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Annette Eckis Attacked
At SeaWorld's park in San Diego, CA, Annette Eckis rode Shamu, which was one of the park's main attractions at the time. Eckis was thrown off the whale, which then began to grab her leg repeatedly. Shamu's mouth had to be pried open using a metal pole to eventually free her. Annette Eckis sued SeaWorld after receiving over 100 stitches, but a cash settlement was later rewarded. -
Jonathan Smith Attacked
Shamu and Kandu, both popular whales at SeaWorld during this time, dragged Jonathan Smith around the pool in San Diego. At some point, he had become pinned between both whales, which resulted in a torn liver and a bruised kidney for Smith. -
Whale Crushes John Sillick
(Video of Accident)While performing in the middle of a show at SeaWorld in San Diego, a whale landed directly on top of John Sillick, leaving him with a pelvis, femur, and multiple rib fractures. SeaWorld attempted to say that it was a timing issue gone wrong, to which Sillick was at fault, but other trainers said he had done nothing wrong that entire show and it was the whale who was acting out against Sillick. -
Man Found Dead in Whale Tank
In Orlando, Florida, Daniel Dukes was found naked, dead, and riding on the back of Tilikum, an infamous killer whale, in his tank. Dukes' official cause of death was drowning, but had bruises, bite marks, cuts, and his scrotum ripped open. It was made clear that Dukes had somehow snuck into SeaWorld and most likely purposely dived in to Tilikum's tank, but SeaWorld refuses to comment on whether Tilikum was the cause of Dukes' death. -
Ken Peters Dragged Under
(Video of Accident)Another trainer at SeaWorld in San Diego was bitten on his foot and dragged down under to the bottom of the show pool multiple times. Peters somehow kept his composure throughout this horrifying incident and because of this, the whale momentarily let him go right after other trainers set down a net so that Peters could escape the pool. As Peters swam and ran, the whale hopped over the net just a moment too late after Peters got out. He was treated for a broken foot. -
Dawn Brancheau Killed
SeaWorld first blamed Dawn Brancheau for her own death because they said that Tilikum grabbed onto her long ponytail and dragged her under water. SeaWorld then claimed she slipped and fell into the pool. However, it wasn't until eye-witnesses started speaking up that it was revealed that Tilikum shockingly grabbed onto Brancheau's arm and dragged her down into the pool. Brancheau's cause of death was said to be "mulitple traumatic injuries and drowning." -
PETA Files Court Case
PETA filed a court case against SeaWorld by declaring that five of their original whales had been subjected to slavery because they had been unwillingly taken from their homes, natural habitats, and families. Many people took PETA's side, but the ruling was that the 13th Amendment does not apply to nonhumans. -
Orca Brutally Attacks Own Species
One orca in particular was seen and photographed by a visitor after it had a large bite mark under it's mouth. It had been said that it was from another orca. Violence between orcas is quite common, but when living in the ocean, there is plenty of space for the orcas to separate and leave each other alone. While living in captivity, they do not have this luxury and are more prone to violence. PETA issued a complaint to the U.S. Department of Agriculture in violation of the Animal Welfare Act. -
SeaWorld Fined
SeaWorld has been fined $38,500 on the account of allowing dangerously close contact with employees. This was actually a repeated fine since SeaWorld failed to comply and continued to keep trainers in the pool with their animals, even though it has proven to be incredibly dangerous in the past. After the death of Dawn Brancheau, SeaWorld was fined with $75,000 and told to keep employees at a safe distance or separated by a barrier. -
Blackfish Released
(Blackfish Trailer)After a number of casualities and deaths at SeaWorld, director Gabriela Cowperthwaite decided to go out and interview former trainers at SeaWorld who have experienced such horrible events occurring right in front of them. She also interviewed whale capturers hired by SeaWorld and guests who witnessed tragic events occur. The film seeked to expose SeaWorld for its horrible treatment of the animals and succeeded very well -
PETA Protests
(Video of Protest)19 out of over 100 people part of PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) were arrested by jumping out in front of SeaWorld's float at the Rose Parade in Pasadena, California. The float was designed to display three large orcas among other marine life. PETA is strongly against the harsh cruelty of animals and allowing animals to stay in captivity, to which they believe that SeaWorld showing off their "beloved" orcas is just shameful.
