DELAND, Fla.,None — A former SeaWorld trainer told WFTV that critical information about the killer whales with whom he worked was kept from him, including information about the whale that attacked and killed trainer Dawn Branchaeu.
The former trainer said the internal documents leaked to him had information about the whales he never knew until recently. He said the documents left out detailed information on the whales, such as past problems and previous deadly attacks.
Dr. John Jett said he's surprised about the lack of details in the documents concerning the death of Branchaeu.
Jett said that, until recently, he never saw the behavioral profiles of killer whales with whom he worked years ago. He said he never knew killer whale Katina pushed and bumped trainers, for example, as it stated in the document.
"We notice an increase in her gate running. That means she's breaking from control from the trainer. She's dicing to the gate to get out," Jett said.
Jett, now a research professor at Stetson University in DeLand, said the killer whale profiles that have been leaked to him from a current trainer anonymously would have been very helpful in the early '90s when he was a trainer at SeaWorld.
"For people like me, as a trainer, that means you don't have control of the animal, right? She's deciding, 'I don't want to be with you. I'm going to do my own thing,'" he said.
Jett was a trainer when Tilikum the killer whale arrived, after being involved in a fatality in Canada. But Jett said the new records an insider recently gave him provide incomplete information about that incident and incomplete information about how Tilikum killed Brancheau last year.
Jett said Tilikum's behavioral profile states Tilikum pulled Brancheau under by her ponytail, despite evidence she was pulled in by the arm.
"Put trainers back in the water, it's just a matter of time before someone is seriously injured or killed," Jett said.
SeaWorld said it's conditioning the behavior of the killer whales and developing new technology to ensure the safety of the trainers and the welfare of the whales.
WFTV
