Tilikum's Tale

In 1983, three young orcas were captured in Iceland, separated from their mothers and taken into captivity.

Tilikum

One of these orcas was Tilikum - SeaWorld's future Shamu. "Tilly" was the largest bull orca in captivity, weighing in at 5,700 kilograms and 6.9 meters long. Fans recognized his completely collapsed dorsal fin - a trait that is common for captive whales but very rare for free orcas.

Tilikum was moved to Sealand of the Pacific and began his life in aquariums.

His negative reputation began here. He was a small male in a take with two large females - Haida and Nootka. The three were held overnight in a small tank, and it became more crowded as the orcas grew. The females would rake Tilikum with their teeth, causing him to bleed. Eventually, trainers at the park had to put him in an even smaller medical pool to protect him. Some believe that this trauma caused Tilikum to develop psychosis, the first sign that something was wrong with the whale.

Tilikum in his tank

After Sealand of the Pacific was closed, Tilikum was moved to SeaWorld Orlando in 1992, where he stayed for the rest of his life. He was used for breeding and was the dad to 19 orcas - 1 at Sealand of the Pacific, 13 at SeaWorld Orlando, and 5 through artificial insemination. However, this never should have happened. Everyone's favourite Tilly was a violent whale.

Four humans have died after captive orcas attacked them. Tilikum was the orca involved in three of these deaths.

On February 20, 1991, Tilikum was in a tank with Haida and Nootka during a show at Sealand of the Pacific. One of the trainers, Keltie Byne, slipped and fell into the pool with the orcas, who began to 'play' with her. They submerged her, brought her to the surface, and then dragged her down again. No one could help her out, as the orcas ignored the other trainers, and she eventually drowned in the pool. Although the official reports say that the orca who first pulled her in could not be determined, witnesses say it was Tilikum, because they recognized his "flopped-over fin." After that, Sealand of the Pacific closed, and Tilly began his life at SeaWorld Orlando. In 1999, Daniel P. Dukes had stayed in the park after it closed, waiting to explore after dark, and eventually, he decided to go for a swim with Tilikum. The next morning, he was dead in Tilikum's tank, lying on the whale's back. His body had many puncture wounds on his body, including having his genitalia bitten off, and the cause of death was confirmed as accidental drowning.

Finally, Tilikum's final attack was on February 24, 2010. During a Dine with Shamu show at the park, Tilikum had made a mistake with a trick. He received a no-response treatment, and since the show was ending, he was being made to do tricks with little reward. After the frustration during the show, Tilikum pulled Dawn Brancheau into the water and rolled over her. Tilikum released her body after 45 minutes, but she had passed from drowning and blunt force trauma. She had many injuries, and the whale even pulled her arm off, which he refused to let go of. Witnesses had described the event, with trainers giving conflicting accounts of the situation, and SeaWorld placing the blame on Dawn due to original accounts that she was pulled in by her ponytail instead of Tilikum pulling her arm as later stated.

However, Tilikum is the victim as well.

The 2013 documentary Blackfish tells Tilikum's story, including his capture and all three deaths, with additional information on the dangers of captive orcas. It discussed the fourth fatality by orca attack, which happened in Loro Parque in Spain, involving a whale named Keto who was born in SeaWorld Orlando, as well as near-fatality attacks involving whales such as Kasatka and Orkid. By showing the horrible ways that the orcas retreated, and explaining what causes a whale to attack, viewers can learn that the true assailant is the captor, while the injured trainers and captive orcas are the victims.

Two years after the release of the documentary, SeaWorld reported an 84% drop in profits, and the creators urged viewers to help them #EmptyTheTanks. In 2016, they agreed to stop breeding orcas, so that no more whales will be in captivity after the current generation, which is a big step in the right direction, but there is more to be done. Captive whales should be kept in open sea pens for the rest of their lives since they will not survive in the wild anymore. This is the kindest option left for the orcas. After the third death, Tilikum did return to performing in 2011, but there were many more restrictions in place to keep the trainers safe. Unfortunately, Tilikum died on January 6, 2017 after having a lung infection from bacterial pneumonia. Although he is gone, his legacy continues to inspire change and motivate the public to fight for change. SeaWorld, Loro Parque, and many more need to be held accountable for the part they played in every attack after they used the whales for entertainment and damaged them due to this captivity.

Image Credits

Tilikum - Photographed by Brandy Kregel, February 5, 2009. Accessed via Flickr. Tilikum in his tank - Photographed by Orlando Travel Hotels, November 6, 2009. Accessed via Flickr.