The fatal mauling of a SeaWorld trainer by a killer whale has placed the theme park in a precarious position. As a business that thrives on the attendance of families, anything that creates the perception of risk is a danger. The company didn’t hesitate to start crisis management though, and after a slight error they got it together, as this quote from an AP article explains:
The company stumbled during its first post-attack press conference. Orlando SeaWorld President Dan Brown did not immediately correct a sheriff’s spokesman who said Brancheau accidentally fell into the water, and Brown himself said only that she “drowned in an incident with one of our killer whales.”
SeaWorld acknowledged two hours later that Tilikum had grabbed Brancheau by her ponytail and yanked her into the water. The park then made its head animal trainer available to the media to explain and defend its methods of training and maintaining its whales.
SeaWorld does have the benefit of starting with a solid reputation, and, if they take the necessary steps, should be able to recover from this unfortunate incident.
The BCM Blogging Team
https://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/