This likely goes beyond the pets category, but the incident at SeaWorld in which a trainer was killed by a killer whale at the Orlando facility, is pretty disturbing. It goes to the heart of how we treat animals.

The blogosphere is full of commentary from people noting that there is a reason killer whales are called killer whales to in the wild, in general, killer whales are not considered a threat to humans.

Jack Hanna, the television animal show host, appeared on CBS News Early Show Thursday morning to defend the presence of killer whales in captivity saying “much is learned about animals in captivity that benefits the lives of others in the wild. It helps us understand them more.” Hanna noted that most zoo animals are created by the zoos, bred and born in captivity.

This particular killer whale had killed before. The trainers at SeaWorld considered this particular whale dangerous.

Zoos and water parks have always been a source of conflict for me. I love being able to see such beautiful creatures up close. It is what sparked one of my daughters to major in biology in college. But I can do without killer whales jumping through hoops. When the announcer says this is not a trick, but a natural behavior, I cringe. Jumping through colored hoops? There are colored hoops in the wild? Likewise with the elephant shows. Please, I can do without the elephant pushing around a colored ball. It’s demeaning.

Safari West, north of Santa Rosa, for some reason, doesn’t bring out the same feelings of remorse for the animals. Maybe because the animals there are not asked to “perform.”

No, I don’t believe it’s wise to release all the animals in the zoos and parks. That is not the answer. But perhaps it is over due for us to take a serious look at these shows using captive dolphins and killer whales and large mammals. Is it worth the price they pay?