On killer whale and raptor shows

Although I am a bird columnist, I can’ t help but comment on the tragic events at Sea World last week. The killer whale, named Tilikum but called Shamu like the rest of his orca coworkers, killed his trainer in front of guests. This is the third tragic story of a trained animal killing or maiming a beloved human since the dawn of the millennium. First there was the Siegfried and Roy incident in Las Vegas, then the chimp who destroyed his owner’s friend’s face, now this. I always enjoyed visiting Sea World when I vacationed in Orlando, although in my opinion the Shamu show was never as good as the Seamore and Clyde Sea Lion show. I believed that the captive-bred killer whales were happy in their tanks, that they weren’t longing for the waters off of Seattle or Vancouver, where, like their wild relatives, they would hunt and torment seals all day. I have never been an animal rights activist, opposed to zoos or aquariums. But after this third incident, my opinions are beginning to change.

As far as I know, birds have never killed anybody. Google “killed by a bird” and you find web sites for “To Kill a Mockingbird” or a site about the death of pitcher Mark “The Bird” Fidrych. I’m sure a few ostriches have probably trampled someone over in Africa, but there are no well-publicized tragedies of late.

Still, an animal that’s evolved to kill will do just that, even if they are not that big. Last year I taught at a high school whose nickname was the Eagles. To celebrate the beginning of the football season, the principal arranged for a bird of prey show to perform at the pep rally, after the band performed and the players were introduced.

I love bird of prey shows. In fact, I’ve been known to hunt them down at local zoos. The birds of prey are fairly small and harmless. But they do not call them “birds of prey” for nothing.

After introducing the peregrine falcon, the handler released it and we all watched it fly around. The handler called it back. It didn’t come back. It stayed on top of a roof across the street. Eventually, it did return to its owner--but not until it had a nice snack.

The football field, you see, was in a very urban area. There are a lot of stores and restaurants around. But of course, peregrine falcons don’t want a pizza. They want a pigeon. And there were plenty of them around that day.

Hey, a bird’s gotta eat.

No matter how well you train them, an animal that is meant to kill will do so. You can domesticate a killer only so much, whether it’s a whale, a chimp or a peregrine falcon. Maybe it’s time we stop trying.

I don’t know if they brought the birds of prey back for another season since I no longer work at this school, but I kind of doubt it.

Now I work at a school whose nickname is “The Trojans.” I can almost guarantee the nun who runs the school will not be bringing in any of those to show the kids.