Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
Tragic killer whale accident at Shamu Stadium kills SeaWorld employee
(This is a developing story)
A SeaWorld employee died this afternoon when she was grabbed by one of the whales at the start of a public show.
The whale thrashed her around, at which point the sirens went off in the stadium forcing all guests to be evacuated. The trainer was pronounced dead by rescue personnel, but no more information has been released by SeaWorld.
Update: According to a breaking news source on Twitter, the whale in question is Tilikum (Tilly), the world's largest whale in captivity. If correct, this would be the third time Tillikum has killed a human.
Update 2: All shows at Shamu stadium have been canceled for today.
(Image from: IONU/X17online.com)
Filed under: North America, United States
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
DuJuan Feb 24th 2010 6:51PM
Orcas are called Killer Whales for a reason. What part of "killer" don't they understand? It's not a dog. At least the witnesses got their money's worth.
Jenny Feb 25th 2010 8:47PM
DuJuan WTF is wrong with you somebody died and your saying that people got there money worth seeing that? What if it was your family member living there dream would you have said the same? You are very inconsiderate especially that family that kist lost someone maybe reading this
Mike Feb 24th 2010 9:42PM
These whales are not meant to be here like this. Although very sad, play with fire, get burned.
Kam Feb 24th 2010 10:33PM
I agree! I feel bad for the whales, they are the ones being exploited and forced to live under abnormal circumstances in tanks. The trainers choose the occupation of working in tanks with killer whales and know the dangers involved. Those whales should be taught to live in the wild and set free, until then I have no sympathy for humans playing with whales even when it goes wrong. I hope nothing bad happens to Tilikum. They make him appear dangerous, just him, but in all actuality they are all dangerous and the naked man found laying on him 1999 was someone who snuck into the Shamu Stadium at night... DUH, you are going to get killed.
Ray Feb 25th 2010 2:01PM
More people were killed by TOYOTA's defects then by Orca's! Dawn Brancheau loved training these whales and would not have done any other job. I appaud her dedication and devotion that she had for these animals. It was a tragic accident, just like Steve Irwin's accident. I wish more people were as dedicated to learning about the creatures of earth as these two individuals and I hope Sea World continues there tremendous progress!
tit4Tat Feb 25th 2010 3:28PM
It is great about man learning about the creatures of the earth but, I see it as some type of animal slavery to have great animals like that in a man-made tank to live when this animal was meant to be in the ocean. This is the third incident with this particluar killer whale, release him back into the ocean, the whale is probably acting-out because it is tired of those confining conditions. What is is there to know abour these animals, it is not like they just discovered the existence of these animals.
Td Feb 25th 2010 8:40PM
was this play? I am afraid that he may be aggressive due to captivity. Humans are using him for entertainment. So sad, I am so sorry to hear this beautiful creature harmed another beautiful creature.
Marla Feb 26th 2010 10:49PM
This is a very sad thing that has happened, my heart goes out to Dawn's family and all her friends at Seaworld. Tilikum is a male orca that does breeding it is dangerous to be around any male that is used for breeding. I read that they had used 3 other whale's to finish the show and that they wouldnt perform so they let Tilikum in to finish it. He wasnt used for a reason from the start, someone knew that there was something wrong with him. They should of just left him alone that day. I dont believe he meant to hurt her or kill her, I am sure he will really miss her she was the only trainer to work with him for 13 years. He has been in capativity his whole life letting him go free now would be a mistake he is used to the life he has and knows no other.
Jessica Mar 1st 2010 4:50PM
I agree with marla....they should never have used him for the show, much less any other show. Previous experiences prove that he can be very aggressive, I believe peole should stand up to sea world and any other organization that trys to keep deadly animals in captivity and use them for shows. These animals were not born to be entertainment for humans...they were born to be free and to hunt and play, not to be cheered at or stared at in a tank. What we are doing to these animals is inhuman. If a dog attacked a human, most would kill it without a thought. It wouldn't make headlines, it wouldn't become a huge media event with press confrences, and etc. So why make a big deal about this? If one animal can attack a human and it's ok then why can't another? People say dogs are domesticated...how long has this animal been in captivity? Dogs are animals, whales are animals, and animals will ALWAYS be animals.
damian Mar 14th 2010 10:47PM
i think it would be more interesting to watch sea world workers swim and do tricks with great whites. i bet i'm not alone, your first reaction might be to think "you're sick!" but deep down, you know you would want to see that if they began doing it.