Whale Trainer Killed In Killer Whale Attack At SeaWorld Orlando
A 12,300 pound orca named Tilikum has killed it\’s trainer by dragging her into the pool and thrashing her underwater. The incident happened at SeaWorld Orlando while the trainer, Dawn Brancheau was talking to visitors after a show. Members of the audience who witnessed the attack said the whale \”thrashed her all around\” and pulled her under the water.
Orlando authorities have reported that the veteran whale trainer \”slipped and fell\” into the tank but more than 50 eyewitnesses confirm that the incident was accident, the trainer was supposedly stroking the whale until it swam away and rushed back grabbing her its mouth and thrashing her violently underwater.
Brancheau, a 40 year old who was married with no children, was an experienced whale trainer and had previously commented on the dangers involved with her job, \”You can\’t put yourself in the water unless you trust them and they trust you.\” After a visit to SeaWorld at the age of nine, Brancheau had dreamt of working as a whale trainer.
Killer whale Tilikum, whose name means \’fierce\’ in the native Indian Chinook language, had allegedly behaved unusually and ignored directions in an earlier show. Keepers had earlier been banned from swimming with the animal because of its unpredictable irritability. Brancheau is the third person to die after an encounter with the orca.
At Sealand of the Pacific in Victoria, British Columbia In 1991 Tilly was accused as one of three whales linked to the loss of a trainer. In 1999 the body of Daniel Dukes was discovered in Tilly\’s pool when policed had believed the man sneaked into the compound at night.
SeaWorld General Manager, Dan Brown stated that the company\’s safety procedures will be under review while the park remains closed shows at their other shows are suspended.
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