Word: brancheau
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Tilikum did not just knock Dawn Brancheau over and drag her down to drown at the bottom of the pool. According to a source, he rose out of the water to snag Brancheau by her ponytail, yanking her into the water for two brief but shocking episodes in the pool. After grabbing her by her hair, he toyed with her underwater for two minutes as she struggled to use trainer signals to calm him down and get him to release her. He knocked her about and, according to some reports, had her by the waist, her blood spreading through...
...this time apparently killing her. He then settled at the bottom of the pool, keeping her in his mouth. She apparently remained there until the staff at SeaWorld managed to beach him and move him to a separate pen. No one at SeaWorld was available to confirm reports that Brancheau's body was badly mangled. (See a 2006 story about a killer-whale attack in San Diego...
...Killer-whale-trainer fatalities tend to be drownings: the human is pushed down and kept underwater. In such situations, experienced trainers know to try calming the whale with signals even as they try to control their own panic. But the violent and abrupt nature of the attack on Brancheau has stunned many in the profession. She was one of the best and most experienced in the field, featured in many of SeaWorld's promotions and advertisements...
...second touchdown. In the fourth quarter, Nicholas Lukats. Notre Dame's Hungarian halfback, lost his trousers, put on a new pair in a huddle on the side lines. After U. S. C. had failed to kick a field goal, Notre Dame passes began to work: Brancheau to Devore. to the 48-yd. line; Lukats to Melinkovich, to U. S. C.'s 41; Lukats to Melinkovich to U. S. C.'s 23; Vejar to Sheeketski, for a first down 5 yd. from the Southern California goal. Sheeketski lost 6 yd. trying to run the ball. Griffith intercepted Vejar...