SeaWorld Orlando (SWO) Discussion Thread

[The YetiI'm a know-it-all about donkeys!]

I went there on Thursday and didn't even notice the individual lap bars vs shared lap bars, of course I hadn't been to Sea World in a year...as always, I loved JTA.

[haiderodes"Excuse me, miss, may I pound my large rooster into your donkey?"]

Those seem to be same as the lapbars on JTA San Diego.

[Jay20016I'm a know-it-all about donkeys!]

I went there on Thursday and didn't even notice the individual lap bars vs shared lap bars, of course I hadn't been to Sea World in a year...as always, I loved JTA.

It is an under-rated ride IMO. Sure, a lot of the effects have stopped working, and the story throughout was something that went a bit zany, but... its got a great first drop, a "surprise soaking," and then a 2nd drop that I never expected the first time through.

[PufferfishEurofighters are Red Dawn Awesome!]

Was there on Monday to check out the new restraints. The line got extremely long so I only rode once and was seated in a boat with the shared bars. From observation though, the new individuals really don't do anything different. Doesn't really slow down boarding any at all. It just means I won't be able to sit in the center of a row anymore to avoid the water sloshing over the sides, but that's a tolerable loss for improved security .

[jedimaster1227Open Up Happiness]

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/os-seaworld-tilikum-20110325,0,141493.story

SeaWorld Orlando plans to put the killer whale Tilikum back into public performances beginning Wednesday, for the first time since the 6-ton whale killed a trainer at the marine park more than one year ago.

SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment President Jim Atchison signed off on the decision this week, and Tilikum is expected to appear in an 11:30 a.m. performance of "Believe," the company's main killer-whale show.

Tilikum has not appeared in any shows since Feb. 24, 2010, the day the animal battered and drowned 40-year-old trainer Dawn Brancheau. The death made headlines worldwide, forced sweeping safety changes within SeaWorld, and sparked government investigations and private lawsuits that have yet to be resolved.

SeaWorld said Tuesday that including Tilikum in shows is important for the animal's health and husbandry.

"Participating in shows is just a portion of Tilikum's day, but we feel it is an important component of his physical, social and mental enrichment," Kelly Flaherty Clark, SeaWorld Orlando's animal training curator, said in a prepared statement.

Company officials said repeatedly in the aftermath of Brancheau's death that they intended to put Tilikum back in shows eventually.

The move comes at a sensitive time for SeaWorld, which is challenging a U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration citation issued last summer. The federal agency accused SeaWorld of willfully exposing its killer-whale trainers to danger without adequate protection, and it recommended that trainers never again be exposed to Tilikum.

Tilikum, an adult male who has sired more than a dozen calves over the years, is by far the largest of the roughly two-dozen killer whales in SeaWorld's corporate collection. He had been involved in two human deaths before Brancheau's, including a trainer at a British Columbia aquarium in 1991 and a homeless man who snuck into SeaWorld Orlando's killer-whale complex after hours in 1999.

Hearings before a federal administrative law judge are scheduled to begin April 25.

SeaWorld declined to discuss its decision in detail Tuesday. But in the written statement, Flaherty Clark said SeaWorld "will be using the same methods in caring for Tilikum that have been in place for more than a year."

Those changes include requiring trainers to stay farther away from Tilikum when working with him — massaging him, for instance, with high-pressure hoses instead of manually rubbing him by hand.

SeaWorld says it also has made many safety upgrades to the killer-whale facilities in its parks in Orlando, San Diego and San Antonio. Among them: Guardrails around pool ledges, and devices that can more quickly deploy safety nets in case of an emergency.

And the company says it will make more substantial changes in coming months, including the installation of fast-rising, false-bottom floors in its killer-whale pools capable of lifting multiple whales and trainers out of the water, potentially in less than a minute.

Still, SeaWorld's critics say the company is risking its trainers lives by continuing to work with Tilikum.

"If you had a friend that had a dog that had mauled three people, would you go play with that dog?" said Russ Rector, a former dolphin trainer in Fort Lauderdale who now opposes keeping marine mammals in captivity. "These people only care about the show. They never learn."

Even as it puts Tilikum back into its shows, SeaWorld is also moving forward with plans to put its trainers back in the water with the animals.

Company officials said last month that trainers in its three U.S. marine parks would soon begin limited "water work" with killer whales, with the interactions initially restricted to small medical pools already equipped with lifts in the floors. The company says it still has not decided whether its trainers will again begin performing with the whales during shows.

No trainers, however, will be allowed in the water with Tilikum. SeaWorld had prohibited water work with the animal even before Brancheau's death because of his size and dangerous history, though the company had begun some limited "water-desensitization training" — during which a whale is taught to ignore a human in the water — before the tragedy.

[SoCalCoastersYoung and Stupid! I blame my parents.]

There's always going to be danger with wild animals and people. No matter how long they've been in captivity, whales will still wild animals. Sad events like Dawn's death unfortunately occur every once in a while, while you can put safeguards up, there will always be risks.

I honestly think the GP will freak out when they find that the "Killer" Whale has returned...

[aimsterthe ghost seems to think there is a "Donkey Fairy"]

Tilly is WAY too big to be put back in the show. He's already killed 2 trainers. I know probably he thought he was only playing and didn't know he did something wrong, but this guy is just humungoid. If something else happens and he's responsible, Sea World better not start crying because they know Tilly is a liability. They should just give him full access to all the whale pools when there aren't shows going on and keep up with his physical and mental stimulation without the trainers being too close to him.

[Lenaapple1974Meep Meep!]

I think Tili should be in the shows. I mean, the trainers - ESPECIALLY knowing his past, still deal with him from the sidelines. They do not go in the water with him, and that was in place prior to Dawn's accident. I think it should be entirely up to the trainers, as to whether or not they are involved directly with the whales. I know, being an animal lover - I would definitely still be involved. But this is what they do. They each know there is a risk every time, but they choose to continue on. I wish we could hear from a trainer...and how they feel about the scenario.

[gatorchomp83I teach at the school of donkey!]

He's no bigger now than he was when he was actually in the show. His size is not an issue in regards to being in the show. His sole purpose in shows it to splash people. Even before, trainers weren't in the water with him.

Frankly, if something else happens with ANY of the whales, SeaWorld is going to be in the spotlight no matter what. If they feel he needs the stimulation of going out in front of a couple of thousand people three times a day for 5 minutes, with no trainers in the water, and new safety precautions in place, I trust their judgement.

Tilly is WAY too big to be put back in the show. He's already killed 2 trainers. I know probably he thought he was only playing and didn't know he did something wrong, but this guy is just humungoid. If something else happens and he's responsible, Sea World better not start crying because they know Tilly is a liability. They should just give him full access to all the whale pools when there aren't shows going on and keep up with his physical and mental stimulation without the trainers being too close to him.

[DJeXeLThis button makes my penis erect.]

An Oviedo entertainment company is suing SeaWorld, its parent companies and affiliated parks, accusing executives of using copyrighted designs in some their major attractions without paying for them.

Revere Entertainment Studios filed the lawsuit in Orange County Circuit Court on Thursday. It says SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment used Revere's designs in several popular SeaWorld and Busch Gardens Tampa attractions, including the recently opened SeaWorld Aquatica water park.

A spokesman said SeaWorld would not comment until it had a chance to review the documents.

Source: Orlando Sentinel