Tilikum had been experiencing declining health and was receiving treatment for a bacterial lung infection, the company said. In a news release, it noted that Tilikum was near the high end of the average life expectancy for male killer whales.
“Tilikum had, and will continue to have, a special place in the hearts of the SeaWorld family, as well as the millions of people all over the world that he inspired,” SeaWorld president and chief executive Joel Manby said.
Tilikum was caught off the coast of Iceland in 1983 and taken to Sealand of the Pacific, a marine park in Victoria, Canada. The cetacean was then transferred to SeaWorld in Orlando, where he lived for 24 years.
Tilikum was involved in three deaths. The first, in 1991, saw a trainer and competitive swimmer drowned by Tilikum and two other orcas after she slipped into a pool at Sealand of the Pacific.
At SeaWorld in 1999, a 27-year old man was found dead on Tilikum’s back, after reportedly staying in the park after hours and sneaking into the pool. An autopsy showed that he drowned.
The third death was of a 40-year-old trainer, Dawn Brancheau, who was drowned in front of a crowd during a post-show routine in 2010. The incident drew international attention.
Film-maker Gabriela Cowperthwaite then created a documentary about the treatment of orcas in captivity. The film, Blackfish, alleged attempted coverups of orca attacks on humans, which it said were caused by the conditions of captivity causing psychosis in the animals.
The documentary aired at the Sundance film festival and on CNN in 2013, attracting an estimated audience of 20 million people and creating a public outcry.
Amid such public attention, profits fell $10m at SeaWorld as visitor numbers decreased. The company cut jobs and lost promotional deals.
SeaWorld continued to hold killer whales and has disputed the claims made in the Blackfish documentary, contending: “The film conveys falsehoods, manipulates viewers emotionally and relies on questionable filmmaking techniques to create ‘facts’ that support its point of view.”
In March last year, however, it announced that it would end its orca breeding program and, eventually, theatrical shows involving killer whales.
At the time, Manby acknowledged that public attitudes had changed about keeping killer whales in captivity.
“We needed to move where society was moving,” he said.
Tilikum was one of the park’s most prolific breeders, siring 14 calves. He was well known for his size, at more than 22ft and 11,800lbs.
/TheGuardian/
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