Why did the orca eat the trainer?

Something about SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau's ponytail may have triggered the attack. That's what an official at the Orlando marine park told reporters the day after the 16-year veteran at SeaWorld was killed by Tilikum, a 12,000-lb. (5,500 kg) killer whale.



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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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Tilikum pulled SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau into the water in 2010, killing her after a show at the theme park. In the wake of Brancheau's death, SeaWorld removed trainers from the water and implemented new safety procedures.

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(CNN) — Fri January 6, 2017 - Tilikum, the killer whale involved in the deaths of three people, including SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau in 2010, has died, SeaWorld reported Friday. Tilikum was at the center of the 2013 CNN documentary “Blackfish.”

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Soon after, Tilikum was sold to SeaWorld. Eight years later, a man who had apparently sneaked into SeaWorld during the night was found dead on Tilikum's back. As the years passed, Tilikum was considered by many expert observers to have become increasingly depressed and unstable.

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