Tilikum (Orca)
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Tilikum (around November 1981 - January 6, 2017 ) was an orca bull. His name means "friend" in the Chinook Wawa . Caught near Iceland in 1983 when he was about two years old, he lived at SeaWorld in Orlando . With a length of 6.89 m and a weight of 5.44 tonnes (winter 2009/2010) it was one of the largest orcas living in captivity and was easily distinguishable from other killer whales by its strongly left-curved fin . He died on January 6, 2017, at an estimated age of 36, of complications from a bacterial infection in his lungs.
Tilikum was involved in the deaths of three people, two animal trainers and a visitor , while in captivity .
Life
After being caught in November 1983, Tilikum was brought to the Sealand of the Pacific near the Canadian city of Victoria . In the Sealand aquarium he lived with the two older females Nootka IV and Haida II , sometimes in a very confined space. With Haida II he fathered his first offspring. Kyuquot was born on December 24, 1991.
Shortly before the birth on December 24, 1991, there was an incident in which one of Tilikum's trainers was killed. Trainer Keltie Byrne slipped on the edge of the pool and fell into the water. Tilikum kept pulling her under water until the woman drowned. After the birth, the two females behaved aggressively towards Tilikum. First, Tilikum was moved to a smaller basin and on January 9, 1992 to SeaWorld Orlando. The Sealand of the Pacific was closed shortly thereafter.
On July 6, 1999, Daniel Dukes was found dead in Tilikum's basin. The homeless man had visited SeaWorld the day before and was hiding in the park that evening when the park closed. He died of hypothermia in the water, but was also bitten by Tilikum. It remained unclear whether the animal had inflicted the injuries on the man before or after his death.
Another incident occurred on February 24, 2010 in which Tilikum killed veteran animal trainer Dawn Brancheau . Allegedly, according to the management of SeaWorld , the whale pulled its trainer by the long hair of her ponytail into the pool and pushed her under the water so that she drowned. It was speculated whether the orca considered the hair to be a "toy" and therefore pulled the woman into the water. However, pictures of the attack show that Tilikum was pulling Dawn Brancheau on her arm rather than by the water. By claiming the whale attacked the animal trainer's hairstyle, SeaWorld management wanted to shift responsibility for the attack on the employee's improper behavior.
On March 29, 2011, SeaWorld announced that Tilikum would return to the Orca show.
In the SeaWorld Orlando Tilikum had fathered 13 offspring: Taku (1993-2007), Nyar (1993-1996), Unna (1996-2015), Sumar (1998-2010), Tuar (* 1999), Tekoa (* 2000), Nakai (* 2001 through artificial insemination), Kohana (* 2002 through artificial insemination), Ikaika (* 2002), Skyla (* 2004), Malia (* 2007), Sakari (* 2010) and Makaio (* 2010).
The documentary film Blackfish , published in 2013, examines the deaths in which Tilikum was involved and their causes as examples for orcas living in captivity.
In June 2014, Tilikum appeared again on the show.
On March 8, 2016, SeaWorld announced that his health had deteriorated. On January 6, 2017, SeaWorld Orlando announced his death. The US news magazine Time reported a "bacterial infection of the lungs" as the cause of death.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Orcas in Captivity - Statistics , accessed February 26, 2010
- ↑ a b Seaworld Killer Whale Tilikum dies , Time January 6, 2017, accessed January 7, 2017
- ^ A b David Kirby: Tilikum, SeaWorld's Notorious Killer Whale, Is Near Death. takepart, March 8, 2016, accessed on March 11, 2016 .
- ↑ Whale kills trainer as horrified spectators watch ( Memento of 4 June 2011 at the Internet Archive ), accessed 26 February 2010
- ^ Free Tilly , accessed March 2, 2010
- ↑ Whale attacks nurse. Fatal Incident at Seaworld Park , faz.net, accessed February 26, 2010
- ^ Farewell to animal trainer , n-tv.de
- ↑ http://theorcaproject.wordpress.com/2011/04/20/seaworld-trainer-death-ponytail-theory-debunked/
- ^ Tilikum returns to SeaWorld show ( Memento June 7, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) at cfnews13.com, accessed on March 31, 2011
- ^ Blackfish , Moviepilot.de, accessed October 31, 2013
- ^ SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment: Caring for Tilikum The Killer Whale. (No longer available online.) In: seaworldcares.com. Archived from the original on March 11, 2016 ; accessed on March 17, 2016 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
