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killer whales

Published: 12/20/10

Death at SeaWorld: Where Is Tilikum, the Whale Who Killed His Trainer?

By  Donna Trussell - Politics Daily
Death at SeaWorld: Where Is Tilikum, the Whale Who Killed His Trainer?

Dawn Brancheau, the SeaWorld performer who died last February, had not crossed my mind in months. But last night I saw some year-end stories on 2010 newsmakers and what they were doing with their 16th minute of fame. One was Isaiah Mustafa, who found fame and fortune on a Super Bowl commercial for Old Spice. Another was Antoine Dodson, who scared away a would-be rapist from his sister's bedroom and whose comments to a news crew led to the "Bed Intruder Song." Tilikum, the killer whale, became a household name on Feb. 24, after he turned on his trainer Dawn Brancheau. When I first saw her ...

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Published: 08/23/10

SeaWorld to Contest $75,000 Fine for Orca Trainer's Death

By  David Knowles - AOL News
SeaWorld to Contest $75,000 Fine for Orca Trainer's Death

(Aug. 23) -- When it comes housing killer whales in captivity, the word "safety" may be a relative term. On Monday, six months after trainer Dawn Brancheau was killed by a 12,000-pound orca whale during an exhibition at SeaWorld's Orlando, Fla., theme park, officials at the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced that SeaWorld was being fined $75,000 for what it called the theme park's "plain indifference" to the safety of its employees. Brancheau died after the whale, named Tilikum, grabbed her by her ponytail and pulled her underwater. OSHA ...

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Published: 02/27/10

A Death at Sea World, and What It Means

By  Donna Trussell - Politics Daily
A Death at Sea World, and What It Means

I remember Sea World trainer Dawn Brancheau. Years ago I saw her perform with the killer whales she loved. On Wednesday one of them, a large male named Tilikum, killed her. A seven-minute tourist video shows Brancheau interacting with the whale up until just seconds before the attack. An autopsy revealed Brancheau died from multiple traumatic injuries and drowning. When I heard the trainer had wanted to work with Shamu since her first trip to Sea World at the age of 9, I realized I'd heard that story before. Brancheau was the woman I'd made my way downstage to see after the show. ...

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Published: 02/25/10

Opinion: SeaWorld Death Sparks Orca-Sized Debate

By  not in system - AOL News
Opinion: SeaWorld Death Sparks Orca-Sized Debate

(Feb. 25) -- The death of a SeaWorld trainer by a killer whale has sparked a debate not only about what do with Tilikum, but about captive whales generally -- with most weighing in in favor of freedom. A BBC dispatch, for example, quotes two experts arguing for freedom: "They are highly social animals that tend to live in cohesive groups, so it's quite an artificial environment to capture them and put them in a small area," says Dr. Andrew Foote, an expert on wild orcas from the University of Aberdeen, U.K. "The tragic events are a reminder that orcas are wild, strong and often ...

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