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Tilikum (killer whale)


Tilikum (c. December 1981[1] – January 6, 2017), nicknamed Tilly,[2] was a captive orca (Orcinus orca), who spent most of his life performing at SeaWorld Orlando. He was captured in Iceland in 1983 at Hafnarfjörður, near Reykjavík. About a year later, he was sold and transferred to Sealand of the Pacific in Victoria, British Columbia.[3] He was subsequently transferred in 1992 to SeaWorld Orlando, Florida.[3] Tilikum acquired global prominence after he was heavily featured in CNN Films' 2013 documentary Blackfish, that has impacted society's opinion of orcas in captivity.[4]

Tilikum became notorious for his involvement in the deaths of three people: Keltie Byrne[5] - a trainer at the now-defunct Sealand of the Pacific, Daniel Dukes - a man trespassing in SeaWorld Orlando [6], and a SeaWorld Orlando trainer Dawn Brancheau.[7]

He sired 21 calves, of which ten are still alive.[7]


Description[edit]

Tilikum was a large bull orca; the largest in captivity.[4] He measured 22.5 feet (6.9 m) long and weighed about 12,500 pounds (5,700 kg).[5] His pectoral fins were 7 feet (2.1 m) long, his fluke curled under, and his 6.5-foot-tall (2.0 m) dorsal fin was collapsed completely to his left side.[8]

Name[edit]

In the Chinook Jargon of the Pacific Northwest, his name means "friends, relations, tribe, nation, common people".[6]

Life[edit]

Origin[edit]

Tilikum was captured when he was two years old, along with two other young orcas, by a purse-seine net in November 1983, at Berufjörður, Iceland.[3] After almost a year in a tank at the Hafnarfjördur Marine Zoo, he was transferred to Sealand of the Pacific,[3] in Oak Bay, a suburb of the city of Victoria on Vancouver Island, Canada. At Sealand, he lived with two older female orcas named Haida II and Nootka IV. Tilikum was at the bottom of the social structure, and Haida II and Nootka IV behaved aggressively towards him, including forcing him into a smaller medical pool where trainers kept him for protection.[7]


Fatalities
While orca attacks on humans in the wild are rare, and no fatal attacks have been recorded[9], as of 2019 four humans have died due to interactions with captive orcas.[10] [11][12][13]Tilikum was involved in three of those deaths.


First death[edit]

On February 20, 1991, Keltie Byrne, a 21-year-old marine biology student and competitive swimmer, slipped and fell into the pool containing Tilikum, Haida II and Nootka IV while working as a part-time Sealand of the Pacific trainer. The three orcas submerged her, dragging her around the pool and preventing her from surfacing.[7] At one point, she reached the side and tried to climb out, but the orcas pulled her back into the pool. Other trainers threw her a life-ring, but the orcas kept her away from it, ignoring trainer's recall commands.[3] She surfaced three times before drowning, and it was several hours before her body could be recovered from the pool.[9][10][11][12][13]

Tilikum was moved to SeaWorld Orlando, Florida on January 9, 1992.[[14]Sealand of the Pacific closed soon afterward.[15]

Second death[edit]

On July 6, 1999, early morning, a 27-year-old man, Daniel P. Dukes, was found dead over Tilikum's back in his sleeping pool.[16] Dukes had visited SeaWorld the previous day, stayed after the park closed, and evaded security to enter the orca tank unclothed. An autopsy found numerous wounds, contusions, and abrasions covering his body that were allegedly caused by Tilikum.[17] Despite numerous cameras around and inside the pool, that are supposed to monitor orca's wellbeing, SeaWorld claims the event wasn't captured.[15] The autopsy concluded that Dukes' cause of death was drowning. The medical examiner reports that no drugs or alcohol were found in Dukes' system.[3][17][18][19]

Third death[edit]

Main article: Dawn Brancheau

On February 24, 2010, Tilikum killed Dawn Brancheau, a 40-year-old trainer.[20][21] Brancheau was killed following a Dine with Shamu show. The veteran trainer was rubbing Tilikum as part of a post-show routine when the orca grabbed her by her ponytail and pulled her into the water.[22][23][24] Brancheau's autopsy indicated death by drowning and blunt force trauma.[25]

Return to performing[edit]

Tilikum returned to performing on March 30, 2011. High pressure water hoses were used to massage him, rather than hands, and removable guardrails were used on the platforms, as OSHA has restricted close contact between orcas and trainers and reinforced safety precautions on the workplace after Dawn Brancheau's death .[16] Tilikum was paired with his grandson Trua and was often seen performing alongside him during the finale of the new One Ocean show. He had on occasion been kept with his daughter Malia, or both Trua and Malia at the same time.[26] In December 2011, he was put on hiatus from the shows following an undisclosed illness. He resumed performing at SeaWorld Orlando in April 2012.[27]


Controversy

On December 7, 2010, TMZ reported that SeaWorld's president, Terry Prather, received a letter from PETA and Mötley Crüe member Tommy Lee referencing SeaWorld's announcement regarding limiting human contact with Tilikum. In the letter, Lee refers to Tilikum as SeaWorld's "Chief Sperm Bank" and asserts that the relevant process constitutes continued human contact. The letter implores SeaWorld to release Tilikum from his tank, stating, "I hope it doesn't take another tragic death for SeaWorld to realize it shouldn't frustrate these smart animals by keeping them [confined] in tanks."[17] On December 8, 2010, the SeaWorld VP of Communications responded to Lee's letter via E! News, stating that PETA's facts were not only inaccurate, but that SeaWorld trainers also "do not now, nor have they ever entered the water with Tilikum for this purpose".[18]

Tilikum and the captivity of other orcas is the main subject of the documentary film Blackfish, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2013[19] and caused a drop in SeaWorld attendance and revenue.[20] The film and a subsequent online petition led to several popular musical groups cancelling performances at SeaWorld and Busch Gardens' "Bands, Brew & BBQ" event in 2014.[21][22]


  1. ^ Document shown in documentary Blackfish states "born 12/1981"
  2. ^ "Intentions of Whale in Killing Are Debated". The New York Times. February 26, 2010.
  3. ^ a b c Zimmermann, Tim (July 30, 2010). "The Killer in the Pool". Outside Online. Retrieved December 4, 2012.
  4. ^ "Tilikum, the orca featured in Blackfish doc and blamed for deaths of 3 people, has died". CBC. 2017-01-06.
  5. ^ "The Trio of Deaths – Keltie Byrne". Dolphin Project. 2017-02-21. Retrieved 2019-08-02.
  6. ^ Staff, Lenny Savino of The Sentinel. "MAN IN WHALE TANK WAS DRIFTER". OrlandoSentinel.com. Retrieved 2019-08-02.
  7. ^ a b "Why Tilikum, SeaWorld's Killer Orca, Was Infamous". National Geographic News. 2017-01-06. Retrieved 2019-08-02.
  8. ^ "SeaWorld Fact Check - Dorsal Fin Collapse". www.seaworldfactcheck.com. Retrieved 2019-08-13.
  9. ^ "Killer Whale Attacks". Whale Facts. 2013-04-05. Retrieved 2019-08-03.
  10. ^ "The Trio of Deaths – Keltie Byrne". Dolphin Project. 2017-02-21. Retrieved 2019-08-14.
  11. ^ "Trio of Deaths: The Portrayal of Daniel Dukes". Dolphin Project. 2017-03-07. Retrieved 2019-08-14.
  12. ^ "Seven Years On: Revisiting the Death of Dawn Brancheau". Dolphin Project. 2017-02-20. Retrieved 2019-08-14.
  13. ^ "Footage Shows Captive Orca Ramming Its Head Against Gate". Planet Experts. 2016-04-27. Retrieved 2019-08-14.
  14. ^ Troubled orca's early history - CNN Video, retrieved 2019-08-14
  15. ^ "Opinion: SeaWorld vs. the Whale That Killed Its Trainer". National Geographic News. 2013-08-04. Retrieved 2019-08-14.
  16. ^ "US Labor Department's OSHA cites SeaWorld of Florida following animal trainer's death | Occupational Safety and Health Administration". www.osha.gov. Retrieved 2019-08-14.
  17. ^ "Tommy Lee Explodes Over Whale Sperm" (PDF). TMZ. December 7, 2010.
  18. ^ Gina Serpe (December 8, 2010). "Tommy Lee Is Against Whale Masturbation. Who Isn't?". eonline.com. E! News.
  19. ^ Kinosian, Janet. "Director Gabriela Cowperthwaite gets in deep with 'Blackfish'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 27, 2013.
  20. ^ "Seaworld's Profits Drop 84% After 'Blackfish' Documentary". Time. Retrieved 2019-08-14.
  21. ^ Duke, Alan. "Barenaked Ladies' SeaWorld gig is off after viewing 'Blackfish'". Retrieved December 27, 2013.
  22. ^ David, John P. "Blackfish Backlash Continues". The Huffington Post. Retrieved December 27, 2013.
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