Why Was The Sea World Trainer Killed By Captive Orca Tilikum?

[DesertRat]

After considerable time spent researching this latest tragic death at a theme park, I am left more with the question of how captive orcas can survive mentally, emotionally, and physically than I am with any question of why this happened. Tilikum's story illustrates all that is wrong with the management of captive cetaceans, and underscores the need to increase legislation to protect these animals because those institutions have found ways to circumvent laws and eviscerate the marine mammal protection act.

(snip)

But what about Tilikum? He was captured in Iceland in 1983, at the age of two years - this is about the equivalent age of a two-three year old child, an age when young orcas are still tightly bound to their mothers and other family members (whom they stay with throughout their lives).
Once captured, he was kept in a holding facility at Hafnarfjord Marine Zoo, Saedyrasafnid, in a small pool made of concrete (measuring 66 x 49ft and only 20ft deep). There are many allegations that Sea World financed the captures and holding of orcas in foreign countries to skirt the marine mammal protection act, but I have not been able to substantiate this yet.

Tilikum, still very young, was then sold to Canada's now defunct Sealand of the Pacific where he was kept with two other young orcas. The training regimen there is reputed to have included food shortage and sensory deprivation:

http://blog.seattlepi.com/candacewhiting/archives/195833.asp

[Faygo Kid]

1. Everything about this is heartbreaking.

We can and should do better.

[ellenfl]

3. well, ya know, there's a buck to be made. THAT ethic will

have to be changed before we see much reform.

ellen fl

[DesertRat]

31. Exactly, people need to stop visiting Sea World if we want change

Observing orcas in the wild, or learning about them from multi-media means such as IMAX movies, video, and websites provides a better education about the true nature of orcas, and is better for both the orcas and humans involved.

[DesertRat]

21. The most humane thing to do is to retire him

As the primary breeding male for all three Sea World parks, Tillikum is a very valuable asset to Sea World, as captures of orcas in the wild have virtually been stopped and the population of captive orcas has been going down in recent years.

Tillikum should not be euthanized or punished for behaviors brought about from confinement by humans; and after 27 years of captivity he should be given the chance to retire to an ocean sea pen in his home waters of Iceland to live out the rest of his life.

http://www.orcanetwork.org/news/tillikumnewsrelease.html

[Faygo Kid]

30. Great post, and I totally agree.

Can't say it any better. Thanks.

[Submariner]

2. It's the same story with elephants, dolphins, lions/tigers in the zoo

and at the circus. Elephants have killed many, and many deservedly so. Dolphins in those "jump in the pool and swim with the dolphin park" have harmed visitors. How many times have we heard of lions and tigers turning on their trainers.

These are intelligent wild animals, and we cage them in tiny tiny biospheres and expect them to survive happily?

I am constantly surprised when these events happen and get so much news play. Duh....if we continue to abuse animals by capturing them in the wild, even to the point of breaking up families, then we can't be surprised when they kill.

Orca's in a tank is cruel and unusual punishment. It's a SuperMax prison for wildlife. Only when more are killed will this nonsense stop.

[hlthe2b]

12. I agree totally on these whales....

and I often cringe--even at the best run zoos. When I spend time with the chimps and gorillas, it is impossible for me not to consider that they have been sentenced to a cruel and unnatural life, even while I am happy to view them and know that for some, they would have been hunted to extinction in the wild.

I can appreciate defenders of zoos who argue that they (when provided as "natural" a confinement habitat as possible) serve a valuable function in breeding these animals and informing the world's youth so that they "grow up to care." That last bit is a sad commentary, but one no doubt based on some truth. If we don't teach kids to "care" about these animals, then they won't fight those who would exploit and exterminate them in the wild.

More wildlife preserves that are strictly governed and policed in home nations is certainly one answer, but in countries where these animals are not native, do we do away with zoos and hope that nature tv specials will do the job? I don't know... At the other baffling extreme will be those who maintain that even keeping of pet dogs and cats is "cruel." I do think these ocean parks need to be the subject of major new policy and constraints. Elephants are another species requiring particular immediate scrutiny... I don't know the ultimate solution, but it needs to be one of continuing evolution.

But for those who think that rehabilitation back to the wild is the ultimate solution, I encourage you to listen to this story of Lucy (the chimp taught sign language decades ago) and her future outcome. It is incredibly thought provoking and wrenching. /i]

http://blogs.wnyc.org/radiolab/2010/02/19/lucy/

[bertman]

33. Submariner, you got it exactly right. nt

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

40. Years ago I visited the Central Park Zoo and was sickened to see that one of their elephants

was standing, manically rocking back and forth. It reminded me of when I went to see a friend who was at a psychiatric hospital. I never went back to the zoo after that. Several years later, they changed the exhibits and many of the animals were sent to other zoos until the zoo was ready. No one wanted to take a certain elephant. I could easily guess which one.

These are Intelligent animals and to have them waste away with no mental activities is cruel and inhumane, IMHO.

[nashville_brook]

4. this might be mentioned in the article...but social cetaceans learn acceptable behavior

from older members of the group...and adolescent males, if there's no adult males to keep them in check, will go on rampages and do all sorts of destructive stuff b/c they haven't learned how to stay inside of the "lines," which is passed on by adult males.

[MoonRiver]

5. I so despise Sea World and other agents of marine mammal slavery.

:mad::mad::mad::mad:

[DesertRat]

29. Have you seen the documentary, The Cove?

It's an amazing true story. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in marine mammals.

http://www.thecovemovie.com/

[MoonRiver]

42. Thanks, I will check it out!

[csziggy]

6. Even less intelligent mammals, such as horses would be driven insane by the way they keep orcas

I raised and kept my own stallion and as he grew up pastured him with other horses. He had the reputation of being the best natured stallion in town. Even so, my stallion once hurt me badly when he was unhappy about the behavior of another horse in the barn - he did not mean to hurt me, he was just reacting to the situation.

Many stallions are hyped up, super sexual and cannot be safely handled, especially around other horses, particularly around other males. But they are segregated from other horses at breeding time and simply do not know how to interact with other animals of their species.

Horses have been bred for captivity for millenia and are not anywhere as intelligent as orcas, but I would not subject a horse to the kind of treatment Tilikum received. I wish there were some way of turning back the clock and returning him to his pod.

[DesertRat]

26. I think he has been driven insane by his captors, used for his sperm:

Tilikum's main job these days is to breed - public sentiment is against capture of wild orcas and the captive gene pool is limited so his function as a breeding male is priceless to Sea World. The problem: actually getting him together with females is astronomically difficult since the females are in theme parks all over the world.

Sea World's answer? They trained this unfortunate, unhappy and deprived animal to give up his sperm. They tease him with estrous ('in heat") females, or excite him by putting other males in his tank, then he has to ejaculate into a specially designed container. The sperm is frozen and shipped all over, and these geniuses cross-breed Atlantic and Pacific range orcas, and unbelievably...even the meat eating "transient" type (which eat seals, sea lions, whales, dolphins, and otters) with the fish eating "resident" types.

[csziggy]

44. Yeah - I haven't dealt with stallions used for artificial inseminsation

As the only way they are bred. Some of the horse breed associations do not allow it or have only gradually allowed it. The few stallions I have seen that were trained for collection also did live covers and were allowed to spend time with other horses.

It would almost be a mercy to put Tilikum down - at least then he would be out of his suffering. I cannot believe that an intelligent animal kept under the circumstances he is does not suffer.

[stray cat]

7. Because humans can't breath when pulled under water and are fragile?

[vadawg]

8. as its the third time hes done it and we give them the value of a lot of intelligence

could he simply be the worlds first inter species serial killer, where all the victims young blonde women by any chance...

[NNN0LHI]

13. worlds first inter species serial killer?

Europeans used to shoot bison for sport from moving trains and let them lay there to die. Big fun.

No I think the inter species serial killer stuff began long ago.

Don

[vadawg]

15. true but i meant coming the other way from an intelligent fish :)

i know mammal but you know what i mean.... hamamal lecter so to speak.

[MoonRiver]

18. Orcas are NOT fish.

They are marine mammals.

[vadawg]

19. jeeze did you even read the post :)

[IDemo]

17. Don't leave out helicopter wolf huntin'

And many other examples.

:thumbsup:

[DesertRat]

22. One was a man who snuck in and entered the tank during the night

In July 1999 a man entered Orlando Sea World and hid, then apparently removed his clothing and entered the tank with Tillikum during the night. A dead, naked body was discovered in the early morning, draped over Tillikum.

http://www.orcanetwork.org/news/tillikumnewsrelease.html

[vadawg]

23. i dont know why but this has CSI written all over it,

can you imagine if the orca had just decided im quietly gonna kill people every chance i get if i can get away with it looking like an accident, would make a hell of an interesting scientific study and a great movie..

[mitchum]

24. If he had a driver's license he could really rack up the body count

I always say
that I hate driving so much
I could never make it as a serial killer:)

[vadawg]

25. rofl dude i can just see me pulling over the hummer and the window coming down

and theres the orca with a fake licence with the name of tony tuna on it.....

[IDemo]

38. That's gotta be hell trying to text with those fins

[vadawg]

39. rofl, and the giant slurpy as well, the visions of this traffic stop are funny as fuck

i have no idea how i would react to this and then to find warrants for 3 murders on him, jeessusss chrispy what the hell do i tell my supervisor.... lol

[WhiteTara]

9. I feel sick

how can we call ourselves human?

[lib2DaBone]

10. Sea World of Orlando resumed their Killer Whale show yesterday...

.. hey.. a buck is a buck... on with the show..

[vadawg]

11. with the emphasis on the KILLER part, i wonder if hes simply killing us for fun

and as i said i wonder if all the victims fit a profile...

[hlthe2b]

14. There has never been a documented human kill in the wild

consider that... despite incidents where humans have come into contact...

[vadawg]

16. might just mean hes the first to kill us for fun or the others where better at hiding the evidence

and lets be honest how the hell do we know that there has never been a kill in the wild even if it was by accident, there are not always witnesses...

[hlthe2b]

27. If you read my post it says DOCUMENTED

Do you really think in this day and age if whales were killing humans "for fun" it would not be reported. Do you really believe that behaviors of animals in a strange and severely restrictive captive environment would not be changed or impacted by that environment? Really?

[vadawg]

28. do you really believe that even though its not documented that with the interaction that happens

between man and beast that there has never been a fatality, hell we dont know why the orca killed the girl or the other people before. it could be for any reason up to and including insanity, vengenance, accident or it could enjoy killing shit, who knows thats the point...

[hlthe2b]

32. I find your attitude towards animals amazing,

reveling in ignorance, and disgusting... After all, Moby Dick had to be based on a real incident, right? :sarcasm:

Ignore

[vadawg]

34. and i find your lack of understanding of the animal world outstanding

you do realise that it really is a dog eat dog world out there, that nature though beautiful at times has claws and that nice cute animal is not so cute to its prey... mayby you need to actually see nature at work to get this...

[hlthe2b]

36. Self Delete

I choose not to interact with you further

[vadawg]

37. probuably best if you think all animals are fluffy.....

[Cetacea]

35. Look at it this way, if you will.

Hundreds of years of documented cases of human interactions with Orcas in the wild (and thousands of undocumented stories through the centuries)) at this point in time appear to show that Orcas have never harmed a human , and in fact have occasionally assisted humans in hunting. And orcas have never retaliated when being provoked by humans, despite their obvious advantage in their habitat...

Thousands of documented cases (and many more undocumented stories through the centuries)) at this point in time appear to show that humans have been known to kill the intelligent, large dolphins known as Orcas (and other cetaceans) for fun ,cruelty, and food.

[Kalun D]

41. Orcas and Food

Orcas only kill for food. Humans don't have enough fat on them to be considered as food by Orcas. Their sonar tells them this before they attack.

[Cetacea]

43. They also kill small birds.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200508/s1445574.htm

[elehhhhna]

20. omg, MY pool is 33 x 20 and it's barely long enough for me to swim laps ...

.that's just mean.