SeaWorld Probed by Two Federal Agencies
Two federal agencies are probing SeaWorld in the wake of the deadly attack on one of its trainers by a killer whale, according to CNN.
The Department of Labor announced the Occupational Safety and Health Administration will probe whether SeaWorld violated workplace safety standards.
Dawn Brancheau, 40, was killed Wednesday at the close of the lunchtime show by the killer whale Tilikum in front of a horrified audience.
WKMG: Amateur video of trainer with Tilikum Before Attack
Tilikum grabbed Brancheau by her ponytail and yanked her into the water. Brancheau was rubbing Tilikum after the "Dine With Shamu" show when the 22-foot, 12,000-pound creature grabbed her ponytail and yanked her into the water.
OHSA's inquiry will last six months. SeaWorld faces potential financial penalties if infractions are found.
The Agriculture Department's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is also examining the incident, but from the perspective of animal welfare.
"If we feel animals are suffering, we can confiscate the animal," David Sacks, a USDA spokesman, told CNN.
The Animal Welfare Act, signed into law in 1966, establishes minimum standards for the treatment of animals in facilities with USDA licenses. If infractions are found, a formal investigation would begin. SeaWorld could face fines and the loss or suspension of its license.
SeaWorld has never had any penalties enforced against them, Sacks said.
Related stories on Tilikum:
SeaWorld: The Show Must Go On
SeaWorld Defends Serial Killer Whale
Ex-SeaWorld Official: Trainer Made Mistake
Dawn Brancheau's Last Moments Alive
SeaWorld Trainer Embraced Risks of Job
SeaWorld Dives into Damage Control
Trainer Has "No Fear" of Killer Whales
Tilikum Trainer Had to be Pulled From Jaws
Does Killer Whale Need a Lawyer?
What Caused Killer Whale to Attack?
On Friday, SeaWorld announced it wouldn't punish Tilikum and plans to resume its killer whale shows Saturday. They had been suspended since the attack.
Trainers won't be allowed to enter the water with the whales pending a review of the park's safety practices.
SeaWorld president Jim Atchison said Tilikum will remain an "active, contributing member of the team" during a press conference in Orlando that was framed in front of the park's killer whale tank.
Thad Lacinak, the former head of animal training at SeaWorld Orlando who trained Brancheau, said Tilikum was just curious about her ponytail and dragged her into the water to investigate a new toy.
Lacinak said Brancheau was very good but made a mistake by lying down on a watery shelf next to animal and letting her long hair get in front of orca - the largest killer whale in captivity.
"She was an excellent trainer, one of the best I've seen in my life ... But allowing her ponytail to drift into the water like that in front of the animal turned out to be a fatal mistake," Lacinak, who left SeaWorld in 2008 after a long career to start a consultancy, told The Associated Press.
Atchison said it was "far too early" to assess whether Brancheau made any errors in handling Tilikum.
Tilikum has a history of violence. He was also one of three orcas blamed for killing a trainer in 1991 after the woman lost her balance and fell into a pool at a Sealand theme park near Victoria, British Columbia.
In 1999, the body of a naked man was found draped over Tilikum at SeaWorld in Orlando. Officials said the man had stayed in the park after closing and apparently fell into the whale tank. An autopsy found he died of hypothermia. Officials also said it appeared Tilikum bit the man.
Because of Tilikum's size and history of aggressive behavior, visitors were not allowed to get close to the whale, and trainers were not permitted to climb into the water with the animal. They were only allowed to work with him from a partially submerged deck.