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SeaWorld to reopen 'Dine with Shamu' show

By the CNN Wire Staff
In February 2010, a 6-ton killer whale killed a senior trainer at SeaWorld of Orlando's Shamu Stadium.
In February 2010, a 6-ton killer whale killed a senior trainer at SeaWorld of Orlando's Shamu Stadium.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Action comes almost a year after whale killed trainer at Orlando park
  • San Antonio park's show to open first, followed by those in Orlando and San Diego
  • Spokesman: Orlando park show will get "a new look"

(CNN) -- SeaWorld says its "Dine with Shamu" killer whale show is reopening, nearly a year after it closed following the death of a trainer.

The show opens February 26 at SeaWorld's San Antonio, Texas, park, followed by its parks in San Diego, California, and Orlando, Florida, in the spring, the company said.

In February 2010, Tilikum, a 12,000-pound killer whale, pulled senior trainer Dawn Brancheau, 40, underwater and killed her as horrified visitors watched at SeaWorld of Orlando's Shamu Stadium. After Brancheau's death, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined SeaWorld $75,000 for three safety violations, including one classified as willful.

In a statement, SeaWorld said that its internal review reached a different conclusion. Without providing details, the statement said the conclusions were "drawn from decades of experience caring for marine mammals."

In the past, SeaWorld's parks in Orlando, San Antonio and San Diego gave customers the opportunity to eat a meal next to the killer whale tank while interacting with the trainers.

SeaWorld's Nick Gollattscheck with said the reopened show in Orlando would receive "a new look and surface around the pool and new glass in the guest viewing area."