Dawn Brancheau, the 40 years old trainer at SeaWorld Orlando, Florida died after being attacked by a killer whale on Wednesday.
Dawn Brancheau worked at SeaWorld for the last 16 years but her career began before that at shows with sea lions and dolphins in New Jersey and Mississippi. The victim was one of the most experienced trainers in the park where the extravagant shows with dolphins and whales attracted numerous visitors. The 5,500 kg whale, which was named Tilikum, nicknamed Telly, belongs to the largest specie (Orcinus orca) of the dolphin family. Despite the several eyewitnesses, the death of the female trainer is not clear yet.
The investigation focuses greatly on how the incident happened as there are contradictory reports about the event. Jim Solomons, the Orange County Sheriff’s spokesman said that Brancheau apparently slipped and fell into the tank and was fatally injured by one of the whales (Reuters). On the other hand, though, witnesses state that the whale grabbed the trainer into the water by her waist shaking her violently and subsequently killing her. The killer whale shows were suspended at SeaWorld after this tragic accident took place.
It seems that Telly will remain at the Florida aqua park despite his bad reputation and the mortal accidents he has been involved recently and in the past as well. In 1991, the orca was one of the three whales made responsible for killing a female trainer in Canada. In 1999, the whale was involved in a mysterious death when a naked man was found drowned in unclear circumstances. The Park stated that they would examine their safety regulations. “We are going to make any changes we have to, to make sure this doesn’t happen again,” declared Chuck Tompkins, chief of animal training at SeaWorld Parks. Tompkins also said that the whale is not able to survive in his natural habitat as he was captive for a long time and that killing Telly was neither a good option as he participated in a breeding program.
On Sunday morning, the show restarted in front of several hundreds spectators in the marine park’s outdoor stadium with a tribute to Brancheau.
Dawn Brancheau worked at SeaWorld for the last 16 years but her career began before that at shows with sea lions and dolphins in New Jersey and Mississippi. The victim was one of the most experienced trainers in the park where the extravagant shows with dolphins and whales attracted numerous visitors. The 5,500 kg whale, which was named Tilikum, nicknamed Telly, belongs to the largest specie (Orcinus orca) of the dolphin family. Despite the several eyewitnesses, the death of the female trainer is not clear yet.
The investigation focuses greatly on how the incident happened as there are contradictory reports about the event. Jim Solomons, the Orange County Sheriff’s spokesman said that Brancheau apparently slipped and fell into the tank and was fatally injured by one of the whales (Reuters). On the other hand, though, witnesses state that the whale grabbed the trainer into the water by her waist shaking her violently and subsequently killing her. The killer whale shows were suspended at SeaWorld after this tragic accident took place.
It seems that Telly will remain at the Florida aqua park despite his bad reputation and the mortal accidents he has been involved recently and in the past as well. In 1991, the orca was one of the three whales made responsible for killing a female trainer in Canada. In 1999, the whale was involved in a mysterious death when a naked man was found drowned in unclear circumstances. The Park stated that they would examine their safety regulations. “We are going to make any changes we have to, to make sure this doesn’t happen again,” declared Chuck Tompkins, chief of animal training at SeaWorld Parks. Tompkins also said that the whale is not able to survive in his natural habitat as he was captive for a long time and that killing Telly was neither a good option as he participated in a breeding program.
On Sunday morning, the show restarted in front of several hundreds spectators in the marine park’s outdoor stadium with a tribute to Brancheau.
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