Aquarium official: Training of killer whales an art, not a science

By Mashaun D. Simon

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The tragedy at SeaWorld that left a trainer dead should not make the public think killer whale training is unsafe.

That is according to Billie Hurley, senior vice president and chief animal officer for the Georgia Aquarium, who said Georgia Aquarium staff has many friends among those working at SeaWorld.

Due to their immense size, up to 26 feet long and weighing six tons, killer whales are very unique animals, Hurley told the AJC.

They are the largest of the dolphin family, even though they are called whales, and can be easily trained.

Their size is what makes them dangerous.

“When in human care they can be very mellow animals,” Hurley said. “But, if one decides they want to interact with you, you can’t compete with that.”

Their predisposition to training is due to how they live in the wild, they live in groups, or pods, making them some of the more socially adept animals.

Wednesday, Tillukum, a killer whale at SeaWorld, drowned a female trainer after she slipped and fell in the tank, according to information released by SeaWorld.

Could the whale have been confused by the situation and simply been trying to play with the trainer? Hurley said it is too early to tell. And having not been there, he did not want to speculate.

“It is just like your pet, they can be confused or excited by something,” he said. “In the process your hand is bit or your leg scratched.”

Hurley said he does not believe this incident allows anyone to draw any sort of conclusions around the safety of animal, specifically killer whale, training.

“Animal training is an art; there is a science behind it,” he said. “We couldn’t have learned the things we know about these animals if it had not been for their training and working closely with them.”