American Family Association: Tilikum should be stoned to death

A U.S.-based conservative Christian organization has said that Tilikum, the male killer whale who last week dragged to her death his 40-year-old trainer Dawn Brancheau, should himself be stoned to death in accordance with biblical scriptures.

Posted on the website of the American Family Association (AFA) on February 25, the day after the tragic death of Ms Brancheau, and seemingly receiving little publicity until now, a blog written by Bryan Fischer refers twice to Exodus, the second book of the Old Testament, when calling for Tilikum to be stoned to death. The first reference is to Exodus 21:28, where it is stated:

When an ox gores a man or woman to death, the ox shall be stoned, and its flesh shall not be eaten, but the owner shall not be liable

and the second is to Exodus 21:29, which states that in the case of an ox killing for a second time:

the ox shall be stoned, and its owner also shall be put to death

As has been widely reported Tilikum, or Tilly as he is otherwise known, had been involved in two deaths prior to the incident in which Dawn Brancheau lost her life at SeaWorld in Orlando, Florida on February 24. In 1991 Tilikum was involved in the drowning of a trainer, Keltie Byrne, at Sealand of the Pacific in Victoria, British Columbia. And in 1999 a man, thought to have entered SeaWorld after it had closed or to have hidden until it closed, was discovered lying naked on Tilikum's back. The man, Daniel Dukes, apparently died from drowning brought on by hypothermia. Tilikum, reportedly considered to be dangerous, had allegedly bitten the dead man's body, probably after he died, and torn off his swimming trunks. Maintaining that had "the counsel of the Judeo-Christian tradition ... been followed, Tillikum would have been put out of everyone's misery back in 1991" Bryan Fischer does not however suggest that the killer whale's owner should be "put to death" as the Book of Exodus would seem to allow. Instead, having asserted that the trainer's death should be chalked up to "animal rights insanity and to the ongoing failure of the West to take counsel on practical matters from the Scripture", he says

:If I were the family of Dawn Brancheau, I'd sue the pants off SeaWorld for allowing this killer whale to kill again after they were well aware of its violent history

As the Daily Mail confirms Chuck Tompkins - Fischer actually calls him Chuck Thompson - is head curator at SeaWorld and he has rejected calls for Tilikum to be released in to the wild, insisting such a move would be a "death sentence" on the whale. Digital Journal has reported that at least one whale expert disagrees with Tompkins, believing that Tilikum, who weighs 12,000 lbs, cannot be trusted and therefore should be released. Bryan Fischer notes that Tompkins, who rejects too the idea that the killer whale (orca) should be put to sleep, has called Tilikum "a valuable asset not only from a breeding standpoint but from a behavior standpoint too", and goes on to say that Tompkins has "the blood of Dawn Brancheau" on his hands. On a separate note, earlier this week Rev. Don Wildmon, founder of the American Family Association in 1977 in Tupelo, Mississippi - the organization still has its headquarters in the Southern U.S. city - resigned as AFA Chairman due to the poor state of his health. When founded the AFA was known as the National Federation for Decency.