Incidents at Sea World Parks - SeaWorld Orlando

SeaWorld Orlando

• On July 6, 1999, a 27-year-old man was found naked in the pool draped over the back of the killer whale named Tilikum. The man had died of hypothermia. He had visited SeaWorld the previous day, stayed after the park closed, and evaded security to enter the Orca tank. A spokesman for the sheriff's office said, "there was no obvious signs of trauma to the body. He wasn't chewed. He wasn't dismembered." However, the coroner reported finding scrapes and bruises all over the body, some of which had occurred after the victim had died. The coroner also discovered more significant injuries, such as puncture wounds on the victim's leg and the testicles being "ripped open". Divers also found small pieces of the victim's body at the bottom of the pool.

• On February 24, 2010, a 40-year-old trainer with 16 years of experience at the park died in another incident involving Tilikum. During a rubdown after the show, Tilikum pulled the trainer into the water, according to SeaWorld's head of animal training. Tilikum then proceeded to swim around the pool with her ponytail in his mouth. This was the third time since being first put on public display that Tilikum has been involved (though not clearly participated) in a human death. By February 27, SeaWorld Orlando whale shows resumed with trainers practicing increased caution and not joining the whales in the water. Seaworld has said these measures are temporary. SeaWorld announced they have invited experts from outside marine parks and aquariums to review SeaWorld's handling of killer whales and also Tilikum specifically. On August 23, 2010, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fined the park US$75,000 for three infractions, two of which were directly related to this incident. One related citation was designated as "willful", and was "committed with plain indifference to or intentional disregard for employee safety and health". The other related citation was a "serious" violation relating to a missing safety rail at Shamu Stadium. At the time of the fine, SeaWorld called OSHA's findings "unfounded". Later hearings revealed that SeaWorld had concealed an earlier incident when another whale, Ikaika, had bitten a trainer in 2006. During a hearing where SeaWorld continued their challenge of OSHA's findings, a former SeaWorld trainer - being presented as a SeaWorld expert - stated his opinion that the victim died as a result of a mistake she had made while near the water. The expert continued that he did not agree that Tilikum showed "aggressive behavior" during the incident. On May 31, 2012 Occupational Safety and Health Administration administrative law judge Ken Welsch cited SeaWorld for two violations in the death of the trainer and fined the company a total of $12,000. The final decision was issued on June 11, 2012.

• On 21 November 2012 an eight-year-old girl, Jillian Thomas of Alpharetta, Georgia, was bitten by a dolphin which lunged at her out of its pool at an attraction which allows visitors to feed dolphins. The girl suffered three puncture wounds to her hand and required medical treatment. Video of the attack was widely viewed on the Internet. Thomas stated that the bite, "really, really hurt."