At this point in the 21st century, we should be well beyond exploiting animals for entertainment. Sadly, that’s not the case. And while many of the animals used as part of these amusements end up being so broken down that they don’t fight back, there’s definitely a connection between staff and trainer attacks and animals being kept in captivity. Take, for instance, an incident at the Miami Seaquarium. A dolphin named Sundance decided to attack its trainer and pull her underwater in front of horrified kids, per WPLG Local 10.
Dolphins are incredibly intelligent and sociable animals. However, Sundance obviously got fed up with being made to perform day after day. The dolphin attacked their female trainer during a show in 2022 and tried to drag her under. While the trainer wasn’t seriously hurt, it’s yet another example of why attractions like this aren’t just morally wrong but dangerous as well.
A woman named Shannon Carpenter caught footage of the attack, who recalled the kids “cheering and thinking this was neat” before people started to realize anything was wrong.
It’s not every day a dolphin decides to attack its trainer
The Miami Seaquarium tried to explain the incident away, writing it off as a simple misunderstanding.
“A dolphin and trainer accidentally collided in the water on Saturday while performing a routine behavior as part of the Flipper Show,” it said. “This was an uncomfortable interaction for both of them and the dolphin reacted by breaking away from the routine and striking the trainer.”
Unsurprisingly, PETA has called out the park, with General Counsel Jared Goodman calling for the animals to be taken to a sanctuary to live in peace.
“Time is up for the Miami Seaquarium, where long-suffering dolphins desperately need protection and workers are at risk,” he said. “PETA urges this abusement park to end its exploitation of dolphins by getting them to sanctuaries as quickly as possible so that they’d never be used in tawdry shows again and no one else would get hurt.”
