Anatomy of attack at SeaWorld

(NECN) – Like many viewers, The Secret Life of Animals has been drawn to the story of Tilikum in the last week, the killer whale at SeaWorld who recently killed his trainer.

Did he mean to do harm?

Was he smart and aware enough to understand that trainer Dawn Brancheau was in distress?

Could the incident have been prevented?

Is it possible for a creature like him-or a captive elephant, or a tiger-to be returned to the wild?

Even the experts disagree, it’s hard to know.

With the help of some top specialists from the animal world, The Secret Life of Animal’s is going to analyze this incident at SeaWorld and revisit some similar stories.

On the Secret Life of Animals, Vicki Croke discusses what is known about killer whales in the wild and how much people don’t know about them.

Joining Vicki to discuss them is AJ Cady with the International Fund for Animal Welfare, based in Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

Take a look at this flamingo fluff ball!

Walker, a Caribbean flamingo, explores his habitat at SeaWorld in Orlando. Hatched just four weeks ago, Walker eats plenty of fish, krill, hard boiled eggs and cereal, but as an adult will feed on a special diet formulated just for flamingos.

In fact, the trademark bright pink color of Walker’s future feathers is caused by carotenoid pigments that occur naturally in a variety of plant and animal life and are responsible for the red and orange coloring in many birds.

SeaWorld’s avian experts expect Walker to grow into his adult plumage in about three years.

To learn more about Caribbean flamingos, go to SeaWorld.org.

Birds of a feather grow up together

Already showing the large, frog-like mouths that give the species its name, Hoover (L) and Sawyer (R) are tawny frogmouth chicks that were hatched at SeaWorld Orlando last month.

Until recently, the population of tawny frogmouths in North American zoos was facing extinction and breeding programs were largely unsuccessful.

SeaWorld worked with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums to develop a breeding program to help sustain the species’ growth.

And, the program is showing early success — in less than a year, six chicks have been hatched and all are now thriving at the park.

Varitek catches up with Shamu

Boston Red Sox Captain Jason Varitek gets up close and personal with SeaWorld Orlando’s biggest star, Shamu. Varitek is vacationing in Orlando this week during the off-season with his family.

Varitek also meets a new friend at Discovery Cove. He spent the day swimming with Atlantic bottlenose dolphins, snorkeling with rays, hand-feeding exotic birds and relaxing on pristine beaches at the all-inclusive park.

*Photos provided by SeaWorld, Discovery Cove & Aquatica