Despite an outcry from celebrities and animal rights activists, Tilikum — the killer whale responsible for the death of trainer Dawn Brancheau at SeaWorld Orlando last Wednesday — will “remain an active contributing member of the team, despite what happened…No animal is ever subject to any punishment and Tilikum is no exception,” SeaWorld owners said Friday.
In addition to Brancheau, Tilikum has been linked to at least two other human deaths in the past 20 years. Eyewitnesses say the orca used Brancheau’s ponytail to drag her off a platform and into the whale tank, where she later drowned.