Content
- Orca - Habitat
- What does the orca eat?
- Where does the orca live?
- Tilikum - the real story
- Tilikum kills trainer Keltie Byrne
- Tilikum is transferred to SeaWorld
- Dawn Brancheau
- Complaints against SeaWorld
- Tilikum died
Tilikum was the largest marine mammal to live in captivity. He was one of the stars of the park show SeaWorld in Orlando, United States. You've certainly heard about this orca, as she was the main protagonist of the documentary Blackfish, produced by CNN Films, directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite.
There have been several accidents over the years that involved Tilikum, but one of them was so serious that Tilikum ended up killing your trainer.
However, Tilikum's life is not just limited to the moments of fame, the shows that made him a celebrity, nor the tragic accident he was involved in. If you would like to know more about Tilikum's life and understand because the orca killed the trainer, read this article that PeritoAnimal wrote especially for you.
Orca - Habitat
Before we tell you the whole story of Tilikum It is important to talk a little about these animals, how they are, how they behave, what they feed, etc. Orcas, also known as Killer whales are considered one of the biggest predators in the entire ocean.. In fact, the orca is not a family of whales, but of dolphins!
The killer whale has no natural predators, with the exception of humans. They are from the group of cetaceans (aquatic mammals) that are easier to identify: they are huge (females reach 8.5 meters and males 9.8 meters), have a typical black and white color, have a cone-shaped head, large pectoral fins and a very wide and high dorsal fin.
What does the orca eat?
THE Orca's food is very diverse. Their large size means that they can weigh up to 9 tons, requiring the ingestion of a large amount of food. These are some of the animals that the orca likes to eat the most:
- molluscs
- sharks
- Seals
- turtles
- whales
Yes, you read well, they can even eat whale. In fact, its name as a killer whale (killer whale in English) started out as a whale killer. Killer whales do not usually include dolphins, manatees or humans in their diet (to date there are no records of orcas attacks on humans, except in captivity).
Where does the orca live?
the orcas live in very cold waters, as in Alaska, Canada, Antarctica, etc. they usually do long trips, travel more than 2,000 kilometers and live in groups with a large number of members. It is normal to have 40 animals of the same species in one group.
Tilikum - the real story
Tilikum, which means "friend", was captured in 1983 off the Icelandic coast, when he was around 2 years old. This orca, along with two other orcas, was immediately sent to a water park in Canada, the Sealand of the Pacific. He became the main star of the park and shared the tank with two females, Nootka IV and Haida II.
Despite being very sociable animals, the life of these animals was not always full of harmony. Tilikum was frequently attacked by his mates and was eventually transferred to an even smaller tank to be separated from the females. Despite this, in 1991 he had his first puppy with Haida II.
In 1999, the orca Tilikum began to be trained for artificial insemination and throughout her life, Tilikum has fathered 21 cubs.
Tilikum kills trainer Keltie Byrne
The first accident with Tilikum occurred in 1991. Keltie Byrne was a 20 year old trainer which slipped and fell into the pool where Tilikum and the other two orcas were. Tilikum grabbed the trainer who submerged several times, which ended up causing the coach's death.
Tilikum is transferred to SeaWorld
After this accident, in 1992, the orcas have been transferred to SeaWorld in Orlando and Sealand of the Pacific closed its doors forever. Despite this aggressive behavior, Tilikum continued to be trained and to be the star of the show.
It was already at SeaWorld that a another accident happened, which to this day remains unexplained. A 27 year old man, Daniel Dukes was found dead in Tilikum's tank. As far as anyone knows, Daniel would have entered SeaWorld after park closing time, but no one knows how he got to the tank. He ended up drowning. He had bite marks on his body, which to this day it is not known whether they were performed before or after the event.
Even after this attack, Tilikum continued to be one of the main stars from the park.
Dawn Brancheau
It was in February 2010 that Tilikum claimed his third and final mortal victim, Dawn Brancheau. Known as one of SeaWorld's best orca trainers, had nearly 20 years of experience. According to witnesses, Tilikum pulled the trainer to the bottom of the tank. The trainer was found dead with multiple cuts, fractures and without an arm, which was swallowed by the orca.
This news caused a lot of controversy. Millions of people defended the Tilikum orca as a victim of the consequences of captivity and living in inappropriate conditions, little stimulating for their species, demanding the release of this poor killer whale. On the other hand, others discussed their sacrifice. Despite all this controversy, Tilikum continued to participate in several concerts (with reinforced security measures).
Complaints against SeaWorld
In 2013, a CNN documentary was released, whose main character was Tilikum. In this documentary, Blackfish, several people including former coaches, denounced the mistreatment suffered by the orcas and speculated that the unfortunate deaths were a consequence of it.
The way the orcas were captured was also heavily criticized in the documentary. They went taken, still puppies, from their families by sailors who frightened and cornered the animals. The orca mothers were screaming in desperation for them to return their little ones.
In the year 2017, the SeaWorld announced the end of shows with orcas in the current format, that is, with acrobatics. Instead, they would put on shows based on the behavior of the orcas themselves and focused on the conservation of the species. But animal rights activists don't conform and continue to carry out numerous protests, with the aim of putting an end to concerts involving orcas forever.
Tilikum died
It was on January 6, 2017 that we had the sad news that Tilikum died. The biggest orca that ever lived died at the age of 36, a time that is within the average life expectancy of these animals in captivity. In natural environment, these animals can live for about 60 years, and may even reach the 90 years.
It was also in the year 2017 that the SeaWorld has announced that it will no longer breed orcas in its park. The orca generation could probably be the last in the park and will continue to perform shows.
This was the story of Tilikum which, despite being controversial, is no less sad than that of so many other orcas that live in captivity. Despite being one of the best known orcas, it was not the only one involved in accidents of the kind. There are records of about 70 incidents with these animals in captivity, some of which unfortunately resulted in deaths.
If you liked this story and would like others starring animals, read the story of Laika - the first living being to be launched into space, the story of Hachiko, the faithful dog and super cat who saved a newborn in Russia .
If you want to read more articles similar to Tilikum's Story - The Orca That Killed the Trainer, we recommend that you enter our Curiosities section of the animal world.