Dawn Brancheau facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dawn Brancheau
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Brancheau working at SeaWorld Orlando in 2006
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| Born |
Dawn Therese LoVerde
April 16, 1969 Cedar Lake, Indiana, U.S.
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| Died | February 24, 2010 (aged 40) Orlando, Florida, U.S.
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| Resting place | Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, Worth Township, Illinois, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of South Carolina |
| Occupation | SeaWorld trainer |
| Years active | 1994–2010 |
| Spouse(s) |
Scott Brancheau
(m. 1996–2010) |
Dawn Therese Brancheau (née LoVerde, April 16, 1969 – February 24, 2010) was an American senior animal trainer at SeaWorld. She worked with orcas at SeaWorld Orlando for fifteen years, including a leading role in revamping the Shamu show, and was SeaWorld's poster girl. She was killed by an orca, Tilikum. Tilikum was also involved in the deaths of two other people: Keltie Byrne and Daniel P. Dukes.
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Life and career
Brancheau was born Dawn Therese LoVerde in Cedar Lake, Indiana, and was the youngest of six children. She set her heart on becoming a Shamu trainer during a family vacation to Orlando. She graduated from the University of South Carolina with degrees in psychology and animal behavior. Away from work, she volunteered at a local animal shelter, looked after two chocolate Labradors, and kept a variety of stray ducks, chickens, rabbits, and small birds at her home.
Brancheau spent two years working with dolphins at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey before beginning her career at SeaWorld Orlando in 1994, initially working with otters and sea lions. In 1996, the same year she married Scott Brancheau, a SeaWorld stunt water skier, she started working with orcas.
In 2000, she appeared on NBC affiliate WESH and talked about staying physically fit in order to deal with the intense rigor of working with orcas. She ran marathons, cycled, and lifted weights to stay in good shape. In 2006, her decade of work with orcas was profiled, including her leadership role in a two- to three-year revamp of the Shamu show. Brancheau acknowledged the dangers of working in close proximity to orcas. As a senior trainer, she appeared in various SeaWorld public performances for many years. The Shamu show's interaction of animal trainers with orcas was regarded as SeaWorld's star attraction.
She was featured on SeaWorld billboards throughout Orlando. Judge and later Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, a dissenting judge in a legal case involving her death (see below), stated that "To be fearless, courageous, tough – to perform a sport or activity at the highest levels of human capacity, even in the face of known physical risk – is among the greatest forms of personal achievement for many who take part in these activities."
Brancheau also appeared in a season four episode of Fetch! With Ruff Ruffman.
Death
On February 24, 2010, Brancheau performed a 'Dine with Shamu' show with Tilikum, the largest orca at SeaWorld Orlando. In this setting, guests ate at an open-air restaurant while watching the performance poolside as the orca performed and was fed. As part of the end-of-show routine, she was at the edge of the pool, rubbing Tilikum's head. She was lying with her face next to Tilikum's on a slide-out, which is a platform submerged about a foot into the water. She was pulled into the water by her left arm. The incident was caught on film. Some witnesses reported seeing Tilikum grab Brancheau by the ponytail or shoulder. The orca's move seems to have been very quick, pulling her underwater and drowning her.
Brancheau was buried at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Worth Township, Cook County, Illinois.
Blackfish
Brancheau's death is a focus of the documentary Blackfish, which criticizes keeping orcas in captivity, and her death awakened a national conversation about the issue. The director, Gabriela Cowperthwaite, argued that the claim that the orca had targeted Brancheau because she had worn her hair in a long ponytail was conjecture and that "there had to be more to this story".
Her family has said they are grateful that the film has brought attention to the issue of animal welfare. However, they also added that "Blackfish is not Dawn's story" and that "Since Dawn's death in 2010, the media has focused mainly on the whales. A human life was lost that day, and it feels as though some believe her death was just a footnote." In the same statement, they went on to note that “Dawn would not have remained a trainer at SeaWorld for 15 years if she felt that the whales were not well cared for.”
Foundation
The Dawn Brancheau Foundation was created by her family in Brancheau's honor. The foundation is "dedicated to improving the lives of children and animals in need, inspiring others to follow their dreams, and promoting the importance of community service".
