I can tell you all from working for a major theme park, you will only hear what the press and media want you to hear for ratings unless you work in the park or live in the city and know people.
There is no way you cannot sensationalize this, but the fact is (I work with a close friend of the deceased who was indeed in the park the day of the event), that this incident happened backstage (NOT in the show) and the whale is part of the SSP (species survival plan) that most animal parks use to create genetic diversity.
Any animal handler or trainer knows the risks of working with wild animals, even ones that have lived their lives in captivity. This happens because they are indeed animals and as horrible and tragic as it is, it just confirms that we as people meddle in their environments far more than they request to be in ours.