What happened to the trainers at SeaWorld?

Horror injuries of SeaWorld trainer killed by orca - scalp torn off and severed spine. Dawn Brancheau loved all animals and felt a special affinity to the majestic and stunning orcas. For 15 years, the 40-year-old had lived out her dreams and was working with orcas at SeaWorld in Orlando, Florida.



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OSHA came back with the decision that SeaWorld was obligated to protect their trainers from any known risk, and having them in the water with the ocean's top predator was way too dangerous to ever have happen again. So the ruling stood, despite many appeals to judges in various levels of court.

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SeaWorld apparently did not see it that way, and the killer whale shows have continued as before, only now the trainers do not perform any water work with the orcas. This of course saves trainers from being attacked but does nothing to relieve orcas from the frustrations and anxieties of incarceration.

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Is It Really Possible to Swim with Killer Whales? Yes! There are a handful of tour operators that offer boat excursions allowing you to swim with killer whales off the coast of Norway. You'll also be in with a chance of seeing other whales, like humpbacks, too.

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Dolphins of SeaWorld Entertainment will no longer have trainers riding on top of them. The action came earlier in the month after a shareholder proposal made in December by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, which sought the end of what it described as “dolphin surfing” and “circus-style” entertainment.

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On February 24, 2010, toward the end of a Dine with Shamu show at SeaWorld Orlando, the orca Tilikum pulled down an experienced trainer. Dawn Brancheau, a 40-year-old with extensive training experience, drowned as at least two dozen tourists looked on from above a whale tank and from an underwater viewing area.

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This is the last generation of orcas in our care SeaWorld's killer whales are vital to that mission, and while they will be the last generation of killer whales at SeaWorld, they will still be around for decades to come, inspiring millions of guests and people across the globe to take action with us today.

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Tilikum was estimated to be about 36 years old at the time of his death. He was brought to SeaWorld after Canada's Sealand of the Pacific closed in 1992. He had been at the amusement park ever since.

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The Shamu Show was canceled today. Tilikum, the whale that yesterday killed a trainer at SeaWorld Orlando, will not be put down, The Orlando Sentinel reports.

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