame can suddenly turn violent. This could arise from stress, poor living conditions, or sheer frustration, especially when kept in captivity.
Additionally, even the best-behaved of animals can be dangerous simply by virtue of their immense size and strength, coupled with an inability to accurately anticipate their own actions.
Incidents involving animals at SeaWorld, for example, have resulted in dedicated workers with serious injuries and even death, illustrating how dangerous environments like these really are.
The highest-profile case was the 2010 death of trainer Dawn Brancheau, who was killed by the orca Tilikum. The episode emphasized how rapidly a manageable scenario can devolve into something lethal.
How Human Error Leads to Accidents
In many theme park accidents, animal-involved incidents are a leading cause. Other times, it can be caused by frustration on the parts of employees who don’t know how to cleanly or safely cordon off animals whose behavior has gone awry.
It is constant work to maintain the shows and interactions, which often leads to pressure that can cause safety protocols to be forgotten. SeaWorld provides a glaring example, with trainer-drowning incidents often resulting in serious injury or death.
However, many of these accidents could have been avoided if stricter safety protocols were established or if the mental states of animals had been better understood.
Tilikum was aggressive, and there were concerns as to whether SeaWorld had adequately addressed the risks associated with this behavior.
Tilikum was performing despite his earlier involvement in fatalities until the Brancheau incident cast a stark light on the safety protocols utilized.
Resulting Lawsuits
Victims’ families have sued parks like SeaWorld, claiming the facilities were negligent and had inadequate safety procedures.
These legal battles have revealed major flaws in how marine animal parks are run and managed.
OSHA eventually fined SeaWorld for safety violations following Brancheau’s death, making it clear that worker and visitor security were ultimately the park’s responsibility.
These lawsuits can also result in regulatory changes, with one successful suit spurring parks to do more to ensure the safety of their rides, or face a huge hit on their bottom line and reputation.
Left reeling from the tragedies at SeaWorld, it was a wake-up call for the company to reevaluate how they do business — particularly involving orcas — and have since made changes in their treatment and presentation.
How Parks Responded to Incidents
In response to accidents, parks often tweak safety rules or halt similar performances
After the death of Dawn Brancheau, for example, SeaWorld instituted numerous changes, such as stopping orca trainers from entering show water of any kind. These changes might well have been key to preventing these deaths.
Furthermore, parks have been battling the aftermath of documentaries such as Blackfish that exposed the moral and safety issues within marine animal parks.
It changed public perception and eventually led the all-purpose resort in Orlando to stop doing orca tricks.
But the question remains: Is all of this enough to ensure no future catastrophes, or will these dangers forever be part and parcel of any establishment featuring wild animals?
Better training for staff to ensure they are more aware of the risks that come with handling large, potentially unpredictable animals ought to be encouraged.
So too should stricter rules such as mandatory safety inspections and disclosure of previous incidents.
In short, an increase in the welfare of these animals results in them being less stressed and aggressive, enriching the work environment for people who interact with them.
Recent safety improvements at the park are important, but vigilance cannot be let up to avoid more loss of life.
Visitors should also be cautious of the potential risks while attending animal shows and interactive experiences.
While parks can work to make improvements such as improved safety measures, and better care for the animals, these threats may never be entirely eliminated.
