A five tonne orca named Tilikum has killed his keeper by pulling her into the pool and shaking her underwater. The episode happened at SeaWorld Orlando as the keeper, Dawn Brancheau was talking to visitors after a show. Witnesses reported that the killer whale “thrashed her all around” and held her under the water.

Police state that Brancheau “slipped and fell” into the tank but over 50 witnesses confirm that the event was no accident, the trainer was reportedly stroking the whale before it swam away and darted back grabbing the trainer out of the air in its mouth before shaking her violently underwater.

40 year old Brancheau who was married with no children, had many years experience as a whale trainer and had once spoken of the dangers surrounding her job, “You can’t put yourself in the water unless you trust them and they trust you.” Brancheau had been inspired to works has a whale trainer after a visit to SeaWorld at the age of 9.

Killer whale Tilikum, whose name means ‘fierce’ in the native Indian Chinook language, had allegedly behaved unusually and ignored directions in an earlier show. Keepers had earlier been banned from swimming with the animal because of its unpredictable irritability. Brancheau is the third person to die after an encounter with the orca.

Tilly was named as one of three whales linked to the death of a trainer at Sealand of the Pacific in Victoria, British Columbia In 1991 and in 1999 the body of Daniel Dukes was found in Tilly’s tank when policed had understood the man sneaked into the compound at night.

General Manager of SeaWorld, Dan Brown, had to hold back tears while he stated that the company’s safety procedures will be an enquiry into the safety procedures while the park remains closed and shows at their other shows are cancelled.

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