Harrowing footage shows a SeaWorld trainer’s final moments before being dragged underwater by an Orca.
Dawn Brancheau was a senior trainer at SeaWorld in Orlando, Florida, and worked regularly with the animals, including one killer whale named Tilikum.
During the violent attack, the whale, who had spent more than 30 years in captivity, refused to let go of the trainer, who tragically drowned as she was held under the water.
Brancheau’s official cause of death was drowning with blunt force injury. Her arm was ripped from its socket, and her hair and scalp were discovered at the bottom of the pool after being ripped off by Tilikum.
In addition to this, her spinal cord was severed and she also suffered from broken ribs and a broken jaw, as shared by The Mirror.
The 40-year-old met her tragic end on February 24, 2010, during a “Dine with Shamu show,” when a 12,000-pound killer whale known as Tilikum, or “Tilly,” grabbed her and dragged her underwater.
Chuck Tompkins, SeaWorld parks’ head of animal training, said at the time: “She was rubbing the killer whale’s head, and [it] grabbed her and pulled her in,” per the BBC.
Heartbreaking footage of Brancheau’s final moments before her untimely death was released, and it shows her training with the killer whale – who was responsible for the deaths of two other trainers decades before he attacked Dawn.
According to the Sun, one witness named Susanne De Wit recalled tragedy, explaining that she saw the late trainer caught in the orca’s jaws as it approached the viewing window.
De Wit told the Orange County Sheriff’s Office: “They told us he was playing with the trainer. Suddenly I saw Shamu grabbing the trainer by the shoulder and pulling her down in the water near the window.”
“It did not look normal. It was scary. He was very wild with the trainer still in the whale’s mouth. The whale’s tail was very wild in the water. The tour guide pulled us out and there was a full alarm. We then saw them throw a net into the water,” she added.
A report on the incident also referenced De Wit’s testimony, noting her observation of Brancheau’s frantic movements as the whale shook her violently.
Following Brancheau’s passing, Tilikum was relocated and spent the rest of his days in a pool that was rarely seen by the public.
Tilikum had been involved in two previous fatal incidents. In 1991, while at Sealand of the Pacific in Canada, he was one of three orcas involved in the death of trainer Keltie Byrne. In 1999, after being transferred to SeaWorld Orlando, a man named Daniel Dukes was found dead in Tilikum’s tank.
SeaWorld issued a statement, acknowledging the devastating incident and assuring that safety protocols have been in place since then.
“That tragic situation happened more than 12 years ago. Trainers have not been in the water training with killer whales for many years. We have extensive protocols and training in place to protect the safety of our trainers and animals,” the park said.
In response to growing criticism, SeaWorld announced in 2016 that it would end its orca breeding program and phase out theatrical orca shows.
Last year, an orca who fatally attacked a trainer and allegedly chewed concrete out of insanity died.
Keto was an orca who “suffered a lifetime of abuse,” according to the animal rights organization, PETA.
In a newly published report, it was confirmed that the killer whale had tragically passed away aged 29 after reportedly falling ill at Loro Parque in Spain where he was confined to numerous tanks throughout his lifetime.
The average lifespan for male killer whales is about 30 years, but they can live up to at least 60 years in the wild, per NOAA Fisheries.
Keto was born at SeaWorld Orlando in 1995 as a result of the company’s sordid orca breeding program – an operation that has since ended following intense backlash from groups such as PETA.
While members of Keto’s family stayed at the facility, the orca – who was only four years old at the time, was transferred to numerous other amusement parks including SeaWorld Ohio, followed by SeaWorld San Antonio.
He ended up at Loro Parque so that he could be used to breed more orcas, most of whom died when they were young. However, one of Keto’s calves, Adán, did manage to survive and remains at the park.
In 2009, things took a turn for the worse when the orca accidentally killed Alexis Martinez, a trainer at the establishment, during a session that a SeaWorld senior trainer was reportedly supervising.
After that, SeaWorld allegedly cut ties with the park and allowed them to keep the orcas, keeping them confined to small areas and also continuing to breed them between the same families.
