Criticisms concerning captivity arise after orca's killer attack

It certainly wasn’t the first time the 22-foot long orca whale killed a trainer, nor was it an unforeseen incident in the business of taming animals, but the recent killer whale attack has raised issues of concern regarding keeping animals in captivity.

Naomi Rose, a marine mammal scientist with the Humane Society of the United States, thinks the conditions these animals are forced to live under, don’t accurately reflect their natural habits, according to CNYcental.com.

“Orca’s are simply too big, too complex, too intelligent to be adequately accommodated in captivity,” Rose said. The size of the tanks and the lack of features in them are problems causing this inaccurate depiction of natural habitat, she explained.

Rose said the amount of times trainers have been injured is much larger than most people are aware of. Yet former SeaWorld head trainer Thad Lacinak says captive whales teach the public ways to help protect the species in the wild. 

"That's just how people learn. They don't learn when they're bored ... They have a greater appreciation of the animals when they walk out,” said Lacinak. He said trainers take the job already knowing the risks that are involved, and do it, for the greater rewards.

Professor Gary Wilson of Moorpark College, the nation’s sole school for students to learn how to train marine mammals, thinks if people could experience animals in the wild it would be better, but captivity serves as an alternative for people who can’t to still benefit.

“If it was a perfect world we wouldn't need to have any animals in captivity, but the reality is in order to learn about these animals and to actually ensure their survival in the wild, we need to have them in captivity so we can study them and people can learn to appreciate them," Wilson said.

Marie Osmond’s son ends his own life

Friday at about 9 p.m., Marie Osmond’s son Michael Blosil committed suicide. According to People.com, Blosil left a note in his Los Angeles apartment saying that he felt as if he didn’t fit in and had no friends. Blosil also said that he planned to kill himself after his long fight with severe depression.

Osmond’s representative released a statement from the family saying that they are currently in shock from the incident, and seek privacy at this time.

In 2007, Blosil, then 16, entered rehab, but the exact reason was never released. "My son Michael is an amazing young man, shown through his courage in facing his issues. As his mother, I couldn’t be more proud of him,” Osmond said after her son was released from rehab in 2007.

In 2009, Osmond again said how proud she was of her son, and how Blosil seemed to be turning his life around. "He's got a 3.9 GPA in high school. He's looking at scholarships to some wonderful colleges,” Osmond said.

Blosil was one of eight children Osmond and ex-husband Brian Blosil raised. 

Former Syracuse policeman’s sentence delayed

After committing perjury, former Syracuse police officer James Mills’ court case was postponed.

According to Syracuse.com, the 44-year old officer had arrested a suspected drug dealer after staging a fight between an informant and the suspected dealer. According to officials, Mills attempted to protect his informant by claiming under oath that he didn't know what caused the fight.

Mills was supposed to have been sentenced by City Judge Vanessa Bogan for his guilty plea for committing perjury in December. Mills' behavior caused the dismissal of the suspect’s case and led to further investigations into other cases involving the officer.