Chilling image shows final moment before orca found with dead SeaWorld trainer in its mouth
The final ever photo of tragic SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau was taken just moments before she ended up trapped between the jaws of an orca.
The 40-year-old's death made headlines around the world, as she was killed by a six tonne and 22ft long killer whale, Tilikum, in front of the crowd of people who they had both just performed for.
Minutes before horror struck, she was seen grinning while she played with the captive marine animal in the water.
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On 24 February, 2010, Dawn and Tilikum had entertained swarms of visitors during the 'Dine with Shamu' experience.
Guests ate their grub while watching the killer whale perform with the veteran trainer, who had worked at SeaWorld Orlando for 15 years and was even their poster girl.
Her boss said she had managed to build a 'great relationship' with Tilikum, despite his track record of fatally attacking two other people and him being the largest orca in captivity.
After wrapping up the 'Dine with Shamu' segment on that fateful day, Dawn then began her end-of-show routine, which involved her rubbing the orca's head.
She was seen lying on a slide-out on the edge of the pool as she joshed around with the humungous killer whale - before she suddenly disappeared under the surface.
Tilikum had latched onto Dawn's ponytail and dragged her below the surface, while the hundreds of spectators watched on in horror.
SeaWorld staff frantically tried to encourage the killer whale to free his trainer by using nets and hurling food in the water, but there efforts were to no avail.
Tilikum continued to thrash Dawn around while holding her between his jaws and ultimately, the terrifying incident lasted for around 45 minutes.
The orca was eventually ushered into a smaller pool - while still holding his trainer in his mouth - but tragically, it was too late.
Dawn's spinal cord had been severed, and she had suffered fractures to her jawbone, ribs and vertebrae, while her scalp had also been torn from her head.
According to her autopsy report, she died from drowning and blunt force trauma.
She was Tilikum's third victim, as the orca had previously been involved in the death of Keltie Lee Byrne, 20, at Sealand of the Pacific in February 1991.
She had slipped and fallen into the whale pool and one of the marine mammals seized her foot and hauled her underwater.
The orcas involved were later sold to SeaWorld, resulting in Tilikum being sent to Orlando.
On 6 July, 1999, 27-year-old Daniel P. Dukes died - as according to SeaWorld, he had trespassed into the Florida theme park before climbing into Tilikum’s pool.
His death was ruled an accidental drowning and his corpse was found ‘severely mutilated’ by the whale.
Having taken several victims and being a main attraction at the park, Tilikum was heavily featured in the 2013 documentary, Blackfish.
Tilikum died in 2017 after suffering a series of health issues, including a persistent bacterial lung infection.
Speaking at the time of Dawn's death, John Hargrove, a senior trainer at SeaWorld, said: "We'll never know why Tilikum made that choice to grab Dawn and pull her into the pool.
"He had a great relationship with her, and she had a great relationship with him. I do believe that he loved her, and I know that she loved him."
Dawn's sister, Debbie Frogameni, paid tribute to her 'special' sibling, adding: "Watching her perform was sure to bring tears of joy for some of us. She was simply amazing."
These days, trainers can no longer perform in the water alongside captive animals at SeaWorld.
According to CBS, SeaWorld now runs a programme called 'Orca Encounter', which looks at the killer whales' role in the ocean ecosystem, behaviours that the animals exhibit in the wild, the importance of conservation to their habitat and animal welfare practices at SeaWorld.
Olivia Burke