Tilikum, American-held orca (b. ca. 1981)
Tilikum (c. December 1981 – January 6, 2017), nicknamed Tilly, was a captive killer whale who spent most of his life performing at SeaWorld Orlando. He was captured in Iceland in 1983 at Hafnarfjörður, near Reykjavík. About a year later, he was transferred to Sealand of the Pacific in Victoria, British Columbia. He was subsequently transferred in 1992 to SeaWorld in Orlando, Florida. He sired 21 calves, of which nine are still alive as of 2021.
Tilikum was heavily featured in CNN Films' 2013 documentary Blackfish, which claims that killer whales in captivity suffer psychological damage and become unnaturally aggressive. Tilikum was involved in the deaths of three people: Keltie Byrne, a trainer at the now-defunct Sealand of the Pacific; Daniel Dukes, a man trespassing in SeaWorld Orlando; and SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau.
2017Jan, 6
Tilikum (orca)
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