Tilikum is one of the world's most famous orcas, known for killing three people while he was still alive.
Who Was Tilikum the Orca?
Tilikum was kept in captivity for 33 full years. He is known for killing three individuals, with the most famous case being that of Dawn Brancheau, who died in 2010 at SeaWorld.
The orca was the main focus of the controversial documentary Blackfish from 2013. This documentary sheds light on Tilikum's killings and presents these cases as a result of stress faced by the orca as he lived in captivity.
When he was two years old, the orca was captured as he was swimming in 1983 at Icelanding water. The orca was then brought to Hafnarfjördur Marine Zoo, where he stayed for almost a year. He was then brought to Vancouver's Sealand of the Pacific and later on transferred to SeaWorld Orlando in 1992.
Tilikum would showcase theatrical moves and experiences at the park. These included a "Dine with Shamu" experience where visitors could sit beside his tank and look at the orca. Shamu was also a captive orca that was part of shows in SeaWorld San Diego during the late and mid 60s.
It was during one session of "Dine with Shamu" that the orca killed Brancheau, who was his trainer that time.
Following this death, Tilikum remained in the park until the orca died on January 6, 2017, at SeaWorld Orlando due to a lung infection.
Tilikum's Attacks
As noted earlier, Tilikum killed three individuals during his lifetime. Dawn Brancheau, one of the victims, was an orca trainer at SeaWorld who had high experience in training killer whales. She was simply feeding Tilikum with fish towards the end of the "Dine with Shamu" session. She was at the pool's edge rubbing the head of the orca.
However, Tilikum then grabbed Brancheau and pulled her into the water. The accident was captured on film. There are eye witnesses that claim that they were able to witness Tilikum dragging Brancheau by her ponytail or shoulder.
Tilikum eventually released Brancheau after dragging her into the water. However, by then, it was already too late. Later autopsies confirmed that blunt force trauma and drowning both led Brancheau to her death.
While the death of Brancheau is the most famous one, it is not the only one. In February 1991, Keltie Byrne, a 20-year-old trainer, was working in SeaLand, which used to house Tilikum, when something took place and eventually led to her demise. The exact event remains unclear as the accounts of eyewitnesses differ from each other. Nevertheless, it is believed that the orca dragged her into the waters.
The second person Tilikum killed was Daniel Dukes. Unlike the other two, Dukes was not a trainer. He is believed to have snuck into the pool of Tilikum in SeaWorld Orlando. His dead body was discovered floating in the pool in July 1999. The exact events remain uncertain, but SeaWorld claims that Dukes climbed into Tilikum's pool and drowned. However, according to a coroner's reports and to activists of animal rights, a whale may have mutilated his body.
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