Whale trainer Dawn Brancheau, 40, was killed in a tragic accident with an orca at the SeaWorld Shamu Stadium in Orlando on Wednesday. The killer whale snatched Brancheau from a poolside platform in its jaws and thrashed the woman around underwater, killing her in front of a horrified audience of families and young children. And as disturbing as yesterday’s accident is, the public is even more disturbed by the fact that Tilikum The Whale has a history of violence.
This is the third time the animal has been involved in a human death in the past 20 years.
A marine conservationist with the American Museum of Natural History says the attack was likely “premeditated.” He argues that killer whales are intelligent creatures that don’t do things accidentally.