Many of you are familiar with Shamu, a popluar orca whale who has performed in many shows at SeaWorld in Orlando, Florida. Recently, one of Shamu's buddies, Tilikum, has been involved in the death of his trainer, 40-year old Dawn Brancheau. Brancheau was rubbing Tilikum's nose along the pool after a performance when the whale grabbed her hair and pulled her into the water, playing with her body like a toy. The trainer was completely caught off guard and struggled to free herself from Tilikum's hold. Brancheau eventually drowned in the water.
Tilikum was also involved in the deaths of two other people in the 90's. Trainers and officials were previously aware of the whale's aggressive behavior and did not allow anyone to enter into the water, only working with him from a partially submerged deck. After Brancheau's death, SeaWorld officials decided to keep the whale instead of releasing him into the ocean or putting him down like a dog. Killer whale shows have also been suspended in all three SeaWorld parks until trainers can determine the cause of Brancheau's death and review safety procedures.
Tilikum is the largest orca whale in captivity, weighing six tons at 22-feet in length. He is also considered to be a very important part of SeaWorld for his performances in shows and is also the go-to guy for breeding, having fathered 13 calves already.
Dawn Brancheau's family and friends say that she enjoyed working with the whales and loved them like they were her own children.
I think that this event was very tragic and sad. I also think that Dawn Brancheau's death could have been avoided if SeaWorld would have used more caution with Tilikum. They knew of his aggressive behavior and the death's in the past, but they were not as safe as they could have been.
Sources: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35566392/ns/us_news-environment/
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