Dawn Brancheau

Dawn Brancheau
Dawn Brancheau at the Believe show, at SeaWorld, Orlando, Florida, in 2006
Born	April 16, 1969 Cedar Lake, Indiana, U.S.
Died	February 24, 2010 (aged 40) Orlando, Florida, U.S.
Cause of death	Drowning and blunt-force trauma
Occupation	SeaWorld trainer
Years active	1994–2010
Spouse(s)	Scott Brancheau (m. 1996–2010)
Parent(s)	Marion LoVerde Charles LoVerde

Dawn Therese Brancheau (née LoVerde, April 16, 1969 – February 24, 2010) was a senior animal trainer at SeaWorld. She worked with orcas at SeaWorld Orlando for fifteen years, including a leading role in revamping the Shamu show, and was SeaWorld's poster girl. She was killed by an orca, Tilikum, becoming the only SeaWorld trainer killed by an animal. However, her death was the third fatality associated with Tilikum, and many other trainers have been seriously injured by orcas.

Brancheau was born Dawn Therese LoVerde in Cedar Lake, Indiana and was the youngest of six children. She had a passionate love of animals and set her heart on becoming a Shamu trainer during a family vacation to Orlando. She graduated from the University of South Carolina with degrees in psychology and animal behavior. Away from work, she volunteered at a local animal shelter, looked after two chocolate Labradors, and kept a variety of stray ducks, chickens, rabbits, and small birds at her home.

Brancheau spent two years working with dolphins at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey before beginning her career at SeaWorld Orlando in 1994, initially working with otters and sea lions. In 1996, the same year she married Scott Brancheau, a SeaWorld stunt water skier, she started working with orcas.

In 2000, she appeared on CNN affiliate WESH and talked about staying physically fit in order to deal with the intense rigor of working with killer whales. She ran marathons, cycled, and lifted weights to stay in good shape. In 2006, her decade of work with orcas was profiled, including her leadership role in a two- to three-year revamp of the Shamu show. Brancheau acknowledged the dangers of working in close proximity to orcas. As a senior trainer, she appeared in various SeaWorld public performances for many years. The Shamu show's interaction of animal trainers with orcas was regarded as SeaWorld's star attraction.