Nature can be really scary sometimes, and I think we can all agree on that. Even though we humans see ourselves as the top species on Earth, without our technology and tools, we’re pretty defenseless against the other creatures that share this planet with us.
That’s why it’s super important to be careful and cautious whenever we deal with animals. Unfortunately, there have been way too many cases where people got seriously hurt or even killed because they got too close to animals, whether in captivity or out in the wild.
However, most of these incidents don’t compare to the heartbreaking death of the trainer who was torn apart by a group of “psychotic” killer whales back in 1991.
Keltie Byrne was working part-time at Sealand of the Pacific in Canada while also studying to become a marine biologist.
Her job involved interacting with various marine animals, including killer whales, which are the largest members of the dolphin family.
But one day, Keltie accidentally slipped and fell into a 26-foot pool that held two female killer whales and a male named Tilikum, who later became infamous for being involved in the deaths of three people. According to reports, Tilikum was first captured off the coast of Iceland in 1983 when he was just two years old. After that, he was put into a concrete holding tank at Hafnarfjördur Marine Zoo, which is located near Reykjavík, Iceland.
In 1984, he was transferred to Sealand of the Pacific, where he spent over ten years in a 26-foot pool alongside the two female killer whales, Haida II and Nootka IV. When Keltie Byrne fell into his pool in 1991, it’s reported that Tilikum seized her while the two female killer whales prevented the park staff from rescuing her.
Keltie managed to surface twice before being pulled underwater and ultimately losing her life.
Trainer Karen McGee shared with the Daily Mirror: “I just heard her scream my name.
“I threw the life ring out to her. She was trying to grab the ring, but the whale, basically, wouldn’t let her. “To them, it was a play session, and she was in the water.” Visitors at the park also reportedly heard Keltie scream: “I don’t want to die.”
After the student passed away, Sealand permanently shut down. The three orcas were sold to SeaWorld Florida, but the controversy surrounding Tilikum didn’t stop there.
In 1999, Daniel Dukes’ body was discovered in the killer whale’s tank, although SeaWorld insisted that Dukes had trespassed after visiting the park as a guest the day before. Tilikum later killed senior orca trainer Dawn Brancheau during a performance in front of a large audience in 2010. Brancheau’s death received global attention, which ultimately led SeaWorld to terminate its orca breeding program and cease its shows for good. Tilikum passed away in 2017 after developing a bacterial infection.
