Incidents between humans and killer whales in captivity
by rnb10
In Captivity
| NO. | DATE | AQUARIUM | WHALEs | INCIDENT | SOURCE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s and 1970s | |||||
| #1 | 1967 | Marineland of the Pacific, USA | Orky | “Orky is quite a handful even now,” says Marineland curator John Prescott. “I’m alwalys afraid of him when I’m in his tank. Once I was swimming around him and he started pushing. Believe me I got out of there fast. He is so huge you could be seriously hurt if he just hit you by accident.” | Kingsport News, November 16, 1967. |
| #2 | 1968 | New York Aquarium, USA | Lupa | When water level was lowered for pool cleaning, young female Lupa sent trainers scrambling from the pool, snapping her jaws threatening. | Edward R. Riciuti, , New York, Walker & Co., 1973, pp. 227-228. |
| #3 | 1968 | Seattle Aquarium, USA | Kandu | Young female Kandu pushes her trainers around, working with her is described as too rough. | The Appleton Post-Crescent, June 13, 1968. |
| #4 | 1969 | Marine World California, USA | Kianu | Trainer William (Sonny) Allen describes being dumped and threatened by young female Kianu, including an incident where she pinned his leg against the side of her training pool. | The Chicago Daily Herald, October 24, 1969. |
| #5 | late 1960s | unknown | unknown | Former SeaWorld trainer Jerry Watmore states that if captive killer whales “are provoked or frustrated, they can butt you or hit you with their tail and knock you down at the bottom of the pool. Or, they might grab an arm or a leg.” | The Fresno Bee The Republican, July 29, 1970. |
| #6 | 1970 | Miami Seaquarium, USA | Hugo | Trainer Chris Christiansen received several stitches in his cheeks after placing his head within the jaws of young male Hugo, closing his mouth on a mis-cue. | Redlands Daily Facts, January 22, 1971; Edward R. Riciuti, Killers of the Sea, New York, Walker & Co., 1973, pp. 232-233. |
| #7 | 1970s | unknown | unknown | Karen Pryor writes, “I have since heard… of at least one killer whale which launched an unprovoked attack on a favorite trainer, in normal circumstances, savaged him very badly, and nearly killed him.” | Karen Pryor, Lads Before the Wind, New York, Harper & Row, 1976, p. 220. |
| #8 | 1970s | unknown | unknown | SeaWorld head trainer Bob Shepard received a minor wound on his head when a killer whale closed its mouth on his head, after being startled by a camera flash. The article states “Shamu” but this is most probably just the show name being used for many orcas at SeaWorld. | The Long Beach Independent, August 3, 1977. |
| #9 | 1970’s | Vancouver Aquarium, Canada | Skana | Trainer Doug Pemberton described young female Skana as the dominant animal in the pool. “She is capable of changing moods in minutes”. He described Skana and her young male companion Hyak 2 as “moody”, and recalled that, “Skana once showed her dislike by dragging a trainer around the pool. Her teeth sank into his wetsuit but missed his leg.” | Cranky killer whales put trainers through their paces, The Province, May 5, 1978. |
| #10 | 1970’s | Vancouver Aquarium, Canada | Hyak 2 | Undocumented report of young male Hyak 2 breaking a trainer’s leg by hitting it with his tail fluke. | Story on internet sites but no original source known. |
| #11 | early 1970’s | Marine World California, USA | Kianu | Trainer Jeff Pulaski, accustomed to riding young female Kianu during performances, was thrown off and chased out of the tank. | Don C. Reed, Notes from an Underwater Zoo, Dial Press, 1981, p. 250. |
| #12 | early 1970’s | Marine World California, USA | Nepo | Trainer Dave Worcester was dragged to the bottom of the pool by young male Nepo. | Don C. Reed, Notes from an Underwater Zoo, Dial Press, 1981, p. 250. |
| #13 | early 1970’s | Miami Seaquarium, USA | Hugo | Trainer Mike Jax states that Hugo has “hurt a couple of people accidentally by doing things like butting them with his nose if they irritate him.” | The Danville Register, September 5, 1972. |
| #14 | early 1970’s | Miami Seaquarium, USA | Hugo | Administrative director Anthony G. Toran declared that working with young male Hugo has become too risky after Hugo had “made what appeared to be direct efforts to harm the human performers”. | St. Petersburg Times, July 24, 1971. |
| #15 | early 1970’s | Miami Seaquarium, USA | Hugo, Lolita | Trainer Manny Velasco recalled both young whales Hugo and Lolita becoming aggressive, lunging at trainers on the platform. | Edward R. Riciuti, Killers of the Sea, New York, Walker & Co., 1973, pp. 232-233. |
| #16 | early 1970’s | Miami Seaquarium, USA | Hugo, Lolita | Trainer Chip Kirk got away with a permanent scar on his arm after being pushed around continously by young male Hugo. Trainer Jeff Pulaski had been grabbed by Hugo, then had his wetsuit torn from him by both Hugo and Lolita. | The Miami News, December 17, 1975. |
| #17 | early 1970’s | Marineland of the Pacific, USA | Orky 2 | Unidentified male trainer was seized by the leg and held at the bottom of the pool until the man almost lost consciousness by young male Orky 2. | Edward R. Riciuti, Killers of the Sea, New York, Walker & Co., 1973, pp. 228-229.; Chicago Tribune (story sounds like it’s the same incident). |
| #18 | early 1970’s | Sea World California, USA | Shamu | Kent Burgess, the director of Sea World’s animal training department, had been responsible for training Shamu ever since Sea World first acquired the animal. He knew Shamu was conditioned to being ridden only by persons wearing wetsuits, and that Shamu had in the past attacked persons who attempted to ride her in an ordinary bathing suit: first a Catalina swimsuit model and then Jim Richards, one of the trainers at Sea World. In addition, Burgess had read training records which showed Shamu had been behaving erratically since early March 1971. This information he did not disclose to plaintiff. | Justia US Law, November 19, 1976 |
| #19 | early 1970’s | Sea World California, USA | Shamu | Kent Burgess, the director of Sea World’s animal training department, had been responsible for training Shamu ever since Sea World first acquired the animal. He knew Shamu was conditioned to being ridden only by persons wearing wetsuits, and that Shamu had in the past attacked persons who attempted to ride her in an ordinary bathing suit: first a Catalina swimsuit model and then Jim Richards, one of the trainers at Sea World. In addition, Burgess had read training records which showed Shamu had been behaving erratically since early March 1971. This information he did not disclose to plaintiff. | Justia US Law, November 19, 1976 |
| #20 | 1971 | Miami Seaquarium, USA | Hugo | Hugo tosses his trainers around. | Redlands Daily Facts, July 7, 1971. |
| #21 | 1971/04/20 | Sea World California, USA | Shamu | PR Secretary Annette Eckis, wearing a bikini, slid off the back of an orca she was riding for a publicity stunt. 5-year-old female Shamu seized her leg and swam around the tank refusing to release the screaming woman until familiar divers entered the pool. Eckis suffered lacerations and puncture wounds. | Justia US Law, November 19, 1976; Edward R. Riciuti, Killers of the Sea, New York, Walker & Co., 1973, pp. 229-231; Mike Lee, SeaWorld San Diego suspends Shamu show, San Diego Union-Tribune, February 24, 2010;Video. |
| #22 | 1971/06/08 | Flamingo Park, England | Cuddles | Young male Cuddles became so increasingly aggressive, having a hold of at least two trainers, that keepers had to clean the pool from the protection of a shark cage. Cuddles also dragged keeper Don Robinson into the pool when he was at Dudley Zoo but that was possibly a PR stunt. | Florence Morning News, June 13, 1971;Edward R. Riciuti, Killers of the Sea, New York, Walker & Co., 1973, pp. 227-228; Reading Eagle, August 15, 1971; Doug Cartlidge, personal communication, March 2010. |
| #23 | 1972 | Seven Seas Texas, USA | Nootka | Trainer Larry Smith got bitten in the head. | Grand Prairie Daily News, August 11, 1972. |
| #24 | 1972 | Seven Seas Texas, USA | Nootka | Trainer Bob Peek suffered a laceration over the eye. | Grand Prairie Daily News, August 11, 1972. |
| #25 | January 1973 | Dudley Zoo, England | Cuddles | Young male Cuddles “misgauged its daily kiss for trainer Roy Lock. The whale put too much feeling into the gesture. Lock had to be taken to the hospital with a broken nose.” | Casa Grande Dispatch, January 24, 1973. |
| #26 | 1974 | Windsor Safari Park, England | Winston | 4-year-old male Winston, then known as Ramu, attacked trainer Doug Cartlidge. There was on official report which was sent to SeaWorld and all other facilities holding orca detailing the attack. SeaWorld have video of Ramu coming out of the water and trying to pull Doug Cartlidge from the training platform. It was part of the video showing all the hand signals before he went over there. Winston also nearly had HRH Prince of Wales when he was swimming with him…but staff saw the “red eye” and got the prince out just in time. He also had a model and punctured skin on her leg…she sued but was paid off… |
Doug Cartlidge, personal communication, March 2010; The Eagle, Bryan, Texas, March 15, 1976. |
| #27 | late 1970’s | Marineland Antibes, France | Kim | Young male Kim took a trainer in his mouth and held him at the bottom of the pool. Finally releasing him, he allowed the trainer to exit safely. | Story on internet sites but no original source known. |
| #28 | 1978/05/02 | Marineland of the Pacific, USA | Orky 2 | Trainer Jill Stratton, 27, was nearly drowned when 10-year-old male Orky 2 suddenly pinned her to the bottom of the tank and held her underwater for four minutes. | Cathleen Decker, Trainer Leaves Hospital, Isn’t Angry with Whale, Los Angeles Times, May 1978. |
| #29 | 1978/05/22 | Sea World California, USA | Winston | 8-year-old male Winston attacked trainer Greg Williams, who was treated at a hospital for several small puncture wounds. Winston took the trainer’s legs in his mouth during a training session. | The Chillicoth Constitution Tribune, May 26, 1978. |
| #30 | summer of 1979 | Vancouver Aquarium, Canada | Skana | “When I was narrating a Killer Whale show with Skana at the Vancouver Aquarium in summer 1979, Skana closed her jaws on the trainer’s head during a part of the show called the Kiss. Skana held his head in her mouth for a few seconds and then released her jaws. The trainer left the show immediately, blood streaming from his forehead. Skana was sending a message; she was in control. The Kiss was never done again.” | Dr. Sandra Scott, personal communication, October 2013. |
| 1980s | |||||
| #31 | 1980’s | Nanki Shirahama Adventure World, Japan | Benkei | Male Benkei pinched his trainer’s arm. | Story on internet sites but no original source known. |
| #32 | 1983/06/11 | SeaWorld California, USA | Kandu 5 | 6-year-old female Kandu 5 “took a trainer in her mouth and momentarily refused to let go.” | The San Bernadino County Sun, July 28, 1983. |
| #33 | 1983/07 | SeaWorld California, USA | Kandu 5, Kenau | 6-year-old female Kandu 5 and 7-year-old female Kenau disrupted shows in July 1983 by pushing trainers “relentlessly from one end of the tank to the other.” SeaWorld spokewoman Jackie O’Conner said the activity is “the kind of thing we occasionally see in the spring.” | The San Bernadino County Sun, July 28, 1983. |
| #34 | 1984 | Hafnarfjordur Aquarium, Iceland | Tilikum | 3-year-old male Tilikum attacked his trainer when he was trying to get him to move from between pools at the Sædýrasafninu sea animal park, biting a good bit out of his wetsuit and dragging him down. | Death at Sea World, November 26, 2013. |
| #35 | 1984/02/23 | Sea World California, USA | Kandu 5 | 7-year-old female Kandu 5 took trainer Joanne Hay in her mouth and pinned her against a wall during a performance. | Mike Lee, SeaWorld San Diego suspends Shamu show, San Diego Union-Tribune, February 24, 2010. |
| #36 | 1984/08/12 | Sea World California, USA | unknown | Two killer whales grabbed the legs of trainer Bud Krames and pinned him against a glass retaining wall during a performance. Krames suffers bruises. | Mike Lee, SeaWorld San Diego suspends Shamu show, San Diego Union-Tribune, February 24, 2010. |
| #37 | 1984/11/02 | Sea World California, USA | Kandu 5 | 7-year-old female Kandu 5 briefly grabbed the legs of trainer Georgia Jones during a Shamu show but released the trainer unhurt. The 4,500-pound killer whale took Jones’ legs in her mouth, but didn’t bite down. | Mike Lee, SeaWorld San Diego suspends Shamu show, San Diego Union-Tribune, February 24, 2010. |
| #38 | 1986 | Marineland Ontario, Canada | Kandu 7 | There have been reports of trainers being held underwater by the mammals. In 1986, one trainer was taken to the hospital when he fell off young male Kandu 7 and was dragged by the leg around the pool during a stunt. | Enzo di Matto, Mahem in Marineland, NOW Magazine, October 10-16, 1996, Vol. 16 No. 6. |
| #39 | 1986 | Marineland Ontario, Canada | Nootka 5 | 4-year-old female Nootka 5 whacked one trainer in the head with his pectoral during a trick. According to a former trainer, the whale often leapt out of the water to strike trainers by the pool in the chest. | Enzo di Matto, Mahem in Marineland, NOW Magazine, October 10-16, 1996, Vol. 16 No. 6. |
| #40 | 1986/11/16 | Sea World California, USA | Kandu 5 | 9-year-old female Kandu 5 pressed her snout against trainer Mark Beeler and held him against a wall for a few seconds during a performance before several hundred spectators. | Dayna Lynn Fried & John Wilkens, Kandu bled to death, San Diego Union-Tribune, August 23, 1989; Mike Lee, SeaWorld San Diego suspends Shamu show, San Diego Union-Tribune, February 24, 2010. |
| #41 | 1987 | Sea World California, USA | unknown | Numerous San Diego newspapers reported on a “white paper” disclosing at least 14 trainer injuries of various severity while working with orcas within a five-month period in 1987. Only a few of the incidents have been described in the media. | Janny Scott, Waves of trouble at Sea World, Los Angeles Times, December 20, 1987, p. 1.;Ukiah Daily Journal, December 9, 1987. |
| #42 | 1987/03/04 | Sea World California, USA | Kandu 5, Kenau | A six-ton orca suddenly grabbed trainer Jonathan Smith, 21, in its teeth, dove to the bottom of the tank, then carried him bleeding to the surface and spat him out. Smith gallantly waved to the crowd – which he attributed to his training as a Sea World performer – when a second orca slammed into him. He continued to pretend he was unhurt as the whales repeatedly dragged him 32 ft to the bottom of the pool. Smith was cut all around his torso, had a ruptured kidney and a six-inch laceration of his liver, yet he managed to escape and get out of the pool. Later reports indicate that the whales involved had been 10-year-old female Kenau and 9-year-old female Kandu 5. | Erich Hoyt, The Performing Orca, WDCS, 1992, p. 32; Video. |
| #43 | 1987/06/15 | Sea World California, USA | Kandu 5 | Trainer Joanne Webber, 29, suffered a fractured neck when 9-year-old female Kandu 5 landed on top of her and pushed her to the bottom of the pool during a practice session. Webber had five years experience working with orcas. | Ex-trainer suing Sea World for neck injury, San Diego Union-Tribune, June 15, 1988, p. B-3. |
| #44 | 1987/09/28 | Sea World California, USA | unknown | Trainer Mark McHugh was bitten on the hand while feeding an orca between shows. | Killer whale injures trainer, Daily Breeze, October 1, 1987. |
| #45 | 1987/09/30 | Sea World California, USA | unknown | While working with one orca during a performance trainer Chris Barlow, 24, was being rammed in the stomach by another orca. Barlow was hospitalized with minor injuries. | Killer whale injures trainer, Daily Breeze, October 1, 1987; Mike Lee, SeaWorld San Diego suspends Shamu show, San Diego Union-Tribune, February 24, 2010. |
| #46 | 1987/11/21 | Sea World California, USA | Orky 2 | Trainer John Sillick, 26, suffered fractured vertebrae (T1 to T12), a fractured femur, and a fractured pelvis after 19-year-old male Orky 2 breached on top of him while riding on another orca during a performance. Sillick had less than two years experience working with orcas. | Robert Reinhold, At Sea World, stress tests whale and man, New York Times, April 4, 1988, p. A-1; Ukiah Daily Journal, December 3, 1987; Video. |
| #47 | end of 1988 | Kamogawa Sea World, Japan | unknown | In May 1991, one of the trainers that swam with the orcas, told after a show that he had been pinned to the bottom of the pool by an orca and that it happened all the time. | Peter Hamilton, Lifeforce Foundation, personal communication May 1991. |
| #48 | 1989/04/01 | Sealand of the Pacific, Canada | Nootka 4 | Trainer Henriette Huber fell into the whale pool after 6-year-old female Nootka 4 closed her mouth on her hand while scratching Nootka’s tongue. Several stitches were required to close the puncture wound. | Barbara McLintock, Whale bit me – ex trainer, The Province, May 3, 1991. |
| #49 | 1989/04/08 | Sea World Texas, USA | Kasatka | 12-year-old female Kasatka mouthed a trainer’s leg. | Sea World Animal Profiles, Revision June 2010. |
| #50 | 1989/09/30 | Sea World Texas, USA | Kasatka | 12-year-old female Kasatka mouthed a trainer’s feet. | Sea World Animal Profiles, Revision June 2010. |
| #51 | 1989/10/29 | Sea World Florida, USA | Katina | 13-year-old female Katina mouthed a trainer’s waist. | Sea World Animal Profiles, Revision June 2010. |
| #52 | 1989 | Sealand of the Pacific, Canada | Nootka 4 | 6-year-old female Nootka 4 had grabbed a tourist’s camera that was lowered to water level. Head trainer Steve Huxter grabbed the camera strap and was pulled into the pool. The orca had hold of his leg while he was pulled out by hand by fellow trainer Eric Walters. | Dirk Meissner, Safety worries led to Sealand resignations, Times Colonist, February 22, 1991, p. A-1. |
| 1990s | |||||
| #53 | 1990s | Reino Aventura, Mexico | Keiko | Subadult male Keiko snapped at the park’s veterinarian. | Take Part, September 24, 2013. |
| #54 | 1990s | Reino Aventura, Mexico | Keiko | Subadult male Keiko took a swipe at the park’s owner. | Take Part, September 24, 2013. |
| #55 | 1990/04/21 | Sea World California, USA | Orkid | 1-year-old female Orkid bumped a trainer’s head. | Sea World Animal Profiles, Revision June 2010. |
| #56 | 1990/07/06 | Sea World California, USA | Kasatka | 14-year-old female Kasatka mouthed a trainer’s thigh. | Sea World Animal Profiles, Revision June 2010. |
| #57 | 1990/07/28 | Sea World California, USA | Corky 2 | 24-year-old female Corky 2 pushed the mid-section of a trainer. | Sea World Animal Profiles, Revision September 2010. |
| #58 | 1991/02/20 | Sealand of the Pacific, Canada | Haida 2, Nootka 4, Tilikum | Trainer Keltie Byrne, 20, slipped into the whale pool and was carried into the middle by 11-year-old female Haida 2, and repeatedly submerged as the other two orcas, 11-year-old female Nootka 4 and 10-year-old male Tilikum, joined in. After futile attempts of rescue, Byrne drowned. | Sea World Animal Profiles; Dirk Meissner, Whales pull trainer to death, Times Colonist, February 21, 1991, p. A-1. |
| #59 | 1991/07/31 | Sea World California, USA | Kasatka | 14-year-old female Kasatka grabbed a trainer’s foot (termed “jaw popped on foot” in Injury Report) and fluked a trainer’s back. | Sea World Animal Profiles, Revision June 2010. |
| #60 | 1992/04/02 | Sea World Florida, USA | Katina | 15-year-old female Katina bumped a trainer’s hip. | Sea World Animal Profiles, Revision June 2010. |
| #61 | 1992/10/11 | Sea World California, USA | Kasatka | 14-year-old female Kasatka mouthed a trainer’s foot. | Sea World Animal Profiles, Revision June 2010. |
| #62 | 1992 | Sea World Ohio, USA | Kayla | 3-year-old female Kayla pushed a trainer back toward pool during training. | Sea World Animal Profiles, Revision June 2010. |
| #63 | 1993/04/25 | Sea World California, USA | Kasatka | 16-year-old female Kasatka tried to bite a trainer (not Kenneth Peters, btw), mouthed feet and legs. | Sea World Animal Profiles, Revision June 2010; Pauline Repard, Killer whale bites trainer, takes him to tank bottom, San Diego Union-Tribune, November 30, 2006. |
| #64 | 1993/07/15 | Sea World California, USA | Kasatka | 16-year-old female Kasatka mouthed a trainer’s feet and legs, grabbed a knee and dunked the trainer, grabbed a foot and dunked the trainer. | Sea World Animal Profiles, Revision June 2010. |
| #65 | 1993/08/03 | Sea World Florida, USA | Katina | 17-year-old female Katina bumped a trainer’s body. | Sea World Animal Profiles, Revision June 2010. |
| #66 | 1994/02/24 | Sea World Florida, USA | Katina | 18-year-old female Katina bumped a trainer’s hand. | Sea World Animal Profiles, Revision June 2010. |
| #67 | 1994/06/30 | Sea World California, USA | Corky 2 | 28-year-old female Corky 2 pushed a trainer. | Sea World Animal Profiles, Revision September 2010. |
| #68 | 1994/10/23 | Sea World California, USA | Orkid | 6-year-old female Orkid bumped a trainer’s thigh. | Sea World Animal Profiles, Revision June 2010. |
| #69 | 1995/02/09 | Sea World Florida, USA | Katina | 19-year-old female Katina pushed a trainer. | Sea World Animal Profiles, Revision June 2010. |
| #70 | 1995/07/30 | Sea World California, USA | Takara | 4-year-old female Takara swam over a surfaced trainer. | Sea World Animal Profiles, Revision June 2010. |
| #71 | 1996/01/25 | Sea World California, USA | Orkid | 7-year-old female Orkid opened her mouth at a trainer and mouthed a trainer’s thigh. | Sea World Animal Profiles, Revision June 2010. |
| #72 | 1996/02/09 | Sea World California, USA | Orkid | 7-year-old female Orkid bumped a trainer’s thigh, bumped a trainer’s body and fluked a trainer. | Sea World Animal Profiles, Revision June 2010. |
| #73 | 1996/07/03 | Sea World California, USA | Orkid | 7-year-old female Orkid pushed a trainer. | Sea World Animal Profiles, Revision June 2010. |
| #74 | 1996/07/20 | Sea World Texas, USA | Kayla | 7-year-old female Kayla split to slide out during the show after a non-bridged behaviour. At that time, a guest tried to touch her and she thrashed her head from side to side with her mouth open. No injury occurred. | Sea World Animal Profiles, Revision June 2010. |
| #75 | 1996/11/22 | Sea World California, USA | Orkid | 8-year-old female Orkid head popped a trainer’s arm. | Sea World Animal Profiles, Revision June 2010. |
| #76 | 1997/10/03 | Sea World California, USA | Ulises | 20-year-old male Ulises came out at a trainer. | Sea World Animal Profiles, Revision June 2010. |
| #77 | 1997/11/15 | Sea World California, USA | Orkid | 9-year-old female Orkid bumped a trainer’s hip. | Sea World Animal Profiles, Revision June 2010. |
| #78 | 1998/06/23 | Sea World California, USA | Orkid | 9-year-old female Orkid pushed a kayak with a trainer around. | Sea World Animal Profiles, Revision June 2010. |
| #79 | 1998/07/16 | Sea World California, USA | Orkid | 9-year-old female Orkid was performing a hydro-hop behaviour during a night show. The trainer accidentally hit her tail flukes with his hand upon his re-entry and she responded by hitting him in the stomach with her head. She responded to a stage call calmly. | Sea World Animal Profiles, Revision June 2010. |
| #80 | 1999/03/09 | Sea World California, USA | Takara | 7-year-old female Takara came out at a trainer. | Sea World Animal Profiles, Revision June 2010. |
| #81 | 1999/06/12 | Sea World California, USA | Kasatka | After her calf Takara split to a back pool during a show, 23-year-old Kasatka, the dominant female in the park, began to fast swim around the perimeter, grabbed trainer Kenneth Peters’ leg and attempted to throw him out of the pool at SeaWorld San Diego. Peters was pulled out of the pool by another trainer. | Sea World Animal Profiles, Revision June 2010; Killer whales: Other Sea World attacks, Orlando Sentinel, February 27, 2010. |
| #82 | 1999/07/05 | Sea World Florida, USA | Tilikum | A dead man’s naked body was found at SeaWorld Florida in Orlando, scratched, bruised and draped over 18-year-old male Tilikum, the largest killer whale in captivity. The 27-year-old, later identified as a man with a history of mental illness, apparently made his way past security at SeaWorld, remaining in the park after it had closed. Wearing only his underwear, the man either jumped, fell or was pulled into Tilikum’s huge tank. A medical examiner concluded the man suffered hypothermia and drowned. | Sea World Animal Profiles; Orlando Sentinel, July 6, 1999. |
| #83 | 1999/08/16 | Sea World Texas, USA | Kayla | 10-year-old female Kayla became aggressive with a trainer during a waterwork sequence in the show after several behaviours without reinforcement, in combination with social problems between Kayla and adult female Winnie | Sea World Animal Profiles, Revision June 2010. |
| #84 | 1990s/2000s | Sea World Florida, USA | Taima | Young female Taima had “a history of aggression in her years of waterwork interactions”, had shown “aggression towards trainers” and her “unpredictable nature” had “postponed waterwork interactions indefinitely and limited her to dry interactions only”. | Sea World Animal Profiles, January 2010. |
| #85 | 1990s/2000s | Sea World California, USA | Splash | Young male Splash opened his mouth on a trainer’s leg. | The Dodo, May 2, 2014. |
| 2000s | |||||
| #86 | 2000s | Sea World California, USA | Corky 2 | 34-year-old female Corky 2 prevents a trainer from exiting the water by rostrum “blocking”. | Sea World Animal Profiles, Revision September 2010. |
| #87 | 2000s | Sea World Florida, USA | Ikaika | Young male Ikaika has a history of aggression, often of a sexual nature, which began with an attempt to breed a young calf at SeaWorld shortly before his transfer to Canada. SeaWorld’s veterinarians then sedated Ikaika twice daily with Valium to “try to mellow him out.” “We’ve already seen some of the precursors (of a human attack) up there, meaning he’s grabbed boots, he’s grabbed targets, he’s grabbed an arm before,” Chuck Tompkins, a senior executive at SeaWorld and head animal trainer, said in an affidavit. Those are signs Ikaika is testing his environment and seeing what he can do, Tompkins told the court. “And if you’re not aware of all the little things that killer whales do, you can get somebody really, really hurt,” Tompkins said in his affidavit. “I’ve got grave concerns on the safety of the staff and inevitably the safety of the animal because of the lack of change.” | Liam Casey, Custody of killer whale plays out in court, Toronto Star, July 16, 2011. |
| #88 | early 2000’s | Sea World Florida, USA | Tuar | While a trainer was retrieving an article from the back of the mouth, young male Tuar clamped down on the trainer’s arm and held tight for several moments. | Sea World Animal Profiles, Revision June 2010. |
| #89 | early 2000’s | Sea World Florida, USA | Tuar | Young male Tuar was involved in one swim over a surfaced trainer during waterwork with another young male, Tekoa. He did respond to a recall after two attempts. | Sea World Animal Profiles, Revision June 2010. |
| #90 | mid 2000’s | Sea World Texas, USA | Tuar | Since his move to Texas in April 2004, young male Tuar has opened his mouth towards trainers on a few occasions while in the water with him. This behaviour seems to present itself when sequences are predictable, and has been during solo waterwork only. | Sea World Animal Profiles, Revision June 2010. |
| #91 | mid 2000’s | Port of Nagoya Aquarium, Japan | Ku | Female Ku lunges at trainer. | Video. |
| #92 | 2001 | Kamogawa Sea World, Japan | Bingo | 19-year-old male Bingo pushed his trainer through and under water during a show. | Story on internet sites but no original source known. |
| #93 | 2001/08/01 | Nanki Shirahama Adventure World, Japan | Ran, Goro | 13-year-old female Ran and 17-year-old male Goro broke a trainer’s leg during a show. | Story on internet sites but no original source known. |
| #94 | 2002 | Sea World California, USA | Ulises | 25-year-old male Ulises was doing a waterwork session in “A” pool. His trainer was on his back and wanted him to move closer to the acrylic by giving him the cue to “steer” him in a directional way. Ulises did not know this behaviour. Instead, he took this as a finger roll, the trainer fell off and Ulises began to go on a descent. He ignored the trainer on the porch trying to receive him and turned around to go back towards his trainer in the water. He turned ventral and scooped her up, and then started to become erect. She was able to get off at the porch and reinforce him. He was calm. | Sea World Animal Profiles, Revision June 2010. |
| #95 | 2002/07/31 | Sea World California, USA | Orkid | 13-year-old female Orkid was given the opportunity to rehearse pulling a trainer into the water by her bootie (sic!). After placing a foot in Orkid’s mouth several times Orkid pulled the trainer in the water and pulled the bootie off. | Sea World Animal Profiles, Revision June 2010. |
| #96 | 2002/08/07 | Sea World California, USA | Splash, Orkid | A female SeaWorld trainer was hospitalized and recovering from a broken arm after an incident at Shamu Stadium on Wednesday. The 28-year-old Tamaree was doing poolside training with 12-year-old male Splash and 13-year-old female Orkid. “She was playing with the whales, talking to them,” said SeaWorld spokeswoman Darla Davis. “The next thing we know, as it appears from the video, she was pulled into the water.” The park has its own video from a pool camera, and it also reviewed a video taken by a visitor who was recording his children nearby. Park officials said the trainer swam out of the water on her own. She was taken to a local hospital, where a pin was put in her arm. Doctors also are monitoring scrapes for possible infection. | Shanna McCord, San Diego Union-Tribune, August 8, 2002. |
| #97 | 2003 | Sea World Texas, USA | Kayla | 14-year-old female Kayla had refused multiple separations prior to the show opening. She proceeded to perform abnormally high bows on a fast swim cue, came back and received an LRS(* see below), performed another set of bows on the fast swim. She was then asked for a line up, tactile was applied and she lined up with a slight lean. As the trainer backed over the wall, she then came out of the line up towards him with her mouth open. No contact was made. She then performed a head bobbing behaviour and split to the front pool. After several minutes staff attempted control and they were able to separate her to the back pool to continue the show. | Sea World Animal Profiles, Revision June 2010. |
| #98 | 2003/08/01 | Sea World Texas, USA | Kyuquot | During a portion of the show, 16-year-old male Kyuquot refused to let a trainer exit the pool. He did not become aggressive, but refused callback tones and slaps, and would not allow the trainer to leave the pool. The trainer was able to get close enough to the glass to pull himself out very quickly, and Kyuquot then proceeded to fast swim around the pool, followed by sliding out at stage. | Sea World Animal Profiles, Revision June 2010. |
| #99 | October 2003 | Sea World Texas, USA | Kayla | After the opening segment of a show, 15-year-old female Kayla refused to separate into the back pool for the ballet. She had been holding under control in the back during the “trainer intro”, began dipping her head under the surface, and then became “big-eyed”. It was decided then not to use her for waterwork during that show. She then refused separations to the back pool in a variety of contexts. During attempts to separate any of the animals for the show, she fluke splashed a trainer, and later motioned her head (mouth open) towards a trainer’s hand. No injury occurred. | Sea World Animal Profiles, Revision June 2010. |
| #100 | 2004/05/17 | Sea World California, USA | Orkid | 15-year-old female Orkid bumped a trainer’s thigh. | Sea World Animal Profiles, Revision June 2010. |
| #101 | 2004/07/27 | Sea World Texas, USA | Kyuquot | 12-year-old male Kyuquot repeatedly slammed trainer Steve Aibel underwater during a show. Aibel, who was uninjured, had trained Kyuquot for 10 years. Kyuquot refused a rocket hop during a show, then repeated it well. However, Kyuquot then refused to allow the trainer to exit the pool. He then proceeded to swim over the trainer, blocking any exit from the pool for two to three minutes. He refused several callback attempts, including tones, hand slaps, and attempts at control by trainers in various positions around the pool. Once the trainer was close to the middle of the pool, Kyuquot then calmed down, finally drifting close to the stage, where the trainer was able to quickly exit. During the whole incident, Kyuquot never once opened his mouth on the trainer. | Sea World Animal Profiles, Revision June 2010; SeaWorld San Antonio Killer Whale Trainer Has Close Cal, KSAT San Antonio, July 27, 2004; Video. |
| #102 | 2004/08/22 | Sea World California, USA | Ulises | 27-year-old male Ulises was doing a Scuba session with his trainer in “A” pool (a spotter Scuba diver was also at the bottom), when he looped around, became erect, and then swam on top of his trainer. He ignored a hand slap and tone before responding to a second tone. | Sea World Animal Profiles, Revision June 2010. |
| #103 | Summer 2004 | Sea World Texas, USA | Kayla | During a night show, 15-year-old female Kayla had performed the first two songs of the show acceptably, and then did two ventral squirt bow cues. She responded well to both LRS (* see below) that occurred, and then received a primary reinforcement for the second LRS. She was then asked for a fluke splash to the back, and then asked to separate to the back pool. During the separation attempt, she lunged at her trainer, although no contact occurred. After several minutes, she separated into the back pool, allowing the show to continue. | Sea World Animal Profiles, Revision June 2010. |
| #104 | 2004/10/18 | Sea World California, USA | Kasatka | A trainer was attempting to Scuba dive in “E” pool with 28-year-old female Kasatka and her 3-year-old male calf Nakai. The trainer did not have approval to swim with fins. He may have brushed her with his fins and she became aggressive, mouthing fins and Scuba gear. She eventually responded to a hand slap stage call. | Sea World Animal Profiles, Revision June 2010. |
| #105 | 2005/04/01 | Sea World Florida, USA | Taku | A SeaWorld Orlando trainer is expected to return to work soon after being injured by an “overly excited” killer whale, a theme-park spokeswoman said Sunday. 11-year-old male Taku, one of nine at the park that go by the stage name Shamu, swam rapidly past the trainer and circled back, bumping him repeatedly during the Shamu Adventure show at 12:30 p.m. Friday, spokeswoman Becca Bides said. “The trainer maintained control of the animal,” Bides said, and the show continued uninterrupted. The trainer, supervisor Sam Davis, was taken to Sand Lake Hospital for unspecified minor injuries and released the same day, she said. Additional eyewitness account: “The trainer and Taku were about to slide on the slide out at the end of the show when Taku completly stopped and started “bumping” the trainer. The trainer was male and he finally swam out of the tank. I knew something was wrong because non of the whale except Kalina wanted to perform. Then they finally got Taku out to splash people at the end of the show, when this incident took place.” |
Christopher Sherman, Killer whale jolts trainer, Orlando Sentinel, April 4, 2005. |
| #106 | 2005/04/14 | Sea World California, USA | Orkid | During a two whale – one trainer interaction, 16-year-old female Orkid initially responded to a stage call but quickly reached back and pulled a trainer by her ankle to the bottom of “A” pool. Orkid responded to the call back tone. | Sea World Animal Profiles, Revision June 2010. |
| #107 | 2005/05/06 | Sea World California, USA | Orkid | 16-year-old female Orkid grabbed a trainer’s foot and dunked the trainer. | Sea World Animal Profiles, Revision June 2010. |
| #108 | 2006 | Sea World California, USA | Corky 2 | After a good playtime session including waterwork in “A” pool, while sitting at stage with a few trainers next to her, 40-year-old female Corky 2 began to mouth a trainer’s ponytail. She corrected quickly once asked by a trainer on stage to sit “heads up”. | Sea World Animal Profiles, Revision September 2010. |
| #109 | October 2006 | Sea World Texas, USA | Kayla | After performing a sequence in the show, 17-year-old female Kayla was in the stage slide out with her trainer receiving secondary reinforcement. As the trainer attempted to point her back in the water, Kayla lunged at thim with her mouth open, contacting him and throwing him several feet. She immediately came back to control, separated to the back pool perfectly, and was very good behaviourally the rest of the day. | Sea World Animal Profiles, Revision June 2010. |
| #110 | November 2006 | Sea World Texas, USA | Kayla | After performing a med pool separation well, 17-year-old female Kayla was receiving various secondary reinforcers while the gate closed when she pulled away from the wall. She was asked to come back to control, which she did. After a whistle bridge, the trainer went to feed her. Kayla lunged at her, knocking a bucket off the wall. No injury occurred. | Sea World Animal Profiles, Revision June 2010. |
| #111 | 2006/11/15 | Sea World California, USA | Orkid | A SeaWorld trainer was injured, when 18-year-old female Orkid grabbed senior trainer Brian Rokeach by the leg, pulled him to the bottom of the pool and held him under water for about 26 seconds. Orkid released Rokeach after Peters repeatedly slapped the water, the signal for the animals to return to the front of the Shamu Stadium stage. Rokeach suffered a torn ankle ligament but was not hospitalized. In response to the incident, SeaWorld increased to five the number of trainers who must be available during live performances and other times when trainers are in the water with the whales. | Sea World Animal Profiles; Terry Rodgers, Marine park cited after whale attack, San Diego Union-Tribune, March 4, 2007; Video. |
| #112 | 2006/11/29 | Sea World California, USA | Kasatka | 30-year-old female Kasatka attacked Kenneth Peters, SeaWorld San Diego’s most experienced trainer, during a show at Shamu Stadium. Kasatka grabbed the trainer’s foot and dove to the bottom of the 36-foot tank. They surfaced less than a minute later, but she ignored other trainers’ signals to draw her to the side. The orca dove a second time with the trainer for about a minute. Peters only escaped after other trainers worked a large safety net between the two. He suffered puncture wounds and a broken left foot. That’s the second reported attack by Kasatka on Peters. | Sea World Animal Profiles; Pauline Repard, Killer whale bites trainer, takes him to tank bottom, San Diego Union-Tribune, November 30, 2006;Killer whale attacks Sea World trainer, CNN, November 30, 2006; Tony Perry, Killer whales endanger park staff, state says, Los Angeles Times, March 2, 2007; OHAS report; 10 News video; Death at SeaWorld. |
| #113 | 2007/04/06 | Sea World Texas, USA | Tuar | 7-year-old male Tuar opened and closed his mouth around a trainer’s leg after a dive in prior to the ballet sequence of the show. No injury occurred. | Sea World Animal Profiles, Revision June 2010. |
| #114 | 2007/04/10 | Sea World California, USA | Orkid | 18-year-old female Orkid was doing an Artificial Insemination session. She had been a bit vocal but was asked for the roll over behaviour for an ultrasound. The trainer then asked Orkid to perform a slide-out behaviour. She refused this behaviour and then swiped her head making contact with the trainer which resulted in the trainer falling over the wall. She did perform the slide-out behaviour after this. The 35-year-old trainer was taken to a hospital for examination and was found to have suffered minor injuries after the bump from the 5,900-pound whale. | Sea World Animal Profiles, Revision June 2010; KFMB-CBS, San Diego, April 11, 2007. |
| #115 | 2007/10/06 | Loro Parque Tenerife, Spain | Tekoa | A trainer at the Loro Parque theme park on Tenerife is in hospital after she was injured this weekend during a training session with 6-year-old male Tekoa at the centre in Puerto de la Cruz. The Canarias 7 newspaper says the incident happened at the pre-show warm up on Saturday, when the orca crashed into the trainer, injuring her right lung and breaking her forearm in two places. She was rescued by two colleagues after the marine mammal dragged her down to the bottom of the pool. The trainer is now said to be stable after surgery on Saturday. Later it becomes know that the injured trainer is 29-year-old biologist Claudia Vollhardt from Germany, who has worked at the park since 2003. OME News write that it was a male orca that hit the trainer and dragged her down after the impact. Then that same animal grabbed the trainer by the arm and brought her back up to the surface. | Trainer attacked by killer whale at Loro Parque theme park on Tenerife, Typically Spanish, October 7, 2007. |
| #116 | January 2008 | Sea World Florida, USA | Takara | 16-year-old female Takara hit a trainer with her tail fluke, who was smacked off the slide-out. | Video. |
| #117 | 2008/03/18 | Sea World California, USA | Kasatka | 32-year-old female Kasatka came out at a trainer. | Sea World Animal Profiles, Revision June 2010. |
| #118 | July 2008 | Marineland Antibes, France | Valentin | Not further detailed incident between 12-year-old male Valentin and trainer Nico, not officially reported. | Story on internet sites but no original source known. |
| #119 | 2008/09/09 | Marineland Antibes, France | Freya | 27-year-old female Freya pushed a trainer through and under water (not as part of the training or show). | Video. |
| #120 | 2008/09/10 | Sea World California, USA | Kasatka | 32-year-old female Kasatka came out at a trainer. | Sea World Animal Profiles, Revision June 2010. |
| #121 | Spring 2009 | Loro Parque Tenerife, Spain | Skyla | In the spring of 2009, during a public show, 5-year-old female Skyla started pushing her trainer around the pool and up against the pool wall. Shortly thereafter, special protocols (limits on water work and a mandate that only senior trainers work with her) that had been standard practice for Tekoa after the incident in 2007 were enacted for Skyla as well. | Tim Zimmermann, Blood in the Water, Outside Magazine, July 18, 2011. |
| #122 | 2009/07/17 | Marineland Antibes, France | Wikie | 8-year-old female Wikie pushed a trainer through and under water (not as part of the training or show). | Eyewitness account on internet site. |
| #123 | September 2009 | Loro Parque Tenerife, Spain | Keto | Not further detailed incident between 14-year-old male Keto and trainer Brian Rokeach, noted by fellow trainer Alexis Martinez. | Tim Zimmermann, Blood in the Water, Outside Magazine, July 18, 2011. |
| #124 | 2009/12/24 | Loro Parque Tenerife, Spain | Keto | A Loro Parque trainer has been killed by one of the whales during a training session. The trainer was 29-year-old Alexis Martínez, and the accident occurred at 10.30 am this morning during the first training session for the Christmas Special planned for the New Year. The other 7 trainers were also present in the training session. As far as can be determined right now, Alexis was hit by 14-year-old male killer whale Keto, and his death was caused by drowning because he was under the water unconscious for several minutes before he could be rescued. The autopsy report on Martínez was telling and states bluntly that his was a “violent death.” It describes multiple cuts and bruises, the collapse of both lungs, fractures of the ribs and sternum, a lacerated liver, severely damaged vital organs, and puncture marks “consistent with the teeth of an orca.” It concludes that the immediate cause of death was fluid in the lungs (i.e., drowning) but that the fundamental cause was “mechanical asphyxiation due to compression and crushing of the thoracic abdomen with injuries to the vital organs.” In other words, at some point Keto probably slammed into Martínez with such force that he caved in his chest. | Trainer dies in accident at Killer Whale park in Tenerife, Typically Spanish, December 24, 2009;Tim Zimmermann, Blood in the Water, Outside Magazine, July 18, 2011. |
| 2010s | |||||
| #125 | 2010 | Sea World California, USA | Orkid | 21-year-old female Orkid has been sliding out in various slide-out areas on her free time which has resulted in possibly dangerous scenarios for guests at the Dine with Shamu area. Changes are (were?) being made to the areas to help decrease the frequency of this behaviour in areas where person might be injured. | Sea World Animal Profiles, Revision June 2010. |
| #126 | 2010/02/24 | Sea World Florida, USA | Tilikum | A veteran animal trainer was killed Wednesday at SeaWorld Florida when one of the show’s killer whales dragged her underwater. SeaWorld said that 29-year-old male Tilikum pulled Dawn Brancheau, 40, into the orca’s tank about 2pm. Witnesses told that the animal suddenly grabbed Brancheau by the upper arm, tossed her around in his mouth and pulled her beneath the water as dozens of tourists looked on in horror. The coroner catalogued a fractured neck, a broken jaw, and a dislocated elbow and knee. | Sea World Animal Profiles, Revision June 2010; Jason Garcia and Susan Jacobsen, Animal trainer killed at Sea World, Los Angeles Times, February 25, 2010;Tim Zimmermann, The Killer in the Pool, Outside Magazine, July 30, 2010. |
| #127 | July 2012 | Six Flags Vallejo, USA | Shouka | 9-year-old female Shouka repeatedly lunged at a trainer. | Without Me There Is No You (Blog incl. video). |
| #128 | December 2012 | Miami Seaquarium, USA | Lolita | 46-year-old female Lolita snaps at visitor. | Video. |
http://www.orcahome.de/incidents.htm
In the Wild
There are no solid evidence or proof of any attacks on humans from whales in the wild.
http://www.takepart.com/article/2014/02/24/did-wild-orca-really-just-attack-diver-new-zealand
Visual Communication 