Tilikum
This is Tilikum or Tili as he is sometimes called. He is a bull Orca who lives at Seaworld Orlando. He is the largest Orca in captivity weighing 12,300 pounds and measuring 22.5 feet in length. His pectoral fins are 6.5 feet long and his Dorsal fin which is 6 feet tall is completely flopped over to the left.
He was captured in Berufjorour off the east coast of Iceland in November 1983 along with a male (Nandu) and a female (Samoa) who are now both dead. Tilikum was bought by Sealand of the Pacific in Victoria Canada. There he lived with 2 females Haida 2 and Nootka IV. Tili was not well accepted by the females and was often chased by them into the small medical pool. Sealand used food as a motivation meaning the whales were fed when they responded correctly to a given command. The orca pen was separated from the ocean by only a net so, Bob Wright owner of Sealand was afraid that at night the animal may chew through or an activist might cut the net. To prevent any of this, at night he would have the whales moved to a holding module 20 feet deep and 28 feet in diameter. Sealand did not do any "water work" with the whales or any "desense" training( training the whales to ignore humans in the water.)
At Sealand on February 2, 1991 Tilikum was involved in the death of a female trainer named Keltie Byrne. The trainer slipped and fell into the Orca tank. Since the whales had never had a trainer in the water with them before, this did not turn out well. Although Tilikum was not the first Orca to touch Keltie, he was a participant when Haida 2 and Nootka IV tossed her around in each others mouths playing as if she were a toy. As a result, the trainer died of hypothermia. It was later discovered that both of the females were pregnant by Tilikum at the time.
It was also at Sealand that Tilikum sired his first calf. A boy Kyuquot was born to Haida 2 on December 24, 1991. Fearing that Tili might harm the calf, Seaworld (who was already in the process of applying for a permit to move Tili permadently to Seaworld Orlando) applied for an emergency transfer and on January 9, 1992 Tili was brought to Seaworld Orlando.
Once at Seaworld Tili continued to be a "dry work" only whale. It was only because of his huge size that trainers were not allowed in the water with him. It was NEVER due to any agression.
Tilikum has fathered many calves at Seaworld with many different females. He is the main breeding male for Seaworld. Having fathered 14 calves 11 of which are still alive. In 1999 he even began training for AI (Artificial Insimenantion.) In early 2000 a female at Seaworld San Diego Kasatka who he had never even met was impregnated using his sperm and on 9/1/01 she gave birth to Tilikum's son Nakai. On 5/3/02 another Seaworld San Diego female named Takara gave birth to Tili's daughter through AI she was named Kohana. Tilikum is also the first surviving captive Orca grandfather with the births of Trua (2005) and Nalani (2006) both fathered by his son Taku. More recently his daughter Kohana gave birth to a son Ad'an in 2010 and is now pregnant again due in late 2012.
On July 5, 1999, at SeaWorld Orlando Florida, a deceased man by the name of Daniel Dukes was found nude and in one of the orca tanks draped across the back of the park’s largest male orca, Tilikum. An autopsy revealed that the man died of a combination of hypothermia and drowning. Dukes was covered in bruises, abrasions and bite marks, indicating that Tilikum had clear contact with the victim but whether or not Tilikum actually caused the man's death could not be determined.[34] Dukes had apparently hidden himself in the park until after closing and then jumped or fell into the orca’s tank. It is thought that Dukes may have been mentally unstable or under the influence of drugs. Dukes had been reported by Seaworld staff to have "dived" with other sea mammals, earlier that year he had to be removed from the manatee tank, which is warmer and host much more docile creatures. A joint of marijuana was found in the pile of clothes he left next to the tank. No Seaworld admission ticket was found, but staff made it well known that this man did not fall into Tilikum's tank. He had to hop a 3 foot plexiglass barrier, several guardrail fences and descend the steps into the 80X100 tank.[35] The autopsy shows the scratches and "bites" he receieved were post mortem, and a local animal behaviorist and pyschologist says "I do not believe Tilikum knew the consequence of his actions...[Tilikum] had been cut off almost completely from humans and was not allowed any swim time with them, thusly he did not have the knowledge to sustain human life. I believe Tilikum thought Mr.Dukes was a toy, not a fragile human. However, that Mr.Dukes was found at all presents evidence that Tilikum was not aggresive with this tank intruder, and it almost seems from how the man was found [draped across Tilikums back] that maybe the whale was attempting to save the man from drowning. The whale had no way to tell that if a human sinks to the bottom of a tank, it is dead. It can only judge from what it does, in which case being underwater for 20 minutes is normal behavior." (this excerpt is from wikipedia)
There is a third incident involving Tili and a human which I feel I not need speak about here as I am sure you have ALL heard of it and frankly it makes me sad to think of the reputation he has earned because of it. There are many websites u can go to that give a full description of this incident, if u are interested please email me and I can give u the names of those credible sources.
He was captured in Berufjorour off the east coast of Iceland in November 1983 along with a male (Nandu) and a female (Samoa) who are now both dead. Tilikum was bought by Sealand of the Pacific in Victoria Canada. There he lived with 2 females Haida 2 and Nootka IV. Tili was not well accepted by the females and was often chased by them into the small medical pool. Sealand used food as a motivation meaning the whales were fed when they responded correctly to a given command. The orca pen was separated from the ocean by only a net so, Bob Wright owner of Sealand was afraid that at night the animal may chew through or an activist might cut the net. To prevent any of this, at night he would have the whales moved to a holding module 20 feet deep and 28 feet in diameter. Sealand did not do any "water work" with the whales or any "desense" training( training the whales to ignore humans in the water.)
At Sealand on February 2, 1991 Tilikum was involved in the death of a female trainer named Keltie Byrne. The trainer slipped and fell into the Orca tank. Since the whales had never had a trainer in the water with them before, this did not turn out well. Although Tilikum was not the first Orca to touch Keltie, he was a participant when Haida 2 and Nootka IV tossed her around in each others mouths playing as if she were a toy. As a result, the trainer died of hypothermia. It was later discovered that both of the females were pregnant by Tilikum at the time.
It was also at Sealand that Tilikum sired his first calf. A boy Kyuquot was born to Haida 2 on December 24, 1991. Fearing that Tili might harm the calf, Seaworld (who was already in the process of applying for a permit to move Tili permadently to Seaworld Orlando) applied for an emergency transfer and on January 9, 1992 Tili was brought to Seaworld Orlando.
Once at Seaworld Tili continued to be a "dry work" only whale. It was only because of his huge size that trainers were not allowed in the water with him. It was NEVER due to any agression.
Tilikum has fathered many calves at Seaworld with many different females. He is the main breeding male for Seaworld. Having fathered 14 calves 11 of which are still alive. In 1999 he even began training for AI (Artificial Insimenantion.) In early 2000 a female at Seaworld San Diego Kasatka who he had never even met was impregnated using his sperm and on 9/1/01 she gave birth to Tilikum's son Nakai. On 5/3/02 another Seaworld San Diego female named Takara gave birth to Tili's daughter through AI she was named Kohana. Tilikum is also the first surviving captive Orca grandfather with the births of Trua (2005) and Nalani (2006) both fathered by his son Taku. More recently his daughter Kohana gave birth to a son Ad'an in 2010 and is now pregnant again due in late 2012.
On July 5, 1999, at SeaWorld Orlando Florida, a deceased man by the name of Daniel Dukes was found nude and in one of the orca tanks draped across the back of the park’s largest male orca, Tilikum. An autopsy revealed that the man died of a combination of hypothermia and drowning. Dukes was covered in bruises, abrasions and bite marks, indicating that Tilikum had clear contact with the victim but whether or not Tilikum actually caused the man's death could not be determined.[34] Dukes had apparently hidden himself in the park until after closing and then jumped or fell into the orca’s tank. It is thought that Dukes may have been mentally unstable or under the influence of drugs. Dukes had been reported by Seaworld staff to have "dived" with other sea mammals, earlier that year he had to be removed from the manatee tank, which is warmer and host much more docile creatures. A joint of marijuana was found in the pile of clothes he left next to the tank. No Seaworld admission ticket was found, but staff made it well known that this man did not fall into Tilikum's tank. He had to hop a 3 foot plexiglass barrier, several guardrail fences and descend the steps into the 80X100 tank.[35] The autopsy shows the scratches and "bites" he receieved were post mortem, and a local animal behaviorist and pyschologist says "I do not believe Tilikum knew the consequence of his actions...[Tilikum] had been cut off almost completely from humans and was not allowed any swim time with them, thusly he did not have the knowledge to sustain human life. I believe Tilikum thought Mr.Dukes was a toy, not a fragile human. However, that Mr.Dukes was found at all presents evidence that Tilikum was not aggresive with this tank intruder, and it almost seems from how the man was found [draped across Tilikums back] that maybe the whale was attempting to save the man from drowning. The whale had no way to tell that if a human sinks to the bottom of a tank, it is dead. It can only judge from what it does, in which case being underwater for 20 minutes is normal behavior." (this excerpt is from wikipedia)
There is a third incident involving Tili and a human which I feel I not need speak about here as I am sure you have ALL heard of it and frankly it makes me sad to think of the reputation he has earned because of it. There are many websites u can go to that give a full description of this incident, if u are interested please email me and I can give u the names of those credible sources.