Tilikum

:"This article is for the killer whale. For other uses see Tillicum.Tilikum, sometimes misspelled Tillikum, is a bull Orca who lives at SeaWorld Orlando in Florida. He is the largest Orca in captivity. He is also the most successful sire in captivity, with 13 offspring, 10 of which are still alive. He was captured in November 1983, along with two now-deceased Orcas named Nandu and Samoa. Tilikum was first sent to live at Sealand of the Pacific near Victoria, British Columbia. There, he lived with two older females named Haida II and Nootka IV. Tilikum was about two years old when captured. His name means "friend" in Chinook Jargon, usually spelled Tillicum and also meaning "people/tribe" or "kin".

Life at Sealand

While living in British Columbia, Tilikum sired his first calf when he was about eight or nine years old. His first son, Kyuquot, was born to Haida II on December 24, 1991. Just a few months prior to the birth of Kyuquot, Tilikum was involved in an incident which resulted in the death of a trainer. Twenty-year-old Keltie Byrne, who worked at the park, slipped and fell into the tank with the whales. Tilikum, a pregnant Haida II, and Nootka IV grabbed her in their mouths and tossed her to each other, presumably playing. Keltie drowned. The orcas had never had humans in the water with them before. Haida II and Nootka IV were overprotective of the newborn calf and aggressive towards Tilikum, who was forced into the small medical pool. Because of his huge size, Sealand staff requested an emergency transfer. Tilikum was moved to SeaWorld Orlando, Florida in January 1992; he has been there ever since. Sealand of the Pacific closed soon thereafter.

Life at SeaWorld

Since his arrival at SeaWorld, Tilikum has sired many calves with many different females. His first calf, born in Orlando, was to Katina. Katina gave birth to Taku on September 9, 1993. Tilikum's other calves are: Nyar (born 1993, died 1996), Unna (1996), Sumar (1998), Tuar (1999), Tekoa (2000), Nakai (2001), Kohana (2002), Ikaika (2002), Skyla (2004), Kalia (2004), and Malia (2007).

In 1999, Tilikum began training for artificial insemination (AI). In early 2000, Kasatka who resides at SeaWorld San Diego was artificially inseminated using his sperm. She gave birth to Tilikum's son, Nakai, on September 1, 2001. On May 3, 2002, another female in San Diego, named Takara, bore Tilikum's calf through AI. It was a daughter, who was named Kohana. Tilikum has never met Kasatka. He may have met Takara and Kohana, or at least called to them, as Takara now lives at the Orlando park.

Tilikum was at the scene of another death on July 6, 1999, though evidence suggests the Orca was not at fault. A park guest, 27-year-old Daniel Dukes, was found floating naked in Tilikum’s pool, apparently killed by a combination of hypothermia and drowning. Dukes had visited SeaWorld the previous day, stayed after the park closed, and evaded security to enter the Orca tank.

Family members/breed

*Daughters: Unna, Nyar*, Skyla, Kohana, 1997 stillborn calf with Kalina, and Malia.
*Sons: Kyuquot, 1992 stillborn calf* with Nootka IV, Taku*, Sumar, Tuar, Tekoa, 2001 miscarriage calf with Haida II*, Nakai, and Ikaika.
*Undetermined Offspring: 1994 stillborn calf with Nootka IV*, 1996 stillborn calf with Gudrun*, 2005 miscarriage calf with Taima, and 2007 miscarriage calf with Kayla.
*Granddaughters: Nalani
*Grandsons: Trua
*Possible Relatives: Nandu* and Samoa*
*Breed: 100% Icelandic

(Asterisk indicates a deceased relative)

Tilikum today

Tilikum no longer does water work with trainers, which means people never enter the water with him. This is not due to aggression, but because he doesn't quite know his own strength. Tilikum is the feature of the show "Believe" where the audience and trainers chant "Shamu" as Tilikum soaks the audience. Additionally, Tilikum is primarily used during the 'Backstage at Believe' presentation. Being the largest whale in captivity, Tilikum is massive. He measures 22 feet 5 inches long and weighs in at 12,220 pounds (as of 2007). His pectoral fins are six and one half feet long, roughly the size of the back door of a large van, his massive flukes curl under, and his 6-foot-tall dorsal fin is flopped completely to his left side, and weighs up and close to 200 pounds. Tilikum is around 27 years old, most likely having been born in 1981.

In November 2005, Tillikum became the first surviving whale grandfather in captivity when Takara gave birth to his first grandchild, a grandson sired by his son Taku who is named Trua.

Occasionally, Tilikum can be seen swimming with Taima and their new daughter, Malia. This is the first time Tilikum has ever been a part of his offspring's life. He and Taima are very close, and despite Tilikum's size, Taima is definitely in charge. However, he does not spend nearly as much time with Taima and Malia any more, since both are now grouped with Kalina. Currently, Tilikum can be seen swimming with Takara, an adult female, and her son, Trua.

References