Trainer killed at Seaworld, Orlando

[Tink]

Oh good g-d, this is terrible.

[Keith]

just seen the live press conference. 40 year old female fell into a pool and that's when it happened.

a lot of eyewitnesses saying that's not how it happened and that she was definitely grabbed and pulled in :/ very sad indeed however it happened

[Britchick]

Even more frightening if true Keith

[Keith]

Reports now saying that the 40-yr old SeaWorld trainer killed today was Dawn Brancheau. She had 16 years of experience with the orcas.

[Isafari]

Rest in peace Dawn

You were an amazing lady.

[Keith]

An audience member said a show was just starting when the whale "took off really fast in the tank, and then he came back, shot up in the air, grabbed the trainer by the waist and started thrashing around" Victoria Biniak told WKMG-TV

Brazilian tourist Joao Lucio DeCosta Sobrinho and his girlfriend were at an underwater viewing area when they suddenly saw a whale with someone in its mouth.

The trainer was identified as Dawn Brancheau, according to a law enforcement official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he had not been cleared to officially release her name.

According to a profile of Brancheau in the Orlando Sentinel in 2006, she was one of SeaWorld Orlando's leading trainers. It was apparently a trip to SeaWorld at 9 years old that made her want to pursue this career.

"I remember walking down the aisle (of Shamu Stadium) and telling my mom, 'This is what I want to do,'" she said in the article.

Brancheau worked her way into a leadership role at Shamu Stadium during her 12-year career with SeaWorld, starting at the Sea Lion & Otter Stadium before spending the past 10 years working with killer whales, the newspaper said.

She also addressed the dangers of the job.

"You can't put yourself in the water unless you trust them and they trust you," Brancheau said.

From the Orlando Sentinel 24/02/2010

[Tinker]

a lot of eyewitnesses saying that's not how it happened and that she was definitely grabbed and pulled in :/ very sad indeed however it happened

I watched World News Tonight on ABC . Witnesses reported the whale jumped up grabbed Dawn by the arm and trashed her while rapidly swimming . Before this witnesses said, the whales seemed aggitated . That must have been a sign of Big Ts fury .
I got chills in my legs when I saw whom it was . Jim & I just looked at each other with our mouths open , she looks very familiar . I think I have pictures on my desktop of her performing .
My thoughts & prayers go out to her family, friends & associates . She died doing what she loved most . RIP Dawn !

[Tinker]

It was apparently a trip to SeaWorld at 9 years old that made her want to pursue this career.

"I remember walking down the aisle (of Shamu Stadium) and telling my mom, 'This is what I want to do,'" she said in the article.

Oh Dear G_D , it is her ! She told that story during Believe .

[Beccaberry]

Tragic.

[gwennie81]

Sea World is EVIL and should NOT EXIST! Why on EARTH would you think of putting a WHALE in a ZOO? If you want to learn about an animal, go on the internet. That's what it's for. Sorry, but I have a real problem with zoos in general. I think they are horrible and should not exist. People claim that "thanks to zoos, many animals have been saved from endangerment." I think that's a bunch of hooey and animals should be left alone in the wild and protected in national parks. If they become extinct, that's just natural selection. I personally think we should conserve as much land (and water) as possible, before it's too late. Urban density, Americans! It's coming!