Tilly the Orca has had a terrible life. Now, at 35, it’s coming to an end.
One of SeaWorld’s most famous whales is sick, according to the marine park. “We are saddened to report that over the past few weeks, Tilikum’s behavior has become increasingly lethargic,” said the company in a release. “The SeaWorld veterinary and animal care teams are concerned that his health is beginning to deteriorate.”
SeaWorld has been in the center of a shit storm for the last few years. When the film Blackfish was released, a lot of people sat up and took notice of just how shitty a life the animals have there. Tilikum, of course, was the star of Blackfish.
Back in the early ’80s, when he was two-years-old, Tilikum was taken from the coast of Iceland. Orcas are extremely family oriented, and often will spend their entire lives swimming beside their mothers, hunting in groups of up to 40 other whales. He was placed in Sealand, a marine park in Victoria, British Columbia that has since shut its doors, largely in part to an incident with Tilikum. Keltie Byrne, a 20-year-old trainer, slipped into Tilikum’s pool. He, along with two other orcas, killed her. A year later when Sealand closed down, he was sold to SeaWorld and moved to its Orlando park. Then, eight years later, a rough sleeper named Daniel Dukes sneaked through security and spent the night there. On the morning of July 7th he was found dead, his naked body draped over Tilikum’s back. According to reports, he decided to go skinny dipping in Tilikum’s sleep tank. Then, Tilikum “thrashed Dukes around in the tank and eventually killed him. The whale continued to play around with Dukes’ body until the following morning when Tilly was found parading Dukes’ lifeless body on his back. The whale had reportedly bitten off Dukes’ genitals, caused so many injuries that autopsy reporters were dumbfounded as to what the actual cause of death was.”
That wasn’t the last death Tilikum was involved in, either. Back in 2010, he killed another trainer named Dawn Brancheau. After she knelt at the edge of his pool, Tilikum pulled her in and drowned her. Autopsy reports revealed that “her spinal cord was severed and she had sustained fractures to her jawbone, ribs and a cervical vertebra. Her scalp was completely torn off from her head and her left arm had been severed below the shoulder.”
Interestingly, there has never been an instance of an orca killing a human in the wild. Many experts attribute Tilikum’s abnormally aggressive behavior to his captivity–an idea which makes perfect sense. Tilikum is not the only whale in captivity to exhibit the same signs. “Tilikum is a very disturbed and dangerous animal,” siad David Kirby, the author of a book called Death at SeaWorld. “But I know of at least 20 other captive animals showing similar behavior. Orcas, after all, are intelligent, family-oriented animals that swim hundreds miles a day. SeaWorld puts them in tiny tanks so we can pay to see them, then releases videos like the one below with a few trainers that love the animal who shed a few tears and distract us all from the fact that Tilikum has been forced into living a horrible life in a tank far too small for him so that SeaWorld can pad its wallet.
It appears, though, that we may not be able to see Tilikum for much longer. Although he is being treated for a bacterial infection in his lungs, the outlook is not good. “The suspected bacteria is very resistant to treatment and a cure for his illness has not been found,” SeaWorld said.
Since last July, five animals have died in SeaWorld parks, including a beluga whale, two dolphins, and Unna, the daughter of Tilikum.
Although Tilikum’s illness and probable death is sad, it may actually be a good thing in the long run. The whale is the staple of SeaWorld’s breeding program, and in California, at least, the breeding of orcas into captivity has been banned. With any luck, it will be banned all over the world, and we won’t be able to go and see captive orcas in tanks ever again–but Tilikum won’t live to see that day.
