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Trainer had to be Pulled From Jaws of Tilikum (VIDEO)
Tilikum Trainer Had to be Pulled From Jaws
Autopsy Shows Victim Died From Trauma, Drowning
CBS/AP Reports: Officials say trainers had to coax an aggressive whale into a smaller pool and use a platform to lift it out of the water before they could free a colleague from its jaws.
The Orange County Medical Examiner says 40-year-old trainer Dawn Brancheau probably died from multiple traumatic injuries and drowning after the killer whale Tilikum pulled her into a pool at SeaWorld Orlando on Wednesday.
Tilikum had always been considered an especially dangerous animal by the staff at SeaWorld Orlando.
According to the Sentinel, trainers were forbidden with swimming with Tillikum, a 12,000-pound orca nicknamed “Tilly.”
See Video below
Ex-SeaWorld Official: Trainer Made Mistake
Former Head of Animal Training Says Dawn Brancheau Should Not Have Let Hair Dangle in Front of Whale
The county sheriff’s office says co-workers couldn’t immediately help her because the whale was so aggressive after it grabbed her by her ponytail and pulled her in.
The office says an investigation is continuing but there are no signs of foul play and all evidence indicates it was a tragic accident. Read more here
VIDEO
ABOUT Tilikum
Tilikum, is a bull Orca who lives at SeaWorld Orlando, and he is known for siring whales.
His name means friend in Chinook Jargon
He was captured near Iceland in November 1983 at about two years of age.
He is the largest Orca in captivity and also the most successful sire in captivity, with 13 offspring, 10 of which are still alive. Tilikum measures 22 feet 6 inches long and weighs in at 12,300 pounds (as of 2007). His pectoral fins are six and one half feet long, his massive flukes curl under, and his 6-foot-tall dorsal fin is flopped completely to his left side, and weighs close to 200 pounds.
Tilikum never takes part in water work with trainers, not necessarily due to aggression, but because he doesn’t necessarily realize his own strength.
Tilikum is the feature of the SeaWorld show “Believe” where the audience and trainers chant “Shamu” as Tillikum soaks the audience.
Tillikum was first sent to live at Sealand of the Pacific near Victoria, British Columbia.
He lived with two female whales Haida II, and Nootka IV
Tilikum was involved in an incident which resulted in the death of a female trainer.
The trainer slipped and fell into the tank with the whales. Tilikum, a pregnant Haida II, and Nootka IV grabbed her in their mouths and tossed her to each other, presumably playing. The trainer subsequently drowned. The orcas had never had humans in the water with them before. Tilikum, was then placed in the small medical pool. Because of his huge size, Seaworld requested an emergency transfer to their facility. Tilikum was moved to SeaWorld Orlando, Florida in January 9, 1992; he has been there ever since.
Tilikum was at the scene of a death on July 6, 1999, though evidence suggests the Orca may not have been at fault . A 27-year-old man was found floating naked in Tilikum’s pool, apparently killed by a combination of hypothermia and drowning. He had visited SeaWorld the previous day, stayed after the park closed, and evaded security to enter the Orca tank. Investigators determined that the man, either before or after death, had been bitten by Tilikum.
On February 24th, 2010 Tilikum was involved in a third incident, when the 40-year-old experienced trainer Dawn Brancheau was killed. The trainer drowned following a popular Dine with Shamu show as at least two dozen tourists looked on from above a whale tank and from an underwater viewing area. A SeaWorld executive confirmed what witnesses saw, that the trainer was pulled into the water by Tilikum. The trainer was finishing up a session with Tilikum, the largest whale in SeaWorld’s collection and its only mature male, following the Dine with Shamu show.
Read more here
