Colleagues, family remember SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau

SeaWorld's head of animal training, Chuck Tompkins, recently spoke on video about trainer Dawn Brancheau, who was killed Wednesday during an interaction with an orca named Tilikum.

Brancheau's sister, Diane Gross, described her as someone who "loved the whales like her children," and Tompkins echoed those sentiments in his video statement. Brancheau was apparently interacting with Tilikum on a poolside platform Wednesday when he grabbed her hair and pulled her into the water. An autopsy found that she "most likely died from multiple traumatic injuries and drowning," according to a news release from the Orange County, Florida, Sheriff's Office.

A former head trainer at SeaWorld, Thad Lacinak, told Florida news station WFTV that he believed an error on Brancheau's part led to her death. During his time at the park, Lacinak said, "[the] protocol was not to be around Tilikum's mouth while you're laying down" on the water-covered platform called the slide-out.

Lying down "is a very vulnerable position to be in with an animal like Tilikum," Lacinak continued. "And apparently her ponytail drifted into the water, he just opened his mouth, sucked it in and pulled her in the water." But Lacinak was quick to describe Brancheau as an excellent trainer, despite the apparent mistake.

Brancheau had apparently been working since childhood toward her dream of training marine mammals. In a 2006 interview with the Orlando Sentinel, she recalled a trip to SeaWorld at age 9 as being pivotal in her decision to become a trainer. "I remember walking down the aisle (of Shamu Stadium) and telling my mom, 'This is what I want to do,' " she told the Sentinel.

A memorial fund has been established for Brancheau, with donations to be used "to support the children's charities she was so passionate about," SeaWorld announced Friday.

Although SeaWorld's president and chief executive, Jim Atchison, has said that "[all] of our standard operating procedures will come under review as part of the investigation" into Brancheau's death, the Orlando park will resume its public orca shows this weekend.

In light of Wednesday's tragedy, SeaWorld has suspended the Twitter account it had maintained to give voice to its Shamu orca character. (Shamu is not the name of any of SeaWorld's current orcas, but is rather a stage name used by any number of the orcas performing at SeaWorld. The original Shamu died more than 30 years ago.)

"At this difficult time, @Shamu will not be active on Twitter, as users who follow @Shamu have come to expect posts that are light-hearted and perhaps a bit quirky," a spokesperson wrote on SeaWorld's blog. The company continues to post updates to its primary Twitter account, @SeaWorld_Parks.

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SeaWorld faces public relations challenge in wake of trainer's orca death

-- Lindsay Barnett

Comments

[JennM]

Wow! Do you seriously think anyone is going to believe this? Nice PR SeaWorld!!! Blame the victim? It is absolutely sickening that you would blame YOUR trainer for her own death! And apparently, the eye witnesses' accounts to the tragedy do not matter??? You are actually trying to make us believe that the orca just "sucked" in her pony tail? Shame on you!

[D. Grant Haynes]

I have to wonder if ABC News has any idea how laughable and ludicrous a headline posted on their Internet site February 26 relative to the tragic killer whale attack at SeaWorld in Orlando really was. "SeaWorld Restarts Killer Whale Show, Tillikum Won't Be Punished", they wrote.

How would one "punish" a 12,000 pound killer whale? Tilikum, the orca in question, has spent 20 of his 30 years in a holding pool at one theme park or another. Is that not punishment enough already for a large predatory creature whose instincts urge him to range far and wide in the world's oceans and be free?

If any organization, group, or individual should face punishment in this sad story, it would be Stephen A. Schwarzman, Chairman, CEO and Co-Founder of The Blackstone Group, an asset management organization that acquired all SeaWorld properties in 2009.

As long as The Blackstone Group can make money with Tilikum, they will keep the animal and surely return him to their shows. The bottom line with Blackstone, as with all such investment firms, is profit.

"Blackstone is one of the world’s leading investment and advisory firms. We seek to create positive economic impact and long-term value for our investors, the companies we invest in, the companies we advise and the broader global economy," they boast on their slick web site.

Neurotic killer whales and dead SeaWorld employees are of secondary importance to Blackstone's NYSE rating. Blackstone investors want to see a healthy profit margin from Blackstone holdings. Tilikum helps maximize profits for Blackstone's SeaWorld investment. Tillikum will stay and SeaWorld will replace dead trainer, Dawn Brancheau, with another individual.

That's the way capitalism works. It is a wholly heartless and immoral system that uses men and animals to make money for investors, replacing them only when they become unprofitable or are killed in the line of duty to the boss.

[Maria Jose Savarit]

My heart goes out to Dawn's family, friends and colleagues at Sea World.
It is very unfortunate that this happened but at the same time it is because of someone like her that this became my dream job too since I was 7 years old.
I never followed my dream but every time I went to the park to visit it was her and her colleagues who kept this alive for me. Nobody that doesn't feel the same way as us or has the passion to work with such beautiful creatures could ever understand the dedication and satisfaction that she got out of all these privileged years of working as a trainer. Please keep her dream alive and mine too... Whales are creatures of GOD and like us humans we all make mistakes... Thanks for your amazing contribution Dawn and may you be swimming with all the orcas in heaven. Believe!

[Johanna Gale]

Tiillikum is worth a HUGE amount of money as he is the best breeding male SEA WORLD has. That's all they care about. Please do not make us believe that you see him as a friend or you would not want to punish an animal... that makes us all laugh and it makes us sick to hear that kind of lies.

SEA WORLD is a money making machine... No none in that company cares for animals, conservation or anything else. Most of the animals a wild caught. To catch an Orca Baby you have to kill its family... Is that love? Sorry, but I find that hard to believe.

[Rebecca]

The way I see it is if someone were to keep ME in an enclosure against my will I would have the occasional freak-out. It was not Brancheau's fault she was killed and not her fault the animal was being kept in captivity, how is the animal to know that? I remember going to Sea World as a kid and thinking I'd love to be a trainer but after thinking about how I would feel being kept like those animals are I've changed my mind.....

[Linda]

I was at seaworld for the dine with shamu show on Feb 10th. Prior to that we seen the Beleive show. We asked a worker were the dining is held she said behind the stadium with a whale called Tilly, she said hes are big male whale and ever since CONSTRUCTION was going on in the tank the female whales will not let him come in the main tank. She said he will not be in the show , the females want nothing to do with him right now and that Tilly is way down low in the alpha pod. I had made a comment after the dine with shamu to my husband ,Tilly was hanging right by the gate to the females. Why has the construction not been mentioned? I feel there was a problem weeks ago.He looked like he was very bothered by this seperation.

[Marie]

I am not surprised to learn that Dawn Brancheau was passionate about children's charities. She was an amazing and beautiful young woman who had so much love in her. This tragedy is something that touches everyone's hearts, and so it is that all of us are praying for the Husband, family, and extended family, as well as the circle of friends Ms. Brancheau drew to her over the years. May God rest her beautiful soul in eternal peace and may God bless and guide the loved ones who have lost such a beautiful light in their lives.

[Morgan]

Ok yes i feel TERRIBLE for what hapenned to this poor trainer, but this wasn't all the killer whales fault, i the whale belongs in the wild where it belong, not in a small swimming pool, and now their are rumers that the whale is going to be exacuted!! thats just wrong.

[Michelle Taylor]

There is no right answer to the fate of Telly. It wasnt his size that made him dangerous, a baby orca is strong enough to overpower any human. Seaworld said Telly was never trained to swim with people...Correction he FAILED that test yrs back when he drowned another trainer and a foolish man who thought he needed a closer look after hours. This intelligent animal may not have been approved to swim with people but he sure knew what would happen to a person he held underwater from past history. I cant help but wonder what other incidents were never reported about Tellys behavior. Sorry to Dawns family and friends she was a wonderful person who loved her job and left us to soon.

[Maddie]

WOW!! Do any of you really know what you are speaking of? Do you have first hand knowledge of the inner workings of Shamu stadium or more specifically of Tilikum's training. I would bet that you do not. You've probably just caught the latest headline, with its catchy "spin" on this story. Can you even comprehend what positive reinforcement and operant conditioning are? Do you know how well these animals are cared for and how they love to interact with their trainers?To make these uneducated comments, especially in light of the horrible loss Dawn's family, friends and co-workers are feeling, is unjustified and ignorant. SHAME ON YOU!

[Heather parton]

To all of those accusing Sea World for Dawn's death....think again. Dawn died doing something she loved, didn't capture the whales herself, yet loved them while in their captivity as much as she could.

I'm a former member of PETA, and although I respect some of their causes (furs, KFC, humane farming), they're a bunch of whiners without alternatives.

Tilly who is 30 years old now, ((I feel badly about his capture then) is too old and inequipped to survive on his own now. Dawn was one of many that had a spiritual calling of working with such animals which cost her, her life. There should be nothing but respect paid to her on this thread.

If one wants to continue talking about the ethical traeatment of animals at Sea World, you are ignorant, unless you're one who is a vegan and risking your lives for such causes.

I would again direct you to the humane farming society and humane animal society of america (HUSA), you'de be more beneficial there with fighting animal cruelty. Sea World is not a target.

Move on, my fellow animal-lovers into something that is worthwhile like the above mentioned. Attacking Sea World is not only ignorgant it's inappropriate to millions (including Dawn) that have lived their dream/mission of connecting to such animals, which otherwise would not have been possible.

Check yourselves, fellow animal-lovers, before you attack Sea World, for all the goodness it porvides to the animals as well to ourselves of our ubderstanding of these animals. Without such parks, you wouldn't have a voice to speak on such topics. Thank Sea World for that.

Again, an attack against Sea World is an attack against Dawn. She wouldn't have wanted that way. Pay your respects or watch your words for any "attacks" are seen as an attack against the great spirit of Dawn Brancheau.

If you don't have anything nice to say about Tilly, Sea World, then you have nothing nice to say about Dawn, for they are one. I'm disgusted by this rhetoric.

Move on fellow travelors, there's far more for you to help than Sea World, who has done a perfectly good job in sharing these animals, what they are capable of and the fellow trainers that lose their lives for both the sake of the animals, and often human ignorance. Sea World is not the problem....you should thank them for giving you such a voice which you otherwise would not have had. I encourage you to use that voice where true animal cruelity exists (anything you eat, if you're not a vegetarian), so again get off Sea World's back! You're dissrespect hits not only the park, animals. and others, but Dawn, who died for her beliefs/experience withing this magical opprtunity.

Peace to you all....may you all find something worthwhile to dedicate your life to, and more importantly walk your talk, as our beloved Dawn has,

Love to Dawn, Tilly and Sea World!

Heather