ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - A killer whale killed a SeaWorld Orlando trainer who slipped or fell in its tank Wednesday, drowning her in front of a horrified audience.
Dan Brown, president of the Orlando park, said the trainer was one of the park's most experienced.
He would not answer questions about whether it happened during a performance, but an audience member said a show was just starting.
The whale "took off really fast in the tank, and then he came
back, shot up in the air, grabbed the trainer by the waist and
started thrashing around, and one of her shoes flew off," Victoria Biniak told WKMG-TV.
Jim Solomons of the Orlando County Sheriff's Office, said the trainer slipped or fell into the whale's tank, which seemed to contradict Biniak's description.
"This appears to be an accidental death, a tragic death," said Solomons.
Killer whale sees warm blooded mammal. "Yum yum!" Are people crazy? What do they expect from a wild animal that loves to eat blood and flesh. I am sorry for it all - it's like those Anderson's death from her "pets" - African lions. This is not rocket science. Maybe it's all the Disney cartoons with talking animals? Stick to dogs, cats, horses, cattle, sheep, goats, etc. "Domesticated" hmmm - what could that mean?