In the second episode of the Wild Bites back, We travel deep into the jungles of New Guinea and explore the Shangri-La plane crash that Killed 21, and left 3 people injured and stranded in a land full of cannibal tribes. We also take a deep dive into the story of Tilikum, the world’s largest captive killer whale. and the Doomed encounter with SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau.
The Shangri-La Plane Crash
‘Suddenly, screams erupt from around the bend. Moments later, I see a throng of naked men brandishing bows and arrows on the riverbank. Kembaren murmurs to the boatmen to stop paddling. “They’re ordering us to come to their side of the river,” he whispers to me. “It looks bad, but we can’t escape. They’d quickly catch us if we tried.”‘- Paul Raffaele, via Smithsonian Magazine
Devin’s References
A WWII Survival Epic Unfolds Deep In ‘Shangri-La’
Tilikum and Dawn Brancheau
“Brancheau died from drowning and blunt force trauma. Her spinal cord was severed, and she had sustained fractures to her jawbone, ribs, and a cervical vertebra. Her scalp was completely torn off from her head, and her left elbow and left knee had been dislocated.”- Wikipedia, Dawn Brancheau
Cody’s References
NOAA Fisheries Species Directory: Killer Whale
Whale and Dolphin Conservation: Orca (Killer Whale)