The family of a whale trainer killed by an orca at SeaWorld is fighting to prevent video of the attack from becoming public.
Dawn Brancheau, 40, was killed last month after being pulled into the water when Tilikum, SeaWorld’s largest orca, grabbed her pony tail and dragged her under.
SeaWorld in Orlando, Florida, says it is now reconsidering a decision to continue using the whale in performances.
Video cameras at the park captured the events as they unfolded, and SeaWorld voluntarily turned the tapes over to law enforcement officers.
By Florida law, once the Orange County Sheriff’s Office completes its investigation, the material would become public.
Ms Brancheau’s family say the public airing of the killing would only worsen their grief.
Amateur footage of the attack has failed to emerge and ‘killer whale kills trainer actual video’ or ‘killer whale kills trainer video 2010’ remain among the most searched-for terms on the internet.
Ms Brancheau’s family could seek a US court injunction to keep the footage private – a move which seems likely as the family joined SeaWorld in talks with lawyers this week.
In the immediate aftermath of Ms Brancheau’s death, SeaWorld had said it would re-evaluate safety procedures but would continue to use Tilikum in the park’s shows.
President and chief executive of SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment, Jim Atchison, had said the orca’s participation in performances was an important component of the animal’s “overall health and husbandry”.
However SeaWorld has since decided it will not make any final decisions until the internal review into safety policies and training is completed.
A spokesman for the park told reporters in the US that is it “likely” Tilikum will return to shows.
“But it’s premature to acknowledge that at this point.”
Tilikum is the largest orca in captivity. Measuring more than six metres and weighing around five-and-a-half tonne, he is more than twice the size of the typical orca whale.
Tilikum was one of three whales involved in a drowning at a marine park in British Columbia in 1991. It is believed a trainer fell into the whale tank at the Sea Land Marine Park in Victoria, and dragged her underwater as visitors watched.
In 1999, a 27-year-old man was found floating in a tank at SeaWorld. It is believed the man had hid in the park until after it closed, then climbed into the water with the orca. Authorities said it was apparent the man had become a victim of Tilikum’s “horseplay”, and the whale would not have realised he was “dealing with a very fragile human being”.
SeaWorld has resumed performances but will not allow trainers into the water with any of the orcas until the safety review is complete.
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