Tilikum (orca)
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| Tilikum | |
|---|---|
Tilikum during a performance at SeaWorld in 2009
| |
| Species | Orcinus orca |
| Breed | Icelandic Transient |
| Sex | Male |
| Born | c. 1981 |
| Nation from | Iceland |
| Employer | SeaWorld Orlando |
| Weight | 12,000 pounds (5,400 kg) |
Contents
[hide]Description
Tilikum measures 22.5 feet (6.9 m) long and weighs 12,000 pounds (5,400 kg).[3] His pectoral fins are 7 feet (2.1 m) long, his flukes curl under, and his 6.5 feet (2.0 m)-tall dorsal fin is collapsed completely to his left side. He is the largest orca in captivity. Tilikum's vocals are higher than other males his size.Captivity
Tilikum was captured in Berufjörður off the east coast of Iceland in 9th November 1983 at about three years of age.
Sealand of the Pacific
Tilikum was first sent to live at Sealand of the Pacific, now closed, in South Oak Bay, British Columbia at the Oak Bay Marina, in the city of Victoria, in British Columbia, Canada. There, he lived with two older females named Haida II and Nootka IV. Tilikum was at the bottom of the social structure, and Haida II and Nootka IV would often chase him into the medical pool. Sealand of the Pacific utilized food motivation as part of their training methods, meaning the whales were fed when they responded in a desired fashion to commands and had food withheld when they didn't.The three whales' pen was separated from the ocean by a net; the owner of Sealand of the Pacific, Bob Wright, worried that at night the whales might chew through the net, or an activist might cut it to free them. Thus, at night, the whales were moved to a holding module 20 feet (6.1 m) deep and 28 feet (8.5 m) in diameter.
First death
On February 21, 1991, a trainer named Keltie Byrne slipped into the tank of the three whales. Although Tilikum was not the orca who initially touched Byrne, he, orca Haida II and Nootka IV submerged Keltie below the water. The trainer subsequently drowned. Both females were pregnant at the time, which was not known to the trainers.[4][5][6]Tilikum was moved to SeaWorld Orlando, Florida on January 9, 1992. Sealand of the Pacific closed soon after.[7]
Second death
On July 6, 1999, a 27-year-old man named Daniel P. Dukes was found dead and nude, draped over Tilikum’s back.[8] Dukes had visited SeaWorld the previous day, stayed after the park closed, and evaded security to enter the orca tank. An autopsy of the body found multiple wounds, contusions, and abrasions, and concluded he may have died from hypothermia and drowning. It also noted "laceration and avulsion of the scrotum with testes". (They were either bitten or pulled off.)[9][10][11][12]Third death
On February 24, 2010, Tilikum was involved in a third incident when he killed Dawn Brancheau, a 40-year-old trainer.[13][14] Brancheau was drowned after a "Dine with Shamu" show. At least a dozen patrons witnessed Dawn in the water with Tilikum; however, it is unclear how many patrons witnessed enough of the incident to understand at the time that it was out of the ordinary. Employees used nets and threw food at Tilikum in an attempt to distract him.[15]Moving from pool to pool in the complex, they eventually directed Tilikum to a smaller, medical pool, where it would be easier to calm him. He subsequently released Brancheau's body. A SeaWorld executive, witnesses and video footage from right before the attack confirm that Dawn was lying with her face next to Tilikum's on a slide-out (a platform submerged about a foot into water). SeaWorld misrepresented the cause of the incident, claiming that the trainer was pulled into the water by her ponytail and that it may have got caught in Tilikum's teeth, stating further that the trainer's hair may have also been confused for a toy or a fish because Bracheau had been holding a fish previously and may have touched her hair afterwards, leaving the scent.[16] However, witnesses to the incident stated that the trainer was pulled into the water by her arm.[15][17] Brancheau's autopsy indicated death by drowning and blunt force trauma. The autopsy noted that her spinal cord was severed and she sustained fractures to her jawbone, ribs and a cervical vertebra.[18]
On August 23, 2010, the park was fined US$75,000 by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for three safety violations, two directly related to Brancheau's death. SeaWorld issued a statement that called OSHA's findings "unfounded".[19] Although Brancheau's widower, Scott Brancheau, hired a Chicago law firm that specializes in wrongful-death litigation, he has not taken any legal action against SeaWorld.[20]
Return to performing
Tilikum returned to performing on March 30, 2011. The trainers have continued their court-ordered policy of doing no water work with the whale. High pressure water hoses are used to massage him, rather than hands, and removable guardrails have also begun to be used on the platforms. There are plans to install false-bottom floors that can lift trainers and whales out of the pools in under a minute. Despite claims that Tilikum is kept alone and separated from the remaining whales,[citation needed] he has been paired with his grandson Trua, and can often be seen performing alongside him during the finale of the new "One Ocean" Show. He has on occasion been kept with his daughter Malia, or both Trua and Malia at the same time.[21] In December 2011, he was put on hiatus from the shows following an undisclosed illness. He resumed performing in the spring of 2012.[22]Offspring
Tilikum is the most successful sire in captivity, with 21 offspring, 11 of which are still alive.[citation needed]While living in Sealand, Tilikum sired his first calf Kyuquot, which was born to Haida II on December 24, 1991.
Since his arrival at SeaWorld, Tilikum has sired many calves with many different females. Tilikum's calves are;
- Kyuquot (1991),
- SOP-9201 (1992. Died after 36 days, cause unknown),
- Nyar (1993–1996),
- Taku (1993-2007),
- SWF-9401 (1994 Stillbirth),
- SWF-9601 (1996 Stillbirth),
- Unna (1996),
- SWF-9701 (1997 Stillbirth),
- Sumar (1998–2010),
- Tuar (1999),
- Tekoa (2000),
- Nakai (2001) †,
- SWT-0101 (2001 Stillbirth),
- Kohana (2002),
- Ikaika (2002),
- Skyla (2004),
- SWF-0501 (2005 Miscarriage unconfirmed),
- Malia (2007),
- Sakari (2010),
- SWF-1001 (2010 Stillbirth),
- Makaio (2010).
Family
- Daughters: Unna, SWF-9701, Nyar*, Kohana, Skyla, Malia and Sakari.
- Sons: Kyuquot, SOP-9201 (1992-1992), Taku*, Sumar*, Tuar, Tekoa, Nakai, SWT-0101, Ikaika, Makaio
- Offspring unknown: SWF-9401, SWF-9601, SWF-0501 and SWF-1001.
- Granddaughters: Nalani, Victoria*
- Grandsons: Trua, Adán
Controversy
On December 7, 2010, TMZ reported that PETA and Mötley Crüe member Tommy Lee sent a letter to Terry Prather, SeaWorld's president, 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 "we know from SeaWorld's own director of safety (as well as videos on the web)" that SeaWorld obtains sperm from Tilikum by having a person "get into the pool and masturbate him with a cow's vagina filled with hot water" which 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".[24] On December 8, 2010, the SeaWorld VP of Communications responded to Mr. Lee's letter via E! News, stating that PETA's facts were not only inaccurate, but that SeaWorld trainers "do not now, nor have they ever entered the water with Tilikum for this purpose."[25]Tilikum is the subject of the documentary film Blackfish, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2013, and is critical of SeaWorld's treatment of orcas.
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