Dawn Brancheau was killed while performing with the killer whale Tilikum in Orlando on February 24, 2010. Her death sent shockwaves through the industry and forever changed the wild animal entertainment industry in the U.S.

Dawn Brancheau had worked at  SeaWorld in Orlando, Florida, for many years. She was a beloved trainer, and Brancheau’s performances with the world-famous killer whales brought millions of dollars to the park. But on February 24, 2010, Brancheau was killed in a rare and seemingly unprovoked attack by one of her most cherished trainees.

Dawn Brancheau performing with a killer whale at SeaWorld. Photo: Wikimedia Commons  

Brancheau’s death permanently altered how amusement parks handle wild marine animals and was the subject of the widely impactful documentary “Blackfish.” The tragic true story of Dawn Brancheau, as depicted in the film, ignited a revolution.

Early Life and Career

Born and raised in Indiana, Brancheau decided early on that her life would be dedicated to killer whales. The youngest of six children, Brancheau first saw Shamu—perhaps the most infamous captive killer whale—during a visit to SeaWorld in Orlando with her parents when she was 10 years old.

“I remember walking down the aisle of the stadium and telling my mom, ‘This is what I want to do,’” Brancheau recounted in 2006. Before embarking on the path to her dream job, Brancheau graduated from the University of South Carolina with dual degrees in psychology and animal behavior. In 1994, she trained otters and sea lions at Six Flags amusement park before moving to SeaWorld in 1996. That same year, Brancheau married Scott Brancheau, a stunt performer at SeaWorld, and began working with the killer whales she so deeply adored.

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Brancheau was once at the peak of her career with her killer whale performances. Photo: Wikimedia Commons  

Soon after, Dawn Brancheau became the face of SeaWorld. Her beautiful image adorned billboards. Brancheau and her trainees were truly the highlight of the SeaWorld tour, and she was credited with making groundbreaking improvements to the killer whale show.

Working with Tilikum and Past Incidents

For years, Brancheau regularly performed with killer whales and executed many daring stunts with these highly intelligent animals. Although Brancheau was well aware of the potential dangers of working with killer whales, she also knew that they do not attack humans in the wild, and attacks on humans in captivity were very rare.

Dawn Brancheau gradually formed a “close bond” with a killer whale named Tilikum. “He had a great relationship with Brancheau, and she had a great relationship with him. I believe Tilikum loved her, and I also know that she loved him,” said John Hargrove, a senior trainer at SeaWorld.

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Dawn Brancheau performing on the back of Tilikum, the killer whale with a collapsed dorsal fin.  

However, Tilikum was not a docile killer whale. He had previously been involved in two human deaths. On February 20, 1991, Keltie Byrne, a 21-year-old swimmer, slipped and fell into the pool with Tilikum and two other killer whales. The three whales drowned Byrne, dragging her around the pool, repeatedly submerging and pulling her down as she tried to escape. Byrne drowned in her desperate attempt to escape the killer whales.

The second death occurred on July 6, 1999, when a 27-year-old visitor named Daniel P. Dukes was found dead on Tilikum’s back in his sleeping tank. An autopsy revealed multiple wounds and scratches on his body, and his genitals had been bitten off. All were attributed to Tilikum.

Brancheau and Tilikum had formed a very close and loving relationship.  

The Fatal Attack and Its Aftermath

On February 24, 2010, tragedy struck unexpectedly again. That day, Tilikum and Brancheau were performing in the “Dine with Shamu” show at  SeaWorld, where guests enjoyed an outdoor meal while watching killer whales perform.

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According to witness accounts, Tilikum grabbed Brancheau’s ponytail, pulled her in, and began thrashing the trainer in his mouth underwater. However, other witnesses claimed she was pulled in by Tilikum grabbing her arm or shoulder.

Regardless of what Tilikum grabbed, the result was the same: The female trainer was pulled into the pool quickly and violently, causing her to drown. Worse, the 6-ton whale’s thrashing movements fractured Brancheau’s jaw, dislocated her knees and arms, and broke her vertebrae and ribs. Investigators also determined that Brancheau’s spinal cord was severed in the attack, and her scalp was completely torn from her head. Dawn Brancheau was only 40 years old. She was buried in suburban Chicago, Illinois.

Killer whale Tilikum performs on March 30, 2011, one year after it killed trainer Dawn Brancheau.  

Since the tragic accident involving Dawn Brancheau, no SeaWorld trainers have entered the same pool with the killer whales. Immediately after her burial, SeaWorld was forced to comply with a government ban. However, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) had unsuccessfully tried for years to compel SeaWorld to adhere to stricter protocols. In 2013, the documentary “Blackfish,” produced by Magnolia Pictures, was acquired and released by CNN. Focusing heavily on Dawn Brancheau’s death, the film also shed light on the dangerous conditions killer whales face in captivity. The filmmakers conducted an investigation, explaining the psychology and behavior of killer whales separated from their families and the ocean, living in the confined environment of amusement park tanks.

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Tilikum with its collapsed fin during a performance. This killer whale passed away in 2017.

The film garnered public attention, putting pressure on SeaWorld to adjust how they treated captive animals used for entertainment. In 2016, SeaWorld announced it would cease breeding killer whales in captivity, and many of their killer whale programs were subsequently discontinued or eliminated entirely.

SeaWorld has also pledged not to accept killer whales caught from the wild anymore, shifting their focus to the care and rehabilitation of the remaining killer whales at the park.

As for Dawn Brancheau, her family wants to focus on how she lived rather than her tragic death. In 2016, the Brancheau family established a charity in her name to honor the courageous trainer. They state the fund’s mission is to “improve the lives of children and animals in need, inspire others to follow their dreams, and promote the importance of community service.”

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