Deadly history behind orca which dragged SeaWorld trainer into water before killing her
An orca responsible for the death of his trainer had killed before the tragic events that unfolded in 2010.
Killer whales have been in captivity since the 1960s with the animals going on to become staples of resorts like SeaWorld and other similar aquariums.
Orcas can live anywhere between 50 to 90 years and, as a result, can find themselves in captivity for years on end.
Tilikum was one example of a killer whale that spent the majority of his life in captivity. He died in 2017 at the age of 35, having spent 34 years in resorts like SeaWorld.
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The whale had an extremely troubled history, sparking the documentary Blackfish.
The hard-hitting film documents the controversial captivity of killer whales, and its dangers for both humans and the species - looking at Tilikum specifically.
The large mammal was captured in Iceland in 1983 before being shipped off to Sealand of the Pacific near Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, shortly after.
It's said that Tilikum was kept in a tank with two larger female orcas and they'd regularly attack the young whale.
But they went on to turn their aggression towards Keltie Lee Byrne, a 20-year-old trainer at the resort, after she slipped into their tank.
One of the orcas proceeded to drag Byrne further under and the trio are said to have attacked the young woman and refused to let her go despite the team's attempts to save her.
It wasn't long after her untimely death that Sealand of the Pacific closed down entirely and sold its three killer whales.
Tilikum went on to be purchased by SeaWorld in Orlando, Florida, in 1992.
It was here that his aggressive streak would strike again and in 1999, Daniel P. Dukes - a prolific trespasser - reportedly climbed into Tilikum's tank and drowned.
His corpse was found severely mutilated by the whale, but Dukes' death was ruled as an accidental drowning.
The following year marked the death of Tilikum's trainer Dawn Brancheu, who was dragged into the water by the orca.
According to reports, Brancheu was pulled in by her pony tail.
The reason why Tilikum turned on his trainer remains a mystery as the pair were said to have had 'a great relationship' with one another.
"We’ll never know why Tilikum made that choice to grab Dawn and pull her into the pool," said John Hargrove, a former a senior trainer at SeaWorld.
"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."
Brancheau's official cause of death was ruled as blunt force injury.
Niamh Shackleton