URL: http://orlandosentinel.com

The moment she saw her first Shamu show three decades ago, Dawn Brancheau knew she wanted to work with killer whales.

"It was her dream to do it," said Marion Loverde, Brancheau's mother. "She loved her job."

On Wednesday, Brancheau, 40, gave her life for her dream. Without warning, the killer whale Tilikum dragged her into his tank and she drowned, investigators said.

URL: signonsandiego.com

By Don Norcross, Union-Tribune staff writer

URL: http://www.thelog.com/

Two sea turtles flew first class aboard a Coast Guard C-130 airplane, Jan. 28.

The flight was part of a complicated mission to move the ailing animals from an aquarium in Oregon to an advanced care facility at SeaWorld San Diego.

For more, visit: http://www.thelog.com/news/logNewsArticle.aspx?x=10644

URL: http://www.cbs4.com/

There are three things that will stop a television newsroom dead in it's tracks, and none of them have a thing to do with news. If you want to interrupt the news cycle, just bring us edible goodies (a birthday cake, homemade brownies, etc), a baby (a staffer's baby can stop us dead for 15 minutes easy), and animals.

Make it baby penguins, and they can bring the whole station to a standstill.

URL: blogs.tampabay.com/tbt/

By Jay Cridlin

Published: February 17, 2010

Yeah, that's Willie friggin' Nelson and a bald friggin' eagle at Busch friggin' Gardens on Valentine's friggin' Day. In other words, it's the most American friggin' thing that's ever existed.

For more, visit: http://blogs.tampabay.com/tbt/2010/02/soundbytes-foxy-shazam.html