Trainer death whale in new show

The killer whale that drowned a female trainer at Orlando's SeaWorld performed flawlessly for the first time since last year's tragedy, wowing thousands amid heightened safety that included a steel bar protecting the orca's trainers.

Tilikum participated without incident in the Florida marine park's signature Believe show yesterday, for the first time since dragging 40-year-old Dawn Brancheau from poolside by her pony tail and drowning her during a performance on February 24 last year.

Trainers on the platform stood behind the stout metal bar shaped as an inverted "U" that was designed to prevent a whale from coming up out of the pool and biting and dragging a trainer into the water.

SeaWorld animal training curator Kelly Clark said returning Tilikum to performing more than a year later was best for the whale.

"Participating in shows is just a portion of Tilikum's day, but we feel it is an important component of his physical, social and mental enrichment," she said.

"He has been regularly interacting with his trainers and the other whales for purposes of training, exercise and social and mental stimulation, and has enjoyed access to all of the pools in the Shamu Stadium complex."

There was no special reference made in yesterday's show to Tilikum's return. Nonetheless, Tilikum was the main draw for many. Orcas jumped in unison and splashed those in the front rows, delighting a crowd that filled the 5,000-seat Shamu Stadium to capacity.

No trainer has been allowed in the water during the shows since Ms Brancheau's death and they remained out of the pool yesterday. The closest the trainers got was the pool deck, standing behind the steel bar whenever they reached over to occasionally stroke the whales when they flopped on the platform or to toss them a fish treat.

In the accident that killed Ms Brancheau, she was nose-to-nose with the whale when her pony tail floated into the animal's mouth and she was dragged in, authorities have said. They added that she managed to free herself initially, but the whale continued to strike and thrash her.

Tilikum was also one of three orcas blamed for killing a trainer in 1991 after the woman lost her balance and fell in the pool at Sealand of the Pacific near Victoria, British Columbia. Tilikum was also involved in a 1999 death, when the body of a man who had sneaked by SeaWorld Orlando security was found draped over him, authorities said.

The park is still working on plans to get trainers back in the water with the whales. The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration last summer accused SeaWorld of recklessly putting trainers in danger.

The company is fighting OSHA's citations and a £46,800 fine. SeaWorld contends its parks have a good safety record during more than four decades of shows involving killer whales.

Since the death, SeaWorld officials have drawn up plans to spend millions of dollars on safety upgrades. Measures include installing rising pool floors that can quickly lift people and the whales from the water, underwater vehicles to distract the marine animals in emergencies and portable oxygen bottles for trainers.

But the day was not without protests nearby.

Many of those who went to see Tilikum perform drove past about a dozen protesters gathered outside SeaWorld's gates. The demonstrators complained that killer whales should not be held in captivity and several held up signs reading "Free Tilly".