Orca Whales

One whale in particular, Tilikum, the largest Orca in captivity at a stunning  12,000 pounds has endured the harshest treatments and was deemed the absolute "Killer" Whale in 2010. In the 1980s at only 2 years old, Tilikum was captured off the coast of Iceland and taken to Sea Land of the Pacific, a former amusement park in Nova Scotia.

As a new and young whale, the trainers often paired Tilly with two older female whales. However, their methods of "training" which was more so abuse involved punishments. If Tilikum didn't do one action correctly, all the whales would be deprived of food.  Poor Tilikum's streak of violence began here; over- night, the other whales became frustrated with Tilly causing their punishments and would bully him by scraping their teeth onto his skin.

Locked in a dark tank all night with these two whales abusing him something within the innocent creature's psyche snapped, as soon a young employee, Keltie Byrne, was pulled under the water by Tilikum out of frustration of his condition.

It was no surprise that Sea Land of the Pacific closed down that year, but when Sea World Orlando discovered Tilikum was available, as they needed a breeding male, they welcomed him with open arms to a new, possibly worse environment.

With a bathtub as his home, Tilikum as remained captive at Sea World Orlando since 1992. With this, all of the other off springs of the whale's "family pods" are artificial breedings of Tilikum, and female Kasatka, who gave birth to other captives Takara, Nakai, and Kalia. 

While things went fine for a while, many other incidents occurred without the public's knowing; Orca Whales lashing out at their trainers, mother Kasatka attempting a long range communication to find her baby Takara after being separated (truly heartbreaking), and Young male Orkid dragging under a young trainer and fracturing her arm.

These are not acts of malicious violence. This is all frustration and anger. These creatures process emotions the same way humans do, and if creatures that big are separated from their families, malnourished, and left in a dark bathtub all their lives, of course they're going to try and rebel the only way they know how.

With the most recent death in 2010, Dawn Brancheau, Tilikum is scarcely used in performances, taking a bow for the audience and swimming back into his tank... This is not moral.  Not just for Tilikum but all the captive whales in Sea World. Where is the justice in holding these 5,400 kg animals in a prison?

Tilly and the others need to be freed in order to protect the population of these creatures and perhaps maybe even save the sanity of poor Tilikum. While many protest they will not understand how to live in the wild, evidence involving Keiko the whale, (better known as Free Willy), was held captive for many years and when released, learned from instinct to feed and interact with his natural environment.

The future of the Orca whales relies on us. We can protect them and leave them be in the wild where they belong, or keep doing what we are doing and have no change.

Sources of information: CNN news, the film Blackfish, and personal research.