SeaWorld Orlando has set up new rules to keep trainers safe when they interact with Tili the Killer Whale. Trainer Dawn Brancheau was killed in February when she got in the water with the whale. INSIDE EDITION has more.
There is news about Tili the killer whale. SeaWorld says since killing trainer Dawn Brancheau in February, Tili is no longer permitted physical contact with any trainer.
To keep the orca from being bored, inventive new ways have been designed to keep him stimulated.
The interactions between Tili and his Sea World trainers are much more controlled now. No trainers are allowed in the water. Toys are tossed from a safe distance.
Trainers used to scratch Tili's belly and massage his dorsal fin. Now they make do with high pressure hoses.
"It sprays out a huge stream of water that's pulsating, and you can tell that he really enjoys that tactile stimulation," says Kelly Flaherty Clark of SeaWorld Orlando.
Trainers used to stick their hands inside Tili's mouth to brush his teeth, but now they use long poles
"Our interactions with him are still happening each and every day, we are just making sure that those interactions are safe," Flaherty says.
They haven't yet decided whether Tili will perform for the public ever again.