Video shows the moment a trainer at SeaWorld was seized by an orca and dragged to her death.

The trainer was Dawn Brancheau, who had worked at SeaWorld for some 16 years, including with bull orca Tilikum who was the subject of 2013 Netflix documentary Blackfish.

Tilikum was a large orca who had been captured when he was just two years old.

The enormous whale weighed around 12,500lbs, and had fathered multiple calves at SeaWorld.

At the time of his attack on Dawn he had already been involved in the deaths of two other people.

The first was Keltie Lee Byrne, 20, who was killed at Sealand off the Pacific in 1991 after slipping and falling into a tank containing three orcas, including Tilikum.

In 1999 27-year-old Daniel P. Dukes became the second death attributed to Tilikum.

Daniel had stayed in the park after it closed, and his body was found in the whale enclosure having been mutilated by Tilikum.

After Daniel's death Tilikum was ruled to be too dangerous to swim with, even for trainers.

Tilikum the orca, with the floppy dorsal fin characteristic of captive orcas (Gerardo Mora/Getty Images)

In 2010 Dawn had been working with Tilikum from the side of the pool when some of her hair had floated into the water.

In a police report Jan Topoleski told investigators: "Dawn was lying on her stomach... Tilikum was interacting with her nose to nose. Dawn's long hair floated on the water in to Tilikum's mouth."

Topoleski recalled how Dawn had begun struggling to free her hair from Tilikum's mouth, which had prompted him to push the alarm button.

When he turned back after hitting the alarm Dawn had disappeared.

CCTV from the park shows Dawn entering the water at 13:38.

Five horrible minutes later at 13:43 and Tilikum could be seen swimming around with her lifeless body in his jaws.

Her body could not be retrieved from the pool for 20 minutes.

Below the water's surface visitors and staff witnessed Dawn's final moments as the orca dragged her around the tank.

Tilikum was involved in the deaths of three people (Gerardo Mora/Getty Images)

Staffer Lynne Schaber had been waiting for the signal for Tilikum to descend so visitors could get photos.

Instead she witnessed Tilikum killing Dawn in the pool, saying that he never let her go up for air despite her frantic efforts to surface and breathe.

One witness claimed that as they saw Dawn trying to get out of the water they saw Tilikum 'impact her squarely in the chest'.

They added that he had 'looped around and came back towards Dawn Brancheau with his mouth open.'

Even after Dawn's body had been recovered witnesses reported that Tilikum had tried to retrieve it.

The precise reason for Tilikum's attack has never been established.

Orcas rely on sonar to communicate, and one theory has suggested that the concrete tanks in which they are held echo their own voice back at them as it bounces off the walls.

It has been noted that no fatal attacks on humans by wild orcas have ever been recorded, only by captive orcas.

The horrifying moment an orca swam past the viewing window with its dead trainer in its mouth was spotted by a visitor at SeaWorld.

Dawn Brancheau worked with orcas at the Orlando resort for over 15 years, becoming SeaWorld's poster girl.

However, February 2010, would mark her last encounter with the animals, with the 40-year-old ending up being grabbed and pulled underwater while working with 12,000lb killer whale Tilikum - also known as ‘Tilly’ or by the stage name of ‘Shamu’.

Susanne De Wit was visiting the resort at the time of the incident and spotted the moment the orca swam towards the viewing window with Brancheau in its mouth.

An investigation into Brancheau's death was launched by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration - who later imposed a ban on trainers entering the water with whales during shows - and De Wit subsequently came forward to speak about what she saw.

In a statement to the Orange County Sheriff's Office, De Wit said: "They told us he was playing with the trainer. Suddenly, I saw Shamu grabbing the trainer by the shoulder and pulling her down in the water near the window. It did not look normal.

Dawn Brancheau worked as a trainer for 15 years (CNN)

"It was scary. He was very wild with the trainer still in the whale’s mouth. The whale’s tail was very wild in the water.

"The tour guide pulled us out and there was a full alarm. We then saw them throw a net into the water."

A report into the incident also referred to an interview with De Wit, who had been visiting from the Netherlands, saying how she recalled seeing Brancheau’s legs as she moved ‘extremely fast’ while the whale ‘was shaking’.

Speaking to The Sun in 2021, Brancheau’s sister, Debbie Frogameni, said the family was still trying to understand what had happened.

Brancheau was killed by killer whale Tilikum (Getty Images/ Gerardo Mora)

"Some days, I think we are still processing her loss," she said.

"Dawn was just so special to so many people and I'm not sure you ever get past losing someone like her.

"I think we do find some comfort knowing that she accomplished and experienced more in her short 40 years than most people who live long lives.

"But that doesn't take away what our family and the world lost that day."

In a statement to the outlet, SeaWorld said: "That tragic situation happened more than 12 years ago. Trainers have not been in the water training with killer whales for many years.

"We have extensive protocols and training in place to protect the safety of our trainers and animals."

If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact Cruse Bereavement Care via their national helpline on 0808 808 1677.

Heartbreaking footage shows a captive killer whale laying almost motionless in a tiny pool at Mundo Marino, Argentina's largest aquarium.

Kshamenk, 35, was first brought to the site in 1992 after being captured off the Samborombón Bay.

According to aquarium, the then three-year-old orca was discovered beached on the bay by fishermen and was with three other killer whales.

Kshamenk was then taken to his concrete tank at Mundo Marino in which he has spent the last 32 years.

His tank mate Belen passed away in 2000 aged just 13, which means the last 24 years of Kshamenk's life have been spent in total isolation from his own species.

Since then, the 35-year-old orca has spent every day in a cramped, shallow pool with little room to swim around.

He is the last remaining captive killer whale in Argentina.

UrgentSeas, a non-profit organization which aims to end marine captivity, is campaigning to free Kshamenk and take him to an open sanctuary with other orcas to socialize with.

On August 12, UrgentSeas captured a heartbreaking 24-hour timelapse video which shows Kshamenk laying motionless with his face pointed directly towards the enclosure's gate as though he's wanting to be let out.

Kshamenk is kept in the same enclosure 24/7. (SWNS/@UrgentSeas)

A spokesperson from the organization said: "We continue to work with Argentinian activists and members of Congress to try to highlight and address his cruel world.

"He needs to be removed from his tiny concrete tank and to join other members of his species before it’s too late."

UNILAD has approached Mundo Marino for comment.

Despite the 'Blackfish effect', which was a surge in awareness and activism for captive orcas after the 2013 documentary aired, Kshamenk slipped through the cracks.

The hard-hitting film documents the controversial captivity of killer whales, and its dangers for both humans and the species.

Activists are calling for the orca's release. (SWNS/@UrgentSeas)

Tilikum the killer whale was the focus of documentary, an orca who was kept in a tank at SeaLand in Canada with two much larger female orcas who would regularly attack him.

He was later moved to SeaWorld in Orlando after he and the two other orcas at SeaLand killed a young trainer.

While in Orlando, Tilikum killed another two people - a tragedy that Blackfish looks further into.

The large mammal died from a bacterial lung infection on January 6, 2017.

Blackfish boasts a near-perfect score of 99 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and is currently streaming on Netflix, Hulu and Fubo.

Killer whales may be one of the ocean’s most powerful predators, but they’ve also been routinely used as theme park attractions across the globe for decades.

In 1965, the San Diego branch of SeaWorld made history by putting on the company’s first-ever orca show, starring a female orca named Shamu.

When Shamu died in 1971, the company trademarked the name and has continued to bestow the mantle on various orcas over the years.

While SeaWorld no longer breeds orcas in captivity, many parks still keep these majestic beasts in captivity and continue to task them with learning tricks and performing stunts.

As well as holding the animals at their own parks, the company has previously lent out orcas to other parks.

Back in 2009, SeaWorld loaned four killer whales to Loro Parque in Tenerife to star in the resort’s Orca Ocean attraction.

One of these was a 6,600-pound Orca named Keto.

Keto, 28, is famously the offspring of the late Kalina, the first killer whale to be birthed in a SeaWorld theme park.

Following Keto’s arrival at Loro Parque, he was put under the care of 29-year-old Alexis Martínez, a man who would meet his fate while training the beast.

At the time, Martínez had been working at the park for five years and was known to be intuitive and experienced with the apex predators.

During Keto’s initial tenure at the Tenerife institution, he was paired with Martínez and the duo would perform for thousands of paying customers.

However, in December 2009, he started to behave out of character.

At the time, he and Martínez were working with another trainer, Brian Rokeach, on a festive-themed show. It’s said Keto’s training started positively during the Christmas session.

Outside Magazine reports that staff claimed the animal ‘appeared in a good mood’ and was ‘on form’. But when Martínez attempted a move called ‘a stand-on spy hop’, Keto caused his trainer to fall off him.

A 2012 report says: “After Keto failed to perform a number of behaviors correctly, [Martínez] and Keto were floating on the surface of the pool.”

It’s then reported that the orca ‘positioned himself’ between his trainer and the stage before pushing Martínez to the bottom of the man-made pool with his rostrum.

It's then said the orca hit him and violently played with his body underneath the water.

Realising that Martínez was in danger, Rokeach signalled for Keto to stop. An alarm was sounded and Keto resurfaced near the stage with his trainer on his rostrum (the orca’s snout) and his mouth closed.

The report said that the sea beast eventually released Martínez, who sank to the bottom of the pool.

Rokeach and his fellow trainers at Loro Parque were able to manoeuvre Keto into another pool while they recovered Martínez’s dead body.

Following the fatal incident, the report claimed that SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment temporarily suspended waterwork in all of its parks, while Loro Parque temporarily ceased all waterwork with killer whales.

Martínez’s death was initially characterized as an ‘unfortunate accident’ by Loro Parque's bosses.

However, an autopsy later discovered he died of massive internal bleeding and injuries, as per the Occupation Safety and Health Review Commission.

The report claimed Martínez died due to 'grave injuries sustained by an orca attack, including multiple compression fractures, tears to vital organs, and the bite marks of the animal on his body'.

It later emerged that Keto had been displaying aggressive behaviors and had injured his fellow species in two separate attacks.

Following Martínez’s tragic death, the trainer’s former co-worker Dawn Brancheau was killed in an orca attack in front of spectators at Seaworld in Orlando, Florida.

Six years later, SeaWorld announced that they would cease breeding orcas in captivity and would begin to phase out their shows.

Today, guests can still see the animals up close in shows such as Orca Encounter: A Killer Whale Experience.

The site claims the event will leave revellers with a ‘ deeper understanding of these magnificent animals’ and will ‘inspire’ customers to ‘care even more profoundly for the wonders of our natural world.’

Footage caught by a tourist visiting SeaWorld shows the final moments of a trainer who was killed after being dragged underwater by an Orca.

Dawn Brancheau was a 40-year-old senior trainer at SeaWorld in Orlando, Florida, and worked regularly with the animals, including one killer whale named Tilikum.

See the harrowing footage of her final moments below:

Tilikum had been captured when he was just two-years-old, and appeared at Sealand of the Pacific in Vancouver, BC, before he was moved to Florida.

The whale was one of the biggest Orcas living at SeaWorld, where Brancheau began to work after studying psychology and animal behaviours at college and volunteering at an animal shelter.

On 24 February, 2010, guests at SeaWorld went to watch a 'Dine with Shamu' experience, during which Brancheau got close to Tilikum's tank.

The trainer wasn't in the pool with Tilikum, but lay close to the edge with her face near the water.

As she got close, the huge whale grabbed Brancheau in his mouth and dragged her into the pool.

Chuck Tompkins, SeaWorld parks' head of animal training, told Reuters at the time: "She was rubbing the killer whale's head, and [it] grabbed her and pulled her in."

The whale refused to let go of Branchaeu, and the trainer tragically drowned as she was held under the water. During the attack, Tilikum ripped off one of Brancheau's arms, severed her spinal cord and broke a number of her ribs.

A witness told local news the whale 'took off really fast' as Branchaeu got close to the pool.

"Then he came back around to the glass, jumped up, grabbed the trainer by the waist and started shaking her violently. The last thing we saw was her shoe floating."

Even when other members of staff managed to trap the whale, he still held on to Brancheau's body until staff were able to prise open his mouth.

John Hargrove, another senior trainer at SeaWorld, said after the incident that we will 'never know why Tilikum made that choice to grab Dawn and pull her into the pool'.

"He had a great relationship with her and she had a great relationship with him. I do believe that he lived her and I know that she loved him," he said.

Following Brancheau's death, Tilikum was relocated to a pool in SeaWorld where he was rarely seen by the public.

The whale was noted to have been responsible for two other attacks against humans during his time in captivity.

He died in 2017.