Controversy Surrounds Alleged Leaked Video of Dawn Brancheau Tragic Incident

Dawn Brancheau’s Video was taken down at the same time as some other notorious leak.

Dawn Therese Brancheau was an American animal trainer who worked at SeaWorld.

Highlights

• A video allegedly showing Dawn Brancheau’s 2010 death was uploaded to LiveLeak but is no longer accessible.
• Dawn’s family opposes the release of the footage, blocking the widespread circulation of the incident.
• OSHA banned trainers from swimming in pools with orcas after Dawn Brancheau’s untimely death in 2010.

She spent fifteen years working with orcas at SeaWorld Orlando, where she was the poster girl and played a key part in redesigning the Shamu performance.

During an appearance on NBC’s WESH in 2000, she discussed maintaining her physical fitness to handle the demands of dealing with orcas.

However, she passed away in 2010, Shamu performed with Tilikum, the largest in captivity, and was pulled into the water by Tilikum, causing conflicting eyewitness accounts, and bringing her to the bottom.

Dawn Brancheau’s video was uploaded to live leak in 2010

Dawn Brancheau’s video shows her being pulled down by her orca till she drowns and passes away.

The comments in the 2010 archive indicate that this is the entire film posted on Liveleak in 2010.

Yes, you can see people talking about how she attempted to get out of the pool, but the video won’t play since Liveleak has been shut down.

Today, we remember the beautiful Dawn Brancheau, a woman who inspired us all. pic.twitter.com/PxEDW3fJKj

— Dawn Brancheau (@Dawn_Brancheau) January 17, 2015

However, others even claimed that the Italian voice in the video refers to the trainer as “she” even though it isn’t a video of her but rather another attack against a male trainer in 2004.

There is clear doubt that Brancheau’s death was caught on tape by the several security cameras around the pool area, including one that was submerged.

As of 2024, it’s uncertain if the surveillance footage remains intact.

The blockades imposed by Dawn’s relatives who do not want the attack tape to “get out” are understandable, even if many others want to get it for a variety of reasons, such as warning others about the risks associated with keeping killer whales in captivity.

Dawn Brancheau’s passing Banned trainers from entering a pool with an orca

An Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) action after Dawn’s passing cemented a prohibition on trainers entering a pool with an orca.

After Alexis Martínez, Brancheau was the second trainer to be killed by an orca at SeaWorld.

There have been over 40 recorded safety accidents since orcas were initially kept in captivity in the 1960s, with several trainers suffering severe injuries at the hands of different orcas.

OSHA penalized SeaWorld US$75,000 on August 23, 2010, for three safety breaches, one of which was directly linked to her death.

SeaWorld finally abandoned in 2014 after submitting several appeals to get the prohibition lifted and resume aquatic shows.

In 2015, the California Coastal Commission sought to outlaw orca breeding, and lawmakers in California and the US House of Representatives introduced legislation to phase out orca captivity.

Additional Information

• The documentary Blackfish, which critiques the practice of keeping orcas in captivity, centers on Brancheau’s death.
• Brancheau, the youngest of six children, was born Dawn Therese LoVerde in Cedar Lake, Indiana.
• She earned degrees in animal behavior and psychology from the University of South Carolina.