SeaWorld committed to using whale after third killing

Forty year old Sea World trainer, Dawn Brancheau, was killed on Wednesday after the 12,000 pound killer whale named Tillikum, thrashed her viciously underwater.

This is the third death Tillikum, the killer whale, has been involved with. Tillikum killed a trainer in 1991 at Sealand of the Pacific in Victoria, British Columbia.

The other incident was when a dead, nude body was found during park after hours in 1999.

Though it's the third time Tillikum has been involved in a human's death, there are reportedly no plans to take the massive animal out of the show.

We need to evaluate how to do this the right way, Chuck Tompkins, curator of zoological operations at SeaWorld Orlando said.

We need to evaluate our handling procedures and how we interact with him... I can guarantee we will make any change necessary.

The recent attack highlights the tensions that occur when humans interact closely with huge marine predators.

They are highly social animals, that tend to live in cohesive groups, so it's quite an artificial environment to capture them and put them in a small area, says Dr Andrew Foote, an expert on wild orcas, also known as killer whales, from the University of Aberdeen, UK.

The tragic events are a reminder that orcas are wild, strong and often unpredictable animals, says Danny Groves, of the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society.

Tillikum, a male or bull whale, has lived at the park since 1992, and is one of eight killer whales there.

More on Sea World's Killer Whale:

Biologist: Sea World Killer whale was probably 'bored'

Dawn Brancheau's ponytail caused whale's attack: SeaWorld curator

Sea World committed to using whale after third killing