Dawn Brancheau And The Shamu Show At Seaworld

At a young age, Dawn Brancheau was captivated by the Shamu Show at SeaWorld and developed a passion for marine life. In 1994, Dawn’s dream of working at SeaWorld became a reality. First starting with the sea lions and otters, and later orca whales, the instant bond Dawn created with the marine animals was incredible. During the next 14 years, Dawn worked hard to become one of the best and most experienced trainers in her field. However, on February 24, 2010, everything would change. Following a regular “Dine with Shamu” show, 20 patrons continued on to see the Tilikum, the Shamu of the show, down at the isolation tank level. Paula Gillespie, a member of the audience, confesses, “"Everything seemed calm and OK.” Without warning, Tilikum yanked Brancheau into the pool by her waist and began to throw her around. The traumatic events would continue as the whale pulled Brancheau through the pool and down to the bottom by her hair and pushing her with his nose as all other. Dawn Brancheau died at the age of 40 from blunt force trauma to the head, neck, and torso alongside a fractured spinal cord, broken jaw, and a dislocated elbow and knee.

Brancheau’s death would mark killing number three for Tilikum the whale alone. The drastic environmental change from expansive ocean to a salt water pool causes irregular behavior in marine animals, specifically orca whales. The capturing process and life in captivity for whales at SeaWorld and other marine parks is not only dangerous for the trainers but also presents psychological, social, and physical disorders in the orca whales. The capture and domestication of orca whales for marine shows is threatening to both humans and whales and should therefore be stopped in order to end the...

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...t to be entertained by seeing killer whales perform tricks. In the wild, the highly intelligent orcas perform their own “tricks.” According to marine biologist Jacques Cousteau, “There is about as much educational benefit to be gained in studying dolphins in captivity as there would be studying mankind by only observing prisoners held in solitary confinement.”

When an intelligent animal accustomed to swimming in thousands of miles of open ocean is placed in an environment only twice its size, is separated from its species, and is forced to perform tricks, there are bound to be consequences. The captivity of these animals should be banned and National Reserves and whale tours should be used to educate the public while admiring these animals' true beauty. There are few experiences more meaningful than witnessing a killer whale enjoying the freedom of the open ocean.