I had never heard of Dawn Brancheau before this terrible tragedy and I saw a beautiful smiling woman who was obviously devoted to her job and her whales... her interaction with her whales was very touching and to a point displayed a brilliance ..may i convey my sincere condolences to all her family and friends this woman should be still smiling and alive with her family...but the whales should have been left where they belong ...with their family in the sea and free...R.I.P Dawn ...love LInda uk.x.

I would love to say thank you to Dawn for inspriring us to "Believe" in ourselves. She was always so expressive of her relationships with the whales. You can tell the way she smiled she loved what she did. She was living her dream and I'm sure she would not want anything to happen to Tilikum. Nobody is to blaim. It was neither Tilikum or Dawn's fault that led to this difficult time. I know all the trainers and her family are going through a rough time too and they all need our thoughts and prayers. I hope they all take extra safety measures and count their blessings. I can't wait to see the trainers back in the water with their whales because the whales love to be touched and loved. The trainers know them by name, what kind of positive reinforcement, and everything. It's not like Dawn was "trying" to swim with Tilikum. It was just a freak accident. We just have to learn and move on. I think that's what Dawn would have liked. But we all know we will NEVER forgot her! May she rest in peace! God bless the trainers/staff/family of Dawn and don't forget the orcas! =) I have made a collage of pictures I took of her back in 2008. The Dawn Brancheau Memorial Fund has permission to use all images I have. I have had a few people recommend I give it to you and you can sell prints to customers and help her spirit live on and the money can be donated to the fund. Please let me know! =D
Here is the link to the photo collage:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/shoukas_splash_zone/4440188804/

Why is it that whenever there are negative comments the poster is ALWAYS anonymous?? Just wondering...And they are always saying to put the whales down or release them and sue the place and shut them down...Ignorant people should be put down!

Sheryl,

Have you seen "The Cove"..the recent Oscar winner? You take a look and explain to me why global resources are supporting the dolphins of Japan. Sea World isn't there! After you see the documentary, you'll get it. Only at that that time is this post deserving of a response. Aside from the injured, this just isn't right..it's not rocket science! It's not about us!

God Bless!
Ayn

I offer my deepest condolences to Dawn's family and friends. This is a hard time, and I wish there was something we could do to ease her passing. I hope her memory lives on in the furthering the cause of protecting and appreciating marine life. Given this tragedy, I sincerely hope Sea World is preparing to make serious institutional changes and look carefully at every aspect of its functioning apparatuses in order to ensure that nothing of this nature is ever allowed to happen again. I know they will not compromise between profit margins, the safety of their trainers, and the well-being of the Shamu family and Orcas all around the world.

Remember Dawns family are going through something none of us can really understand. The loss of a loved one is SO painful. It's not time to judge but time to feel for Dawns husband Scott and her other family members. We all have our dreams and this was Dawns. My prayers are with her family including her SeaWorld family. Dawn has given us a most amazing gift, the insight to a relationship between whales and humans.
Rest in peace, you will be missed.

Having had time to reflect the sad event that has taken Dawn away from loving family and friends and after reading some of the comments written I would encourage everyone to think about what you write and who may read it.

Dawn chose her career and made decisions of her own, the whale in question is by it's very nature a dangerous animal and Dawn, along with all the other trainers understand that animals can be unpredictable. To kill the whale would be wrong, to isolate it for the rest of its life would also be wrong and I'm being honest, I don't have an answer to what would be right.

There should be no question over whether any of the animals are loved, they are loved and admired by thousands of people daily. They are protected from disease, from predators, from humans even and for some of them they will spend the rest of their lives in these parks because to release them would inflict harm or even death upon them.

The length of time they are made to perform (if that is in question) has surely been reviewed to take in to account the animals welfare but the one thing I would like to see is a statement from the parks on some form of retirement age from performing for these animals.

retirement or not, every performing human has this event in their mind yet they will still want to train with these creatures, explore the amazing world of wildlife and swim with the whales despite the risks. Dawn and all the trainers want only what is good for these amazing creatures and the audience go to watch the wildlife in a place that does all it can to have the safety of you and their staff at its utmost.

Dawn we have never met but you will be sorely missed by family, friends, colleagues and millions of people who have seen you do the very job you loved doing.

I feel sorry for Dawn family her heart was with the whales and if she was still here she would still be with them. People need to focus it was a accident and it was not a control thing Sea world spends Billions to save animals and try to return them back to their own area if all possible. Dawn would not want this animal harmed she knew the past and still wanted to work with the whale because that is what she loved.

Do you know they are making money , how many billions do they put out to safe different animals not just whales.

I would like to see the whales return to the wild, but it would just die dawn would never wanted this animal hurt she loved what she did and no one will ever change this. Her family are prayers are with you and we are sorry for your loss may god bless your family.Accident do happen and people have to realized this it just like a traffic accident you can never tell when it going to happen. We need to look at what dawn would had wanted yes it sad, look at how many lives she and the whales have touch. Another thing that makes me upset people think sea world it just in it for the money they lost someone valuable and a friend and a family member I wished they would have larger tanks for the whales. Dawn touch are family and I am sorry she is gone her heart will always be with the whales.

NO, you are very wrong- everyone at that park from trainers, corporate on down truly care about the animals, we love them. I would never stand for cruelty to any animal and i know the care and love these animals are given each and every day. do you have any idea how much money is spent to rescue and rehabilitate animals at Sea world? Obviously, you don't so just know that there is nothing but love by many, many people being shown to these animals. Please do not disrespect Dawn and her family by writing such nonsense.

This is an unspeakable loss for Dawns family, her sea world family and her animals that she loved so much. You really need to know what your talking about before you disrespect her memory- Tilly was rescued by Sea World from an unfit enviornment and you cannot 'just releast' these whales, as much as i love the idea myself, they would not survive. These animals are treated with care and love and given the best medical treatment available. Yes I CAN say that these trainers LOVE the whales, just look at Dawns face everytime she was with them, speak with your heart, not malice, with love and not cruelty.. or dont speak at all.
we love you dawn.

eventhough i never met dawn she has been on my mind a lot the last few days-what would her reaction to all this be if it had been another trainer killed? i dont for one minute think she would have wanted the animal put down, she would have been devastated and she would have looked for answers to prevent this accident happening again and from the shows ive seen her in, and the comments people who knew have made i think she would have tried to work out a positive outcome from all the pain and misery this incident has caused which is what i firmly believe we should all be doing

i accept everyone has the right to the views, i might not agree with them all and some might even upset me as i feel some of the things that have been said about the whole incident shouldnt have been published on a site that dawns family and friends might read but i do wish people had the courage of the convictions nearly every negative comment about seaworld or tilly or the orcas being in shows have been left by anonymous, come on if you feel that strongly at least put your name behind it!

I have the upmost respect for Sea World - their conservatio efforts, their trainers, the education they provde, and the parks themsleves. Keep up the good work and take good care of Tilly - he deserves to be cared for.

We were on holiday in Spain when we learned of this tragic accident and our thoughts are with Dawn's family and the extended SeaWorld family and her beloved orcas, We have seen the show several times now over the years, the last time being in October last year, and no one can fail to see the love that exists between the animals and the trainers and the obvious respect they have for each other and the amazing interactions that exist. Tilly is a magnificent animal and it is right that he should keep his place in the SeaWorld 'pod' as we are sure that Dawn would have wanted. She was part of a team dedicated to these animals and our understanding of them and long may the work continue.
Our sympathies are with Scott and Dawns families and long may the work of SeaWorld continue.

Dude, it so could have been prevented, they knew the whale was violent, and the smarter the animal, well, it knew what it was doing, it has done it several times before!!!!!!!!! This was a preventable "accident" ( not an accident, cause they knew it had done this before) that Sea World could have prevented by doing what they should have, and released or euthenized that whale after it killed the first victem!

To Linda ...wonder how u would like it if a killer whale killed 3 of ur kids? Sea World is responsible for the deaths that were caused by the whale, and I hope they get fined and shut down. I wish my pets got the same preferantial treatment that the murderous whale is getting, if it were your dog, it would have been euthenized long ago. And dogs arnt as smart as whales, so even less responsible, but one bite, and their dead...maybe we should treat the whales and the owner of murdering whales, the same way.

I would like to extend my deepest sympathies to Dawn's family, friends and co-workers.

Her life should be celebrated as a great example of passion, perseverance, discipline and infinite love, which she radiated to people and animals. The images with her and the whales talk by themselves.

Do orcas miss the people-trainers, with whom the had a strong bond and they love? If yes, please, love him, pay him attention and continue taking good care of him.

I really love the idea that you are going to keep Tilly. He has been there almost all of his life and he is used to the kind of life he has.

Killing him or setting him free again to the ocean is almost the same 30 years later. He is used to see people and be pet.

One suggestion: Could you make the pools larger, so they have more space and freedom to swim?
Yes, I know...this costs money, but the rewards are greater .
In this way, nobody could say that you have them in "bathtubes". They would feel much better and you would stop critics, and spectators will appreciate what you do for the whales too.

You can also show spectators how you take care of he whales everyday, besides feeding them and petting them during lunch time.

Keep the memory of Dawn Brancheau alive.

All the best

My prayers are with Dawn's husband, family, friends and coworkers. This was shocking for me because she was one of a few trainers I knew by name. She died doing what she loved. I've been going to SeaWorld for years and will continue to do so. I love the park and what they're doing for education and conservation.

To Dawn's husband, family, co-workers, friends, and whales, my heart goes out to you. Her loss is not in vane because these shows help educate people. An educated person will understand that this was an accident that could not have been prevented. Thank you for sharing Dawn with all of us. You are in my prayers.

Firstly and most importantly my deepest sympathies to Dawns family,friends and the staff at Seaworld, i have been to Seaworld on many occasions and have always been in complete awe at the way these trainers work with all the animals in the care both during the shows and at all other times

as for releasing these animals into the wild, what a ridiculous idea! anyone who has ever worked with animals, large or small knows that wild animals cannot just be 'released' they would just not survive and these people say Seaworld are cruel thats nothing to what they are to even suggest this

as for Tilly, im not sure anyone will ever know what caused him to act in this way on that trajic day but he certainly shouldnt be destroyed, he has helped to increase the population of these magnificent creatures and is certainly not some evil twisted animal, if he was he would act in this way everyday not twice in just over twenty years(i do not include the hypothermia incident as his fault) and to be honest the first incident he thought he was just protecting a pregnant female which any male would do! I think most people who work with animalson a professional basis would agree that one or two incidents over such a long period does not mean an animal is a problem, far from it in fact its just unfortunate that when he made a mistake which is what im sure it was, we ended up loosing probably his biggest fan.

RIP Dawn you will be missed

Sorry, but you seem to be using this blog for your own intentions. This is a time of mourning for Dawn' s family and you are using this space to voice your anger toward SeaWorld and how it cares for it's animals. Good grief, why not think about what Dawn's family is going through and have some respect. SeaWorld brings awareness to all of us about these glorious creatures and Dawn would be so saddened by responses such as yours.

Wow, who is the hostile person?????

I respect your opinion, Vanessa, however 98% of these whales have been born into captivity and would never survive in the wild. What SeaWorld is doing is educating the public and making all of us keenly aware of the magnificence of these creatures and how we should be treasuring them, not killing them for ill-gotten gain. Without places like SeaWorld our society would be oblivious to the value and importance these whales and other sea creatures have in this world. There are many injured, abandoned, and tortured creatures that SeaWorld takes under their wing, gives them medical treatment and releases them back into the wild. These whales would surely die if released as they have been in captivity all their lives. How do you do know they are unhappy? SeaWorld has a compassion heart toward these creatures and our environment in general. If they die in the wild, what have we accomplished for these beautiful creatures? It feels completely cruel to do so.

A memorial fund!?
Maybe this money should be used to transport these beautiful Orcas to the wild WHERE THEY BELONG. There is no arguement in this fact.
I'm sorry for the loss of Dawn, it was a tragic accident but I am glad that it has highlighted the plight of the Whales.

Everyone who is reading this KNOWS that freedom for the whales is the right thing to do - you cannot say you love them, the trainers CANNOT say they love them if they are happy to see them in these tiny bowls of water.

You know what Im saying is right - stop being politically correct and lets free these poor whales.
These shows are a disgrace.

my heart and blessings goes out to both families of dawn's . her real family and her family at seaworld . it's so hard to express the words to someone who lost someone . to give them some kind of comfort in words to express how one feels. but , always remember that her work will always live on with what she has done at seaworld and in the world around us.

Good! One less hostile person at the show! Bye!

This show should be stopped. I will not go to Sea World again until it is stopped. You should have much more respect for the victims. Let the whale go into the ocean where he belongs.

I obviously did not know Dawn, but one must be very passionate about something to train so diligently and work so hard for so little. I have talked to the trainers at Sea World, maybe Dawn, and know that they do it for the love of the animals, not the money. There is a reason they pursue this. It is not to see the animals do tricks, it is to keep this species alive. It is to learn more about what makes this huge, glorious animal tick. Accidents happen. They are tragic and so terribly sad. I can only express my deepest sympathies to Dawn's family and friends. People will use this event as a political statement of what is right and wrong with the world. While I see both sides, I really see it more as Dawn living out her dream and doing the work I bet she loved. May she be a peace and find joy in the arms of our Lord! May God bless all of us and remember this is about her and not about your personal agendas.

I am really saddened by what happened this week with Dawn and Tilly. My heart goes out to her husband, Scott and the Seaworld Family. I know she will be dearly missed, but her legacy will live on! I t has been a long time since I have been to Seaworld, and I have never met Dawn, but I am sure that she would never want anything to happen to these amazing orcas! Don't believe everything you here from these protesters, they are just giving opinions and not facts. I believe these amazing orcas are doing what they love best, performing for an audience, and that is the way Dawn would want it to continue! Again, my prayers are with Dawn and her family and also with the SeaWorld family and all the other trainers. God Bless You All!

i was at the park on sunday 14th February with my school and enjoyed every moment of it and couldn't believe the love and the close relationship between the whales and the trainers. i was shocked to hear about this on wednesday night i am from england and I would like to offer my deepest condolences to the Family of Dawn, Rest in Peace <3

stop the rantings of own beliefs...this is supposed to be for the family and well wishes, you people need to stop using this to rant and rave about your own beliefs..a cheap attempt to push what you say by putting it on site for family, not the time or place. you should be ashamed

We would like to express our deepest sympathy to Dawn's family and to her SeaWorld family for their loss of a wonderful trainer. It was our family's priviledge to have met both Dawn and Tilly on a trip to SeaWorld in 2002. While we enjoyed all the shows, our fondest memory came from the Dine with Shamu event we attended where Dawn brought Tilly to the landing right in front of our table. Her love for him and the other whales was evident as we watched her interact with them. To hear of her death brought a deep saddness to us. Between the pictures and videos we took of that night, she will never be forgotten and will live on in our hearts and memory forever.

I love visiting Sea World and loved watching Dawn and the other trainers. I hope to work with and protect whales when I grow up and to love them as much as Dawn did. Watching Dawn and how much she loved the whales has made me dream of working with whales in the future. Thank you Dawn. I will really miss you.

No words could adequately express the sadness of this event. I have had the privilege of experiencing Sea World more than once as a child in the 70's and again years later with my own daughter. Seeing a child being able to touch and feed a dolphin or watching the antics of orcas and other mammals goes far beyond mere entertainment. It helps one to appreciate that these creatures delight to interact with humans and reminds us of the responsibility we each have to care for our environment. People like Dawn have given the rest of us an opportunity to experience something we would never have had the chance to do in any other way, to see firsthand the beauty and intelligence of these great animals. As with others, our hearts go out to the family and fellow trainers and their great loss.

With the tradgey comes great learning, Dawn loved the whales as much as people enjoyed watching. But, I believe that Tilly was playing and did not realize he hurt her. The park should watch this whale for changes we need to realize everything living has feelings and with Dawn gone Tilly will know something is wrong. My prayers go to this family, lose is a heavy feeling, but with prayers and time it does heal all wounds I know from personal experience.

My condolences go out to Dawn's family as well as her SeaWorld family. In the little time I was fortunate to spend with Dawn I was truly amazed with her passion for the animals and for the people she worked with. She was an exceptionlal woman. Her passion and excitement was truly an inspiration to all who knew her. We have all lost a shining light. May your wonderful memories bring you comfort during this difficult time. She will truly be missed/

We are so deeply sorry to Dawn's family , friends and co-workers . This was a horrible accident. We had the great priviledge of seeing her and Tilli, Dawn's gleaming smile said it all. May her memory live on in all the efforts of conservation that Seaworld does, God bless the animals she devoted and gave her life too and may her family have a sense of peace during this difficult time. Our family fully supports and appreciates everything SeaWorld does, the critics are numorous and boisterous the most during times of tragedies like this, To the SeaWorld family, you have more supporters then the handful of celebrities that are spreading negativity. Dawn's passion was evident , her smile showed how much she embraced these animals and Seaworld, let her legacy live on.

I just wanted to kind thoughts to all who knew Dawn wether family or friend. Althought I am yet to visit the park I go on a forum here in the uk and all who had the chance of meeting her on their visits have spoken in glowing terms. May her love and dedication to what she did be remembered and honored. Sending love from the uk, you are all in our thoughts.

My family was so very saddened to hear about this unfortunate accident. We offer our condolences to both her family and extended Sea World Families. The Believe show has instilled such a passion for this animal in my daughter, that she has become an activist to protect these animals. She has written a letter to your park stating that this accident, while tragic, will not deter her from her dream to work with these animals. We do not believe that having these animals in captivity is cruel, and these accidents are rare, because the staff understand that these animals can have bad days, too, and because of this they are respectful to them. We have seen behind the scenes interactions with these animals and the bond between them and their trainers is undeniable! Out of all the Believe shows we had attended, only once did a female orca not do what was asked of them, and this was handled appropriately, and the show went on. It is our hope that you one day are able to resume all marine shows in order continue to educate people about life in our oceans, and to have respect for those lives. We don't believe Tilly should be punished, nor destroyed or set free for what has happened, he still has instincts deeply imbedded in his DNA, and accidents can happen, even tragedy. Again our deepest sympathies are with Dawn's family during this extremely difficult time.

My thoughts go out to Dawns husband, family, fellow trainers and friends at this sad difficult time, Also not forgetting the loss that will be felt by all the whales who loved her so dearly they also will be missing her.

Ive been privileged to of seen up close the bond that the trainers have for each other and the amazing love they have for all the whales and that love is mirrored back from the whales to each trainer, Its spine tingling to see.

Im still in shock and find it so hard to believe that Dawn has been taken from us all and I will not see and talk to her again on my next visit.
She is one of many trainers that I have grown to know over the last 10 years on my annual visits from the UK. She will be sadly missed by so many people.

I would also like to send a message to all the trainers past and present - Im thinking of you all at this sad time, I know you all share a family bond and her loss will be like losing a sister - Her spirit will continue be with you all at Shamu stadium where she loved to be performing with you.

I would like to offer my deepest condolences to the Family of Dawn as well as to her Sea World Family, after the tragic accident this week. Her passion and love for the whales at Sea World was amazing to see and she truly inspired those who watched her work with these beautiful creatures! We come to Sea World at least twice a year and Tilly has always just taken our breath away each time we see him. We hope he will remain part of the Sea World family as long as new guidelines for safety are set up.

I am deeply saddened by this tragedy for all of Dawn's family, including her Sea World family as well. My heart truly goes out to all of you. Orca's are magnificent animals, and Dawn clearly loved her job. She was and will always be a blessing to those that she inspired.

I would like to express my sympathy to Dawn's family. I have been to Sea World multiple times and witnessed her passion for her job and the whales. She will be missed. I am also dismayed at the was the media has attacked Sea World. Forty-Six years with only this one incident (not counting the misguided actions of one tresspasser) shows that Sea World has a phenominal safety record. I didn't know Dawn personally, but I'm sure she would be disappointed that the whale and Sea World are being scrutinized to this extent.

To keep a "wild" creature of this size in a tank as a captive entertainer is very sad. To have them occasionally respond in confusion, frustration and anger isn't really surprising, is it?

So terribly sad for everyone at Seaworld and your supporters. We took the long trek from Australia to visit and we were very impressed by your absolute devotion to the care of your staff and animals.
Vale Dawn.

I was shocked and sad to hear about the tragic accident that accorded Feb 24th . My boyfriend and I are big Sea World fans and have been to Sea World to many times to even try and count.. I remember seeing Dawn through the years she always was smiling and looked like she was having a great time. How many people get to do what they love!

My first thought was the whale needs to die he took a human life but that isn’t going to bring Dawn back and if what I am hearing is true she wouldn’t want that either. Because of the history of this animal I do feel that he needs to go somewhere so that he has no human contact, EVER so this never happens again but a place that he isn’t confined to an area that he can’t move in either.

Dear Dawn,

Sea World’s Believe will never be the same. You had put your mark on it way before this. It is hard to believe that the excitement and wonderful smile you have will never be seen by the visitors as well as the people you worked with every day. I know that Killer Whales that you spent so much time with are missing you too!

I hope that you did not suffer and I hope you know that above all you will be missed!

God Bless!

Please add our families voice of love and compassion. My family drives 6 hours twice a year to see the animals and the interactions with the trainers. This truly was an isolated incident, perhaps brought on by two individuals who earlier were where they shouldn't have been. OUR FAMILY LOVES SEA WORLD! Please keep the animal shows and the interactions with the trainers. If we feel we should not take all cars off the road because of an accident, we should not likewise react to this incident the same way. Thank you.

You was a great trener. I don't know why Shamu do that ? I am so sorry ;( I am from Poland ( Europe) All world knew you before your die. SO SORRY !!!!! ;(

Having these beautiful creatures perform tricks for our own enjoyment should be outlawed. I am certain that Seaworld continues these performances is to line thier own pockets. Stop the cruelty!!!