Witaj!

"SeaWorld trainer dies in killer whale attack in Orlando"......if I was being kept in a tank that in comparison was the size of my bath I too would be pretty fucked off.
CDT, 2010

This is just unbelievable isn't it.

I mean really. Since 1993, the general consensus on the Killer Whale has been that of affection. Since that one step for Shamu, one giant leap for Killer Whale kind, they've taken us in. Those creatures have cast their monochrome charm over us like the flight of a rather over zealous death eater. That is, until today when SeaWorld resident/detainee Tilikum turned on his trainer, which resulted in a rather harsh yet, animated (one has to imagine) death.

I'll be honest. You would think the word 'killer' would give a hint of a clue to the nature of these animals. Things don't get dubbed 'killer' for nothing. You have your bogstandard killers, who are in fact killers - Ian Huntley, Myra Hindley and Harold Shipman, for want of a less predictable set. It must take a few nasty acts to gain that very title. Working on the basis that, you don't get branded a killer if you actually are not... especially in species terms, then why on earth was this attack such a surprise to so many?

I'll tell you why.

1993.
Free Willy.

That's right. The early nineties played host to a rather specific form of propaganda. Propaganda in favour of the 'killer whale' - it made the world forget the meaning of a whole word. This must be the 9329021st time I've said this but, 'KILLER'...

So it turns out, Tilikum had killed before, killed along with causing great bodily harm to a number of trainers. Well done Warner Bros. You worked your dreamland magic, where orphans always get adopted, fish are caught in paper every time they are thrown and animals labelled 'killers' are in actual fact, loving sloths craving the freedom of the vast Ocean.

Why don't people learn? Why don't these morons learn? This is a creature, when faced with a mere human being, a creature that remains to be seen as a threat. That's not to be sniffed at, Chuck Tomkins, Head of Animal Training at SeaWorld. You have a whale, in a pool the size of a bath and then you have a human, standing on the side of said pool, irritating the fuck out of you. We must think back to Michael Douglas in 'Falling Down' - she was obviously an absolute nobhead.

Anyway.

I feel I may have slandered the whale slightly - the repetition of the k word is evident. I have to say though, going back to the start, if someone shoved me in a room the size of a filing cabinet, I wouldn't be best pleased.

RJB XXXX

PS. Polish!