According to Dawn's Foundation, a non-profit that Brancheau's family founded in the wake of her death that aims to improve the lives of both children and animals in need, Brancheau saw the famous Shamu show as a young girl and was determined to become a whale trainer. The court amplified this, aligning itself with the OSHA expert witness: "Dr. Duffus stated, '[T]he training program that SeaWorld uses is influential. Your Crocodile Purse and Snakeskin Boots Have a Disturbing Past, Ugandas First Vegan School Wins PETA Kindness Award, Diane Warren Is Standing With PETA to Help End the Iditarod, And the Winners of PETAs Sixth Annual Oscat Awards Are. In 2010, she was tragically killed by Tilikum, the largest Killer Whale held in captivity. While all attention is focused on Tilikum and Blackfish, with SeaWorld and their supporters picking spots off the film, the death of one of their other trainers by an orca born and bred at SeaWorld seems to be going unnoticed. Investigators have said that the 40-year-old trainer died from multiple traumatic injuries and drowning. New in the final report was: A synopsis of a 24-minute surveillance video, which began at 1:37 p.m., about one minute before the orca grabbed Brancheau. Perhaps most importantly, why did SeaWorlds then-owner try to blame his own orca trainer for her deatheven after the OSHA investigation uncovered that the same safety measures and recall signals that had failed to prevent Dawn Brancheaus death had been failing for years? SeaWorld looked at rising pool floors and "spare air" systems in an attempt to get their staff back in the water during shows. In response, SeaWorlds vice president for animal training criticized their actions in a two-page document claiming that the show should not have been ended early because it brought unnecessary attention to the incident. One of her SeaWorld colleagues is certain she "loved" the 12,000-pound orca and that he loved her back. Jan Topoleski saw a wave push Dawn Brancheau's long ponytail into the mouth of a 12,000-pound orca, and then he watched as the veteran killer-whale trainer tried to pull her hair out of the mammal's jaws. [59]:98 The law was partly a response to the circumstances of Brancheau's death. Dawn Brancheau's death in a brutal and prolonged attack carried out by Tilikum, the killer whale made famous by the Blackfish film, shocked the world. IN THE CARE OF. Blake-Lamb Funeral Home. When her death was announced, former and current trainers were astonished that she had been the one killed. Dawn Brancheau, a trainer at SeaWorld Adventure Park who died in a savage attack by one of the park's killer whales in Februaary, is shown while performing in 2005. SeaWorld reiterated multiple times while obtaining the license that its safety measures, training, and park facilities were superior to those of Sealand and would prevent such an event from occurring at its park. The 41-year-old was snatched and dragged into the water during a live show so quickly that no one saw it happening - not . She lived the dream for 15 years, and she was survived by her husband, Scott. Dawn Therese Brancheau, 40, of St. [3][4] She worked with orcas at SeaWorld Orlando for fifteen years, including a leading role in revamping the Shamu show,[3][5] and was SeaWorld's poster girl. He argued that the trainers should have used other resources before canceling the show, despite SeaWorlds official position that trainers could end a show at any time if they felt uncomfortable. A report into Dawn's death by the Sheriff's Office refers to an . [35] Since the Shamu show's interaction of animal trainers with orcas was seen as having been SeaWorld's star attraction,[15] SeaWorld contended that it was fundamental to its business. An attorney for Brancheau's family, Jon Mills, argued that the family's right to privacy outweighed the public's right to view the video. Local government investigators and OSHA had obtained SeaWorld's video surveillance footage, which captured her death, as well as photographs, which showed the effects of the attack. A police report written after the horrifying incident in February 2010 paints a truly harrowing picture. And why did SeaWorld continue to rely on those failed measures? The autopsy determined that Dawn Brancheau died of blunt force trauma to the head, neck and torso, and drowning when the giant orca yanked her into SeaWorld's pool Feb. 24. PETA Leads the Charge: Inside the Global Effort to Take Down Exotic Skins, Challenge of Monterey Zoos Alleged Violation of Californias Bullhook Ban to Proceed, Step Away From the Birkin Bag! The agency cited SeaWorld for multiple violations and demanded that the company stop putting trainers at risk by making them interact with orcas during shows. Text UGLY to 73822 to tell UGGs to choose vegan materials and stop supporting the mutilation and violent killing of sheep! The report also showed that she dislocated her left elbow and left knee and had lacerations on her right ear. Then, he grabbed her with his mouth, where he would hold on to her for more than 30 minutes underwater as other trainers and staff worked to corral the 12,000 pound orca. According to witnesses who had worked with Tilikum, he was known as "possessive," or an animal that would not release items once he had them. One of her SeaWorld colleagues is certain she "loved" the 12,000-pound orca and that he loved her back. The New York Times reported that Tilikum died of a bacterial infection on January 6, 2017. After approximately 45 minutes, Tilikum released Brancheau's body. She had bruises and cuts all over her body. [5] As a senior trainer, she appeared in various SeaWorld public performances for many years. The whale's attack was recorded by SeaWorld's surveillance cameras. We also may change the frequency you receive our emails from us in order to keep you up to date and give you the best relevant information possible. In 2010, when SeaWorld animal trainer Dawn Therese Brancheau was attacked and killed by an orca, her family invoked the law to prevent release of videos of the attack. WARNING: Graphic content. "I truly believe he looked at Dawn as an object, a toy," he said. Some witnesses reported seeing Tilikum grab Brancheau by the ponytail or shoulder. Some people questioned if he had mistaken her ponytail for a toy. The Horrific Death Of Dawn Brancheau. It took nearly two hours to retrieve her body. A human life was lost that day, and it feels as though some believe her death was just a footnote." Much about Brancheau's last moments was known. [45], Brancheau's death is a focus of the documentary Blackfish,[46][47] which criticizes keeping orcas in captivity,[48] and her death awakened a national conversation about the issue. But Tompkins said he thinks that is how Tilikum came to view Brancheau after the animal pulled her into the water. [33] SeaWorld discontinued water work at its three parks for about a week immediately after Martnez's death. As a family, they've built playgrounds for local communities, planted community gardens, sponsored youth development programmes , helped low-resource areas with tutoring and counselling, supported charities and supplied personal care products to . Brancheau was performing on a water platform on her belly when her ponytail went into the orcas mouth, and she was pulled underwater, despite struggling to free herself. Tilikum severed her spinal cord, fractured her ribs and jawbone, and tore her scalp and left arm. We never considered the impact of these actions on the animals involved. According to witnesses who had worked with Tilikum, he was known as an animal that would not release items once he had them, which is definitely how he held onto Brancheau. The incident is the subject of Blackfish, a documentary film available to watch on Netflix. My point is that it does not work all the time' (Tr. WARNING: Graphic and upsetting content. For whatever reason, you are now asking the question: Why should animals have rights? READ MORE, Ingrid E. Newkirk, PETA President and co-author of Animalkind. Meanwhile, six years after the tragedy SeaWorld announced it was ending its programme of breeding the orcas in captivity. This was cause enough for him to turn around to push the alarm button. [3][14] The Shamu show's interaction of animal trainers with orcas was regarded as SeaWorld's star attraction. tilikum kills dawn autopsy photos. When he turned back, his colleague was gone. She added that from her viewpoint, he never let Dawn come to the surface, despite the petite trainer at one point appearing to do her best to escape his jaws, and frantically swimming up for air. She also dislocated her left elbow and left ear. Each time, the temporary pause was then lifted by SeaWorld. The autopsy was released as SeaWorld and Brancheau's family await a court ruling on their request to keep private a video of the fatal attack. However, in a scene that horrified SeaWorld visitors, Tilikum grabbed her long ponytail when she turned her back, pulled her into the pool and began swinging her around in its mouth. [6]:7[27] Immediately afterwards, SeaWorld disallowed trainers from being in the water with any orca. [40] Given the court rulings, even after 2010, although water work during shows stopped, SeaWorld trainers still entered the water with orcas during "safety desensitization training" and for other care. [15][41] In 2012, a special Labor Department commission declined to hear the case. Eventually they enticed him in to a smaller medical pool where he eventually let go of her body. Tilikum, one of the largest orcas held captive at SeaWorld, was in captivity for over 30 years. [16][29][30], Brancheau and Alexis Martnez are the two SeaWorld trainers killed by an orca. Wilder watched as the whale looped around and came back toward Brancheau with his mouth open. Lets face it, in these types of incidents, I dont recall any whale responding to any hand slap, food bucket, or any other distraction we tried to implement.. Want all the latest shocking news and views from all over the world straight into your inbox? Bringing killer whale to SeaWorld Orlando after death of trainer in Canada stirred debate in D.C. Nude man found dead on back of killer whale. To stay up to date with all the latest news, make sure you sign up to one of our newsletters here. Actress: Animal Action. Dawn Therese Brancheau (ne LoVerde, April 16, 1969 February 24, 2010) was an American senior animal trainer at SeaWorld. Unless a judge intervenes, the material will become public under Florida law once the Orange County Sheriff's Office concludes its investigation. In this case he seemed to hold on to Brancheau as if she were his possession, by one witness account. In this setting, guests ate at an open-air restaurant while watching the performance poolside as the orca performed and was fed. Her scalp was completely torn off from her head, and her left elbow and left knee had been dislocated. [4]:347[5][11], In 2000, she appeared on NBC affiliate WESH and talked about staying physically fit in order to deal with the intense rigor of working with orcas. Dawn Brancheau was declared dead shortly after the show, but still SeaWorld claims no responsibility for the vicious attack.