15. The death of Tilikum the killer whale

Tilikum the killer whale was notorious for being involved in the deaths of three people. One of the fatalities was zoo trainer Dawn Brancheau. In what seemed to be just a routine show, the 12,000-pound killer whale dragged Dawn by her hair deep into the pool. Witnesses said that she fought hard to set herself free, but was no match against the powerful jaws of the orca. She eventually drowned and sustained broken bones throughout her body. Prior to this incident, another trainer named Keltie Byrne fell into the pool and was dragged into the bottom by Tilikum. She was then tossed among the three orcas including Tilikum in the pool. She drowned and rescuers took two hours to recover her body.

Experts believe that the Tilikum behaved the way he did because of frustration after being cramped in a small enclosure with two other orcas. The animal’s story was the subject of documentaries, showing its plight in less than ideal living conditions inside the zoo. The killer whale died in captivity, the cause of which is attributed to mental illness and incurable physical illness as a result of living under such poor condition.