Tilikum, Sea World's Killer Orca, Gravely Ill

ORLANDO, FL — Tilikum, the SeaWorld orca involved in the 2010 death of trainer Dawn Brancheau, is in failing health, park officials announced Tuesday.

“We’re saddened to report that recently Tilikum’s health has deteriorated,” the park tweeted late Tuesday morning.

A video released by SeaWorld chronicles the orca’s daily routine and the battle that’s being waged to save the aging whale’s life.

“He has a disease which is chronic and progressive,” veterinarian Dr. Scott Gearhart said on the video. “We have not found a cure for this disease at this point.”

Gearhart explained that Tilikum is suffering from a respiratory condition that is “very difficult to treat. I wish I could say I was tremendously optimistic.”

Just how long Tilikum might have remains unclear.

“Tilikum’s behavior has become increasingly lethargic,” the park wrote Tuesday on its website.

Tilikum has been a part of the SeaWorld family for the past 23 years. The orca came to the Orlando theme park from Canada’s Sealand of the Pacific and is estimated to be about 35 years old.

Tilikum made national headlines in 2010 following Brancheau’s death. His life story was also the focus of the documentary “Blackfish,” which was released in 2013. The movie asserts the stress of captivity might be behind the attack that resulted in Brancheau’s death. Tilikum was also implicated in two other human deaths: one in 1991 involving the drowning death of a Sealand trainer, and another in 1999 at SeaWorld during which a visitor drown after sneaking into the whale enclosure after closing.

See Also:

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• Federal Judge Tosses PETA’s Whale Slavery Lawsuit
• SeaWorld San Diego Giving Up Shamu Shows

News of Tilikum’s failing health has sparked both outrage and support for the Orlando theme park.

“How about let him out of prison,” one Twitter user responded to the park’s tweet. “Have they tried that?”

“Murderers,” wrote another. “He would have flourished had he been left in the wild. You should be ashamed of yourselves.”

Not everyone who has responded to the news agrees with them.

“The morality rate for wild orcas far exceeded captive orcas,” one person tweeted. “Educate yourself.”

“We know you’re doing everything you can for him, and he is in the best place possible,” another supporter tweeted.

Killer whales are carnivorous mammals that have a lifespan of 50 to 80 years in the wild, according to National Geographic. The creatures tend to “hunt in deadly pods, family groups of up to 40 individuals,” the publication noted.

SeaWorld’s continued use of killer whales in shows has drawn harsh criticism from the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). Continued pressure from government officials and animal rights activists prompted SeaWorld to announce that it is phasing out the use of orcas in shows in San Diego. No similar plans have been announced for Orlando.

Late last month, SeaWorld’s CEO Joel Manby confirmed that some employees posed as animal rights activists to spy on PETA operations.

To find out more about Tilikum’s condition and care, visit SeaWorld online.

SeaWorld YouTube screenshot