seaworld trainer killed

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12,000-Pound Whale Kills SeaWorld Trainer
12,000-Pound Whale Kills SeaWorld Trainer - CBS News

A SeaWorld killer whale snatched a trainer from a poolside platform Wednesday in its jaws and thrashed the woman around underwater, killing her in front of a horrified audience. It marked the third time the animal had been involved in a human death.

Distraught audience members were hustled out of the stadium immediately, and part of the park was closed.

Trainer Dawn Brancheau, 40, was rubbing Tilikum after a noontime show when the 12,000-pound whale grabbed her and pulled her in, said Chuck Tompkins, head of animal training at all SeaWorld parks. Park officials say the veteran trainer drowned.

Audience member Eldon Skaggs said Brancheau's interaction with the whale appeared leisurely and informal at first. But then the whale "pulled her under and started swimming around with her," he told The Associated Press.

Skaggs, 72, said an alarm sounded and staff rushed the audience out of the stadium as workers scrambled around with nets.

Skaggs said he heard that during an earlier show the whale was not responding to directions. Others who attended the earlier show said the whale was behaving like an ornery child.

He left with his wife and didn't find out until later that the trainer had died. The retired couple from Michigan had been among some stragglers in the audience who had stayed to watch the animals and trainers when the accident occurred.

"We were just a little bit stunned," said Skaggs' wife, Sue Nichols, 67.

Another audience member, Victoria Biniak, told WKMG-TV the whale "took off really fast in the tank, and then he came back, shot up in the air, grabbed the trainer by the waist and started thrashing around, and one of her shoes flew off."

Two other witnesses told the Orlando Sentinel that the whale grabbed the woman by the upper arm and tossed her around in its mouth while swimming rapidly around the tank. Brazilian tourist Joao Lucio DeCosta Sobrinho and his girlfriend were at an underwater viewing area when they suddenly saw a whale with a person in its mouth.

The couple said they watched the whale show at the park two days earlier and came back to take pictures. But on Wednesday the whales appeared agitated.

"It was terrible. It's very difficult to see the image," Sobrinho said.

Because of his size and the previous deaths, trainers were not supposed to get into the water with Tilikum, and only about a dozen of the park's 29 trainers worked with him. Brancheau had more experience with the 30-year-old whale than most, and was one of the park's most experienced trainers overall.

"We recognized he was different," Tompkins said. He said no decision has been made yet about what will happen to Tilikum, such as transferring him to another facility.

This killer whale has been involved in two other deaths, including one at SeaWorld, reports CBS News correspondent Kelly Cobiella. In July of 1999 a man apparently stayed in the Orlando park after hours, jumped in the animal's tank and was killed.

In 1991, before being sent to SeaWorld, Tilikum and two female killer whales drowned a young trainer at a Canadian park called Sealife of the Pacific, Cobiella adds.

Steve Huxter, who was head of Sealand's animal care and training department then, said Wednesday he's surprised it happened again. He says Tilikum was a well-behaved, balanced animal.
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why do you think they are called KILLER whales? they aren't 100% friendly.
 
So this whale had already killed two people and they're still keeping it around to see how more people it can kill? You don't mess with an animal that's not cooperating.
 
Yikes! They should either put that whale other place no more show or put him down. That is so sad! :(
 
wildcard said:
So this whale had already killed two people and they're still keeping it around to see how more people it can kill? You don't mess with an animal that's not cooperating.
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It seems that some people and organizations value animals above humans.
 
I'm not sure about killing such a creature but I also don't think it can now survive in the wild on its own.....maybe. Killing it for something that is not its fault, I don't think is right. Its Man's fault. But what to do?
 
The killer whales do not kill human beings in the wild. We got many killer whales off Pacific Ocean.
 
Steel X said:
why do you think they are called KILLER whales? they aren't 100% friendly.
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They are also called orcas. They are deadly predators at the sea, however they do not kill people. They usually eat a large number of fishes and seals. They also hunt large whales, even these larger then themselves to feed a whole group.

In fact, the name, killer whale was coined due to their reputation for killing whales, not human beings.
 
Banjo said:
They are also called orcas. They are deadly predators at the sea, however they do not kill people. They usually eat a large number of fishes and seals. They also hunt large whales, even these larger then themselves to feed a whole group.

In fact, the name, killer whale was coined due to their reputation for killing whales, not human beings.
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Exactly!
 
Tousi said:
I'm not sure about killing such a creature but I also don't think it can now survive in the wild on its own.....maybe. Killing it for something that is not it's fault, I don't think is right. Its Man's fault. But what to do?
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The first death was probably not the whale's fault.

The deaths of animal trainers seem more like attacks by the whale, especially this last one where he dragged the young lady into the water.

I don't know if it can live in the wild or not. They did reintroduce Keiko into the wild, so there is a precedence.

Keiko.com: The Rescue and Release of the World's Most Famous Whale

It would be sad to kill the whale but should they risk the lives of more people?

It probably wasn't a good idea to keep that one in captivity in the first place.
 
I believe because the orcas are stressed and want out. He decided to kill that human. I don't support Seaworld having their sea animals in cramped conditions. They should be free in the wild or someplace with LOADS of space.

There are not many orcas here in Puget Sound, the population has been slowly declining due to polluted salmons which is their main diet. There is only around 80-85 of them living in Puget Sound basin.
 
I don't think "he decided to kill.....". Maybe it was just playing and the woman drowned. These 5 ton animals ARE wild. I think the drowned woman would want the show to go on. I think they should either take it out of the show but continue to be with the other animals OR try to release it into the wild. Lastly, I don't think they should be held in captivity for our pleasure.
 
Reba said:
I don't know if it can live in the wild or not. They did reintroduce Keiko into the wild, so there is a precedence.
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I believe he died a few years after being reintroduced to the wild.
 
Banjo said:
I believe he died a few years after being reintroduced to the wild.
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"A few years..."? Doesn't that indicate success rather than the impression the re-introduction failed? Who knows, eh?
 
Tousi said:
I don't think "he decided to kill.....". Maybe it was just playing and the woman drowned. These 5 ton animals ARE wild. I think the drowned woman would want the show to go on. I think they should either take it out of the show but continue to be with the other animals OR try to release it into the wild. Lastly, I don't think they should be held in captivity for our pleasure.
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Not to mention that these whales are 10,000 to 15,000 lbs. So their strength far exceeds any strength known to human beings. From the sound of it, it doesn't seem like it was intentional. If it was, I think we would had seen the whale chomping down on her which didn't happen.

I agree, they shouldn't be held in captivity for our pleasure. It's terrible that this happened.
 
Tousi said:
I don't think "he decided to kill.....". Maybe it was just playing and the woman drowned. These 5 ton animals ARE wild. I think the drowned woman would want the show to go on. I think they should either take it out of the show but continue to be with the other animals OR try to release it into the wild. Lastly, I don't think they should be held in captivity for our pleasure.
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Nope....they can become stressed enough to kill anyone. I know how THEY feel. Seaworld still should be banned!
 
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