AN ORCA trainer screamed \"I don't want to die\" as she was mauled to death by three killer whales.<\/p>\n
Marine biology student Keltie Byrne was working part-time at Sealand of the Pacific in Canada when she was ripped apart in front of horrified onlookers in 1991.<\/p>\n
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One of the whales that attacked the 21-year-old was Tilikum. The creature suffered abuse during its 30 years in captivity and eventually killed three people in total.<\/p>\n
Keltie was the first person killed by the 5,700kg orca when she slipped into the pool by accident.<\/p>\n
Visitors to the attraction heard her scream: \"I don't want to die.\"<\/p>\n
Witnesses said Tilikum grabbed her as the two other orcas prevented the park's staff from reaching her.<\/p>\n
Witnesses said Keltie was able to reach the surface twice before being dragged underwater. <\/p>\n
Trainer Karen McGee told the Mirror: \"I just heard her scream my name.<\/p>\n
\"I threw the life-ring out to her. She was trying to grab the ring, but the whale, basically, wouldn't let her. <\/p>\n
\"To them it was a play session, and she was in the water.\"<\/p>\n
Steve Huxter, head of animal training at Sealand at the time, agreed: \"They never had a plaything in the pool that was so interactive.<\/p>\n
\"They just got incredibly excited and stimulated.\"<\/p>\n
Several hours passed before Keltie's body could be recovered.<\/p>\n
Experts believe the whale's years in captivity made it \"psychotic\". Their theories were explored in the 2013 documentary Blackfish.<\/p>\n
Tilikum was torn away from family in waters off the coast of Iceland in 1983 and put into a concrete holding tank at Hafnarfjrdur Marine Zoo near Reykjavk.<\/p>\n
It was shipped off to Sealand of the Pacific in 1984 and forced to spend 14 hours a day in a tiny 26ft pool with two older female killer whales.<\/p>\n
Just 18 months after the incident, Sealand closed its doors for good and Tilikum was sent to SeaWorld in Orlando, Florida.<\/p>\n
On July 6, 1999, horrified trainers found the body of a 27-year-old Daniel Dukes over Tilikum's back.<\/p>\n
The man had visited SeaWorld the day before and stayed after the park closed.<\/p>\n
It is not certain whether he jumped, fell, or was pulled by Tilikum into the huge tank.<\/p>\n
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A medical examiner later concluded Dukes had suffered hypothermia and drowned.<\/p>\n
And in February 2010, Tilikum would kill for the last time.<\/p>\n
The orca pulled her trainer Dawn Brancheau into the water during a show in front of horrified tourists.<\/p>\n
According to reports, the 40-year-old was scalped and had her arm bitten off during the attack.<\/p>\n
Her death made headlines across the world raising the issue of how ethical it is to keep whales in captivity.<\/p>\n
Tilikum died in 2017 after facing serious health issues.<\/p>\n
The orca was only one of the whales held in captivity who attacked humans.<\/p>\n
On April 20, 1971, SeaWorld PR secretary Annette Eckis was attacked by an orca she was supposed to ride for a publicity stunt.<\/p>\n
Kasatka, a 30-year-old orca tried to drown her trainer Ken Peters during a show.<\/p>\n
Orky II, who was captured aged six, tried to drown trainers at SeaWorld inSan Diego,California.<\/p>\n
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Orca trainer screamed I dont want to die as she was ripped apart by trio of bloodthirsty killer whale... - The US Sun<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" AN ORCA trainer screamed \"I don't want to die\" as she was mauled to death by three killer whales. Continue reading