&sq=&lang=&file=File:Tilikum_(orca)_(Shamu).jpg) Tilikum during a 2009 performance at SeaWorld | |
| Species | Orca (Orcinus orca) |
|---|---|
| Breed | Icelandic |
| Sex | Male |
| Born | c. December 1981 |
| Died | 6 January 2017 (aged 35) Orlando, Florida, US |
| Years active | 1983–2016 |
| Known for | Involvement in the deaths of three people |
| Mate(s) |
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| Offspring |
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| Weight | 12,500 lb (5,700 kg) |
Tilikum (c. December 1981[1] – 6 January 2017), nicknamed Tilly,[2] was a captive male orca who spent most of his life at SeaWorld Orlando in Florida. He was captured in Iceland in 1983; about a year later, he was transferred to Sealand of the Pacific near Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.[3] He was subsequently transferred in 1992 to SeaWorld in Orlando, Florida,[3] where he sired 21 calves throughout his life.[citation needed]
Tilikum was heavily featured in CNN Films' 2013 documentary Blackfish, which claims that orcas in captivity suffer psychological damage and become unnaturally aggressive.[4] Of the four fatal attacks by orcas in captivity, Tilikum was involved in three: Keltie Byrne,[5] a trainer at the now-defunct Sealand of the Pacific; Daniel P. Dukes, a man trespassing in SeaWorld Orlando;[6] and SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau.[7]
- ^ Document shown in documentary Blackfish states "born 12/1981".
- ^ Cave, Damien (February 26, 2010). "Intentions of Whale in Killing Are Debated". The New York Times.
- ^ a b Zimmermann, Tim (July 30, 2010). "The Killer in the Pool". Outside Online. Archived from the original on September 24, 2022. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
- ^ "Tilikum, the orca featured in Blackfish doc and blamed for deaths of 3 people, has died". CBC News. January 6, 2017.
- ^ "The Trio of Deaths – Keltie Byrne". Dolphin Project. February 21, 2017. Retrieved August 2, 2019.
- ^ Savino, Lenny (July 8, 1999). "Man In Whale Tank Was Drifter". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved August 2, 2019.
- ^ Howard, Brian Clark (January 6, 2017). "Why Tilikum, SeaWorld's Killer Orca, Was Infamous". National Geographic News. Archived from the original on August 2, 2019. Retrieved August 2, 2019.