And make sure you read the report at the Orlando Sentinel, "SeaWorld Trainer Dawn Brancheau Dies in Killer-Whale Attack":
Witnesses who watched the attack while eating at the "Dine with Shamu" show — a poolside buffet where trainers demonstrate their connection with the animals — told the Sentinel a female trainer was petting a killer whale when it grabbed her and plunged into the water.I've done the "Dine With Shamu" show with my family in San Diego. The whales literally come within a few feet of guests, who are being served privately at a lavish luncheon a few hours before the regular afternoon performance. My son was just five years-old when we attended the event. I can't imagine the shock and trauma for some families whose kids witnessed this.
It reappeared on the other side of the tank and leapt up holding the woman, they said.
Within minutes, an alarm sounded, and security workers escorted the spectators out. Some people were screaming, and children were crying, Sobrinho and Oliveira said. The scene was more orderly at "Dine with Shamu."
Several spectators said the animals had been agitated during a 12:30p.m. show, playing or fighting with one another and refusing to obey commands to splash the crowd, a staple of the program.
And sadly, this whale has been involved in two more deaths:
Tilikum, the largest killer whale at any SeaWorld park, has been involved in two previous deaths.
He was one of three killer whales blamed for the 1991 drowning of a trainer while he performed at the now-defunct Sealand of the Pacific in British Columbia. In 1999, the dead body of a naked man was found lying across Tilikum's back at SeaWorld Orlando.
Tompkins said Tilikum would not be put down because of the attacks. His name, according to various sources, means "welcome," "greetings" or "friend" in Chinook jargon.
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