Killer Whale Drowns SeaWorld Trainer At SeaWorld in Orlando, Florida, a killer whale, weighing 5450kg, grabbed its 40 year old trainer from the side of its tank, dragged her underwater and drowned her. Dawn Brancheau, who had worked at the park for 16 years, knew the whale well, and was one of just 12 who was allowed to work with Tilikum, the park’s largest killer whale. She was at the edge of the pool explaining to the audience the upcoming events of the show, when in front of adults and children the whale jumped up and grasped her in his mouth. Observers reported that the whale seemed to thrash her around, after previously acting more viciously than normal. In the past 20 years this same whale has been involved in the deaths of two other people. In 1991 Tilikum and two female whales dragged a trainer under water and killed her. Then again in 1999 a man was found dead in Tilikum’s tank lying on the whale’s back, with bite marks on his body. It is unclear as to what the future of the whale and the whale shows might be, but SeaWorld is currently still open although there are no killer whale shows at present.