Today a killer whale killed a trainer during a live show at the famous U.S. Aquarium known as SeaWorld. It is not clear what will happen as a result of this incident, but at minimum we should reconsider whether or not the educational value of aquariums and zoos outweighs their costs to animals.
According to NBC News several witnesses saw the whale, known as Tillikum, pull experienced whale trainer Dawn Brancheau into the pool. Tillikum then grabbed Brancheau, took her underneath the water and thrashed her around as she presumably drowned. SeaWorld was subsequently closed for the rest of the day and probably will continue to be closed for an unspecified amount of time.
