Seaworld Orca Trainer Released From Hospital

Sunday, December 3, 2006
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - The trainer who was attacked by a killer whale at SeaWorld was recovering at home Sunday, according to a park spokesman.

Ken Peters was released from UC San Diego Medical Center Friday, said Dave Koontz, SeaWorld San Diego's communications director.

Peters, who has worked at Shamu Stadium for 12 years, was injured Wednesday when a killer whale named Kasatka grabbed his foot and twice took him to the bottom of the 36-foot tank.

The orca was supposed to launch Peters into the air off her nose.

Instead, she dived to the bottom before surfacing about 30 seconds later. She ignored other trainers' signals to come to the side of the pool and dived a second time with the trainer, before bringing him to the surface again.

Peters broke his left foot. He underwent surgery Thursday.

Kasatka, along with the theme park's seven other orcas, are performing in shows but with trainers standing outside the tank, Koontz said.

An animal rights activist said SeaWorld should not keep wild animals in captivity.

"Orcas are incredibly intelligent and self aware animals," said Bryan Pease with the Animal Protection and Rescue League. "Keeping them in a tiny aquarium tank is sort of like forcing a human to spend its entire life in a phone booth."

Pease said SeaWorld and other similar facilities should stop breeding animals in captivity.

"Just because they are born and raised in captivity doesn't mean it is any better for them," he said. "We do not think that these animals should ever be kept in captivity -- that includes orcas, dolphins and sea lions."

Koontz said the incident remains under investigation, but would not speculate on any possible changes to training procedures.

"We have the finest animal training procedures in the world," he said. "This incident is extremely rare. If there's something we can improve on, we'll absolutely do it."

According to SeaWorld officials, Kasatka tried to bite a trainer during a 1999 show, but he was unhurt. She also tried to bite another trainer in 1993.

Source: KGTV