[30], On August 23, 2010, SeaWorld was fined US$75,000 by OSHA for three safety violations, one directly related to Brancheau's death. I do believe that he loved her, and I know that she loved him.". [61], Dawn Brancheau at the show, at SeaWorld, Orlando, Florida, in 2006, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, "Read family-written obituary of Dawn Brancheau, SeaWorld trainer killed by killer whale", "Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission OSHRC, Docket No. Despite massive public relations efforts on SeaWorld’s part to smooth over the “incident”—i.e., death by killer whale—by characterizing it as “play” that went a bit wrong, the autopsy shows that Tilly was not in the mood for affection. Brancheau's death was chronicled in groundbreaking Blackfish documentary SeaWorld plans to end orca breeding program, shows involving killer whales Tilikum captured in … To alleviate the money troubles of the parks, the idea of selling to a new owner was considered, but the presence of a large number of captive animals has been a significant impediment to any such process. In 2006, her decade of work with orcas was profiled, including her leadership role in a two- to three-year revamp of the Shamu show. Dawn Brancheau was a Sea World trainer who worked with various whales at Sea World Orlando. [4][6][29][26][30] After a 2006 attack,[29][31] an OSHA investigation in 2007 concluded that, "The continuing factors to the incident, in the simplest of terms, is that swimming with captive orcas is inherently dangerous, and if someone hasn't been killed already, it is only a matter of time before it does happen." Tourists could watch the action as they ate and Dawn had climbed out of the pool. This led SeaWorld to repeated… In this closed system, any injuries sustained by a trainer will always be traceable to human error. However, on this occasion, the ban was solidified by an Occupational Safety and Health Administration(OSHA) intervention. In 2013, a documentary-film called Blackfish was released which highlighted the life Tilikum led in captivity. In 2010, she was tragically killed by Tilikum, the largest Killer Whale held in captivity. However, on this occasion, the ban was solidified by an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) intervention. [16][17][18] Some witnesses reported seeing Tilikum grab Brancheau by the arm or shoulder. But Dawn's love of animals spread outside of her work. The court criticized SeaWorld's "closed system" of logic, which blamed trainers for their injuries, by a flawed circularity of reasoning whereby, "SeaWorld believes it 'condition[s] all aspects of behavior.' Tilikum died at the Florida attraction in January 2017. Our. He was bought by SeaWorld, but tragedy struck again in 1999 when he fatally attacked Daniel P. Dukes, who was trespassing at the park. News organizations tried to obtain these media items as records in public custody, but her family expressed privacy considerations and sought to limit "voyeuristic gawking". [10] SeaWorld struggled with the effect of Blackfish on public perception,[43][47] and there were some cancellations by music performers who had planned to hold shows at SeaWorld. [37] 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. [9][10] Away from work, she volunteered at a local animal shelter,[4] looked after two chocolate Labradors,[11] and kept a variety of stray ducks, chickens, rabbits, and small birds at her home. The family of the SeaWorld trainer who died in 2010 when an orca pulled her under the water have spoken for the first time about the controversial Blackfish documentary. The autopsy report said that Brancheau died from drowning and blunt force trauma. SeaWorld successfully challenged the report, which OSHA agreed to withdraw. [13][38] In 2012, a special Labor Department commission declined to hear the case. Tilikum and Dawn's death were also the inspiration behind the documentary film, Blackfish. [8][10] As part of the end-of-show routine, she was at the edge of the pool, rubbing Tilikum's head. [59] The confidentiality considerations turn on issues that resemble those in the case of the murder of Meredith Emerson in Georgia; the laws that Georgia and Florida enacted in response to these situations are similar. [12] The director, Gabriela Cowperthwaite, argued that the claim that the orca had targeted Brancheau because she had worn her hair in a long ponytail was conjecture and that "there had to be more to this story". But the autopsy report has been released today, and it makes it very clear that Dawn Brancheau’s last moments were filled with tremendous suffering. [6]:7[25] Immediately afterwards, SeaWorld disallowed trainers from being in the water with any orca. [55], In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, SeaWorld faced major financial hardship,[56] like many businesses around the world. [3][5] Brancheau acknowledged the dangers of working in close proximity to orcas. [13], She was featured on SeaWorld billboards throughout Orlando. [8] Since orcas were first placed in captivity in the 1960s, there have been more than 40 documented safety incidents, with dozens of trainers being seriously injured by various orcas. Tilikum had been involved with the deaths of 2 other people in the past. They said: Violent death Blackfish pic. 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. However, it… [4] Moving from pool to pool in the complex, they eventually directed Tilikum to a smaller, medical pool, where it would be easier to calm him. Today Marks 10 Years Since SeaWorld Trainer Dawn Brancheau Was Killed By Tilikum. OFFBEAT: Family of Dawn Brancheau breaks silence about whale documentary 'Blackfish' Phil Potempa's daily entertainment news column By Philip Potempa , (219) 852-4327 [60] The foundation is "dedicated to improving the lives of children and animals in need, inspiring others to follow their dreams, and promoting the importance of community service". Here's why", https://behindthethrills.com/2020/06/seaworldliens/, https://www.orlandoweekly.com/Blogs/archives/2020/06/24/seaworlds-largest-shareholder-may-be-pushing-the-company-into-bankruptcy?fbclid=IwAR3c0TrK_nNxKcu2nBDFjTMxrrDX3SFSmNvoAP5hYkrQb2kQrLZCiqzF-tU, "The Dawn Brancheau Foundation: 6 years after her death", "Dawn Brancheau Foundation | Helping Children and Animals", The Dawn Brancheau Foundation official website, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dawn_Brancheau&oldid=1004765539, Deaths due to animal attacks in the United States, Burials at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery (Alsip, Illinois), Articles with dead external links from November 2018, Articles with permanently dead external links, Articles with dead external links from November 2017, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 4 February 2021, at 07:38. [30] SeaWorld discontinued water work at its three parks for about a week immediately after Martínez's death. “Tilikum killed Dawn Brancheau, ... Blackfish, which debuted at Sundance in 2013, shone a none-too-flattering light on what she saw as near-coverups of attacks by orcas in captivity on humans. Dawn Brancheau was just 40 when she was killed by Tilikum, who was also known as Blackfish, following a show at Seaworld in Orlando, Florida In this setting, guests ate at an open-air restaurant while watching the performance poolside as the orca was exercised and fed. On February 24, 2010, she was tragically killed by Tillikum, the largest killer whale held in captivity. Dawn Brancheau was a Sea World trainer who worked with various whales at Sea World Orlando. The incident was documented in the 2013 film Blackfish. She had always had a huge love of animals and set her heart on becoming a trainer at Seaworld after visiting the attraction in Orlando, Florida when she was a child. [58], The Dawn Brancheau Foundation was created by her family in Brancheau's honor. He inspired a documentary, Blackfish. Accordingly, "The court accords it no weight." Welsch did, however, agree that the fine classification was too severe and had it downgraded – from "willful" (total of $75,000 for the 2 citations) to "serious" (total of $12,000) – stating that the company had emphasized trainer safety, even if the safety procedures weren't effective. Chillingly, four years before her tragic death, 10 years ago today, Dawn had spoken out about the dangers of working with orcas. The court agrees with Dr. Duffus. It looked at Tilikum's life since he was captured in 1983 off the coast of Iceland. Yet it cannot remove the element of unpredictability inherent in working with killer whales. Dawn, who had achieved her goal of becoming a senior trainer at Seaworld at the time of her tragic death, had studied psychology and animal behaviours at university. "[35][36] At a preliminary hearing in 2011, one of these citations was withdrawn by OSHA. 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Dawn Therese Brancheau (April 16, 1969 – February 24, 2010) was a senior animal trainer at SeaWorld, [1] [2] who worked with orcas at SeaWorld Orlando for fifteen years, and was their poster girl. When she graduated, she spent two years working with dolphins at an attraction in New Jersey before landing her job at Seaworld. Dawn wasn't the first person the huge creature killed, and he was responsible for two deaths decades before. [34] SeaWorld challenged the OSHA fine and the safety report in legal proceedings, stating that "OSHA's allegations in this citation are unsupported by any evidence or precedent and reflect a fundamental lack of understanding of the safety requirements associated with marine mammal care. [44][52][53] SeaWorld transitioned to being a publicly traded company in 2013. The huge orca was linked to the deaths of two other people as well as Dawn. [10] The director, Gabriela Cowperthwaite, argued that the claim that the orca had targeted Brancheau because she had worn her hair in a long ponytail was conjecture and that "there had to be more to this story". 24 February 2010 SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau dies during a training session with Tilikum, ... December 2013 Blackfish has now been screened by … C-15, p. 10)," the court found otherwise: "As noted in the section addressing the recognized hazard, SeaWorld's own incident reports demonstrate that its safety program, either due to misplaced faith in operant conditioning or due to human error in implementing operant conditioning, exposes its trainers to the risks of death or serious physical injury." [1][9] She set her heart on becoming a Shamu trainer during a family vacation to Orlando. Tilikum didn't just kill his trainer, the attack was prolonged and incredibly violent. Horrifically, her spinal cord was severed, while she also suffered from broken ribs, a broken jaw and a post-mortem revealed she died from both drowning and blunt force injury. Six years after Dawn's death SeaWorld announced they would end their programme of breeding the orcas in captivity. Dawn was a well-known animal trainer who dedicated her career to caring for marine animals. [23], Brancheau was buried at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Worth Township, Cook County, Illinois. Employees used nets and threw food at Tilikum in an attempt to distract him. [42], Brancheau's death is a focus of the documentary Blackfish,[43][44] which criticizes keeping orcas in captivity,[45] and her death awakened a national conversation about the issue. No SeaWorld trainer entered a pool to perform a show with an orca following Brancheau's death. [4][5][9][10] She graduated from the University of South Carolina with degrees in psychology and animal behavior. Dawn … Her spinal cord was severed, and she had sustained fractures to her jawbone, ribs, and a cervical vertebra. Chillingly, the captive whale killed his trainer and then refused to release her body. My point is that it does not work all the time' (Tr. [45], Her family has said they are grateful that the film has brought attention to the issue of animal welfare. John Hargrove, who was a senior trainer at Seaworld at the time of Dawn's death, said: "We’ll never know why Tilikum made that choice to grab Dawn and pull her into the pool. After approximately 45 minutes, Tilikum released Brancheau's body. 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[58], On behalf of the family, Mills argued in court that disclosure of media by state agencies is equivalent to dissemination, based on the Nikki Catsouras photographs case, in which retrospective attempts to limit public access have not been fully successful. There are reports that he would spend hours on end just lying on the surface of the water. She was lying with her face next to Tilikum's on a slide-out, which is a platform submerged about a foot into the water. SeaWorld also campaigns against shark finning and ocean pollution and has switched its focus to rescue operations. [58]:98 The law was partly a response to the circumstances of Brancheau's death. [10][47][48][49] In addition to the impact of OSHA-imposed safety-based abatements of previous work practices to prevent further similar events, Cowperthwaite began working on Blackfish in 2010 following Brancheau's death,[50][51] initially having questions about SeaWorld's "ponytail hypothesis". [12] She ran marathons, cycled, and lifted weights to stay in good shape. Dawn Brancheau was just 40 when she was killed by Tilikum, who was also known as Blackfish, following a show at Seaworld in Orlando, Florida, Our free email newsletter sends you the biggest headlines from news, sport and showbiz. Tilikum, the killer whale involved in the deaths of three people, including SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau in 2010, has died, SeaWorld reported Friday. She had a special relationship with the huge killer whale, Tilikum, also known as Blackfish. [45] Cowperthwaite's background research suggested to her that there were problems with keeping captive orcas; SeaWorld disagreed, characterizing the film as propaganda. Tillikum had killed 2 other people in the past. [54], Lawmakers in California and the US House of Representatives proposed legislation to phase out orca captivity, and the California Coastal Commission moved in 2015 to ban orca breeding. [24], No SeaWorld trainer entered a pool to perform a show with an orca following Brancheau's death. Two years after Dawn started work at Seaworld, she became a killer whale trainer. Initially it was claimed she had been pulled into the pool by her ponytail, but there were later suggestions Tilikum had grabbed her by her shoulder. # Tilikum # EmptyTheTanks # Blackfish # SeaWorld # DontbuyaTicket # ThanksbutnoTanks. All behavior is thus predictable. [13][14] In April 2014, the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia denied a "petition for review",[14][27][28] with Brett Kavanaugh being the sole judge to side with SeaWorld. [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. [32] Since the Shamu show's interaction of animal trainers with orcas was seen as having been SeaWorld's star attraction,[13] SeaWorld contended that it was fundamental to its business. [4] Judge Brett Kavanaugh, a dissenting judge in a legal case involving her death (see below), stated that "To be fearless, courageous, tough – to perform a sport or activity at the highest levels of human capacity, even in the face of known physical risk – is among the greatest forms of personal achievement for many who take part in these activities."[14]:24. OSHA did state that it would accept other means of protection as long as it provided equal or greater safety as the physical barriers. [4], Brancheau spent two years working with dolphins at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey before beginning her career at SeaWorld Orlando in 1994, initially working with otters and sea lions. [58] image caption Trainer Dawn Brancheau was killed during a SeaWorld show Tilikum had also been linked to two other deaths, which were detailed in the Blackfish documentary.