[Closed] 'Blackfish' Backlash: Fan Pressure Leads Willie Nelson to Cancel SeaWorld Concert

Caring for Tilikum The Killer Whale
Posted by SeaWorld

We are saddened to report that over the past few weeks, Tilikum's behavior has become increasingly lethargic, and the SeaWorld veterinary and animal care teams are concerned that his health is beginning to deteriorate.

Since Tilikum became a part of SeaWorld’s family 23 years ago, he has received the best in marine mammal health care and life enrichment available for killer whales – including a focus on his physical health, mental engagement and social activity with other whales. Despite the best care available, like all aging animals, he battles chronic health issues that are taking a greater toll as he ages.

Our teams are treating him with care and medication for what we believe is a bacterial infection in his lungs. However, the suspected bacteria is very resistant to treatment and a cure for his illness has not been found.

“It has been our duty and passion to make sure we give him the utmost care we possibly can,” said Daniel Richardville, Animal Training Supervisor.

Our veterinarians are focused on managing his illness in a way that makes him comfortable and creates an enriching life. Like many older animals facing significant health issues, his condition may continue to fluctuate, and we will keep his friends and fans updated here on SeaWorld Cares.

Tilikum is beloved by the trainers and vets who care for him each day, as well as the thousands of fans who have connected with him during shows and underwater viewing. We truly appreciate your continued support.

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The only thing that SeaWorld cares about Tilikum is his sperm, for which he is regularly masturbated to impregnate his 'Aunties and Cousins' at ages much younger than they would be in the wild, in order to perpetuate this endless cycle
of cetacean captivity. Over 50% of SeaWorld's captive bred orcas are Tilikum's offspring.

Tilikum languishes in isolation and boredom in his tiny, sterile enclosure, being fed dead fish and tranquilizers along with antibiotics. 23 is a relatively young age in an orca although 23 years of unending captivity is, obviously, taking its toll.
In the wild, orcas live normally longer. 'Granny' is a southern pod whale (Tilikum's family) who has been estimated to be 102 years old. No, she does not have the collapsed dorsal which captive orcas are victims of.

Tilikum will probably and sadly become just another SeaWorld, marine mammal park death statistic, along with all the others that have died under their 'care' due to unenlightened people's selfish 'love' for these magnificent creatures.

You may remember Tilikum was responsible for his trainer's death along with the deaths of other. Killer whales, in the wild, have never killed humans.

If you wish to help, PLEASE DON'T BUY A TICKET!

Sadly, Tilikum needs his freedom, no matter what form that takes.
Better for him to succumb to his illness than spend another 23 years in abject, cruel and confined captivity in his tiny, sterile, cement tank being fed dead fish
and tranquilizers while being endlessly masturbated for his sperm.

Go gently into the night and freedom, Tilikum.
Thank you for being "Blackfish" and bringing awareness of the cruelty and madness that corporate greed and ignorance bring to all cetaceans in captivity.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2ceg4n_blackfish-2013-webrip-xvid-juggs_lifestyle

If you haven't watched before,please watch now as Tilikum lies ill and probably dying.

Tilikum, SeaWorld's Notorious Killer Whale, Is Near Death

The 35-year-old orca, taken from his mother at the age of two, killed three people during his years of captivity, galvanizing animal activists against the company.

MAR 8, 2016 David Kirby

http://www.takepart.com/article/2016/03/08/seaworlds-infamous-killer-whale-near-death?cmpid=organic-share-facebook

The great and fearsome Tilikum, the world’s most famous killer whale, is near the end of his tragedy-filled life.

On Tuesday, SeaWorld Orlando in Florida, where Tilikum has lived for the past 23 years, issued a statement announcing that the 12,000-pound orca is suffering from an untreatable lung infection.

The killer whale gained global notoriety in February 2010 when he dragged trainer Dawn Brancheau into his pool and brutally rammed her to death. She was the third person killed by Tilikum.

“We are saddened to report that over the past few weeks, Tilikum's behavior has become increasingly lethargic, and the SeaWorld veterinary and animal care teams are concerned that his health is beginning to deteriorate,” the statement said.

“Our teams are treating him with care and medication for what we believe is a bacterial infection in his lungs,” the statement continued. “However, the suspected bacteria is very resistant to treatment and a cure for his illness has not been found.”

In a video released with the statement, SeaWorld veterinarian Scott Gearhart, teary-eyed, addressed the camera.

“I wish I could say I was tremendously optimistic about Tilikum and his future, but he has a disease which is chronic and progressive and at some point might cause his death,” Gearhart said. “We have not found a cure for this disease at this point.”

Heather Murphy, an anti-captivity activist from central Florida and cofounder of Ocean Advocate News, went to see Tilikum on Tuesday.

“He was in the med pool, and he was barely moving,” Murphy said. “The entire time I was there, he stayed at the gate looking out. There were other whales hanging out at the gate with him on the other side. It’s all very sad.”

Tilikum is thought to be about 35. The average life expectancy for wild male orcas is about 30. He was captured and taken from his mother’s side off the coast of Iceland in 1983, when he was about two.

Brancheau’s death led to an international outcry against killer whale captivity, sparked a six-month investigation by the United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and led to a protracted legal battle in which SeaWorld unsuccessfully tried to have the worker-safety violation overturned.

Since then, Tilikum and SeaWorld have been the subject of my book, Death at SeaWorld, the 2013 documentary Blackfish, and a cascade of devastating publicity that resulted in tanking stock values, high-level-staff departures, and the introduction of a bill to ban orca captivity in California.

Brancheau was not the first person to fall victim to Tilikum’s fury. In 1991, when the orca was living at the now-defunct SeaLand of the Pacific in Victoria, British Columbia, he pulled trainer Keltie Byrne into the water and, along with two female orcas in the pool, prevented the champion swimmer from escaping until she drowned.

RELATED: Death at SeaWorld: Inside the Abduction of Tilikum, the Whale That’s Killed Three Times

The whale was sold to SeaWorld Orlando in 1992. Seven years later, a homeless man named Daniel Dukes was found naked, dead, and draped over Tilikum’s back after sneaking into his pool after the park closed.

Becca Bides, SeaWorld director of corporate communications, declined to answer several email questions about Tilikum, including the type of bacteria that has infected him, whether or not he is eating, and how long he might have to live.

In the video, Gearhart said that Tilikum is infected with “a type of bacteria that is found in a variety of species, including wild cetaceans,” without naming the pathogen. “If Tilikum had shown up with this disease in the wild, he would’ve been gone a long time ago.”

But Naomi Rose, a killer whale expert and marine-mammal scientist at the Animal Welfare Institute, took issue with that statement.

“Talk about speculation and going way beyond the data,” Rose said. “You don’t know if he would’ve had this disease in the wild—it’s nonsensical. SeaWorld is trying to say, ‘Look how long we kept him around.’ But how do you know he would be in this predicament if he wasn’t in captivity?”

Rose said that wild whales die from bacterial infections, but without disclosing the pathogen affecting Tilikum, Gearhart’s statement “is absolutely meaningless.”

Lori Marino, executive director of the Kimmela Center for Animal Advocacy and a neurobiologist who has studied whales and dolphins for 25 years, said the stress of being held in a tank for most of his life could have led to Tilikum’s illness.

“There is a well-known syndrome of how chronic stress affects the immune system and how that leads to infection and mortality,” Marino said. “Chronic stress, including depression, essentially releases chronic stress hormones into the body, degrading the immune system, which leads to increased vulnerability to infection.”

We may never know what will kill Tilikum. SeaWorld is not required to release necropsy reports for its animals.

But the orca’s legacy will outlive the animal.

“We knew this was coming, but that doesn’t make this any easier,” Marino said. “It’s a sad ending to a sad story.”

Note - male orcas in the wild often live to 60 - 70 years and females can live up to 100. Granny, a southern pod orca, is estimated to be 102. Tilikcum is from the southern pod, abducted from the wild at the age of 2 and according to SeaWorld, has spent 23 years in captivity.

I am so saddened and angry at the continued captivity of Tilikum and all cetaceans forced to live in captivity.

As Tilikum Ails, Questions for SeaWorld

Posted By On March 9, 2016
http://www.kimmela.org/2016/03/09/as-tilikum-ails-questions-for-seaworld/

Blackfish' Director Responds to News That Whale Featured in Doc Is Dying: "A Profoundly Tragic Story"
7:26 AM PST 3/9/2016 by Tatiana Siegel

"Tilikum lived a miserable life," says Gabriela Cowperthwaite.

Blackfish director Gabriela Cowperthwaite has responded to news that the killer whale depicted in her documentary may be dying.

"This is a profoundly tragic story in every way," she told THR. "Tilikum lived a miserable life. His victims' families have suffered unimaginable pain."

SeaWorld officials acknowledged Tuesday that the orca responsible for the death of a trainer and two others is very sick. The amusement park posted on its website that Tilikum's condition is "beginning to deteriorate" due to an incurable bacterial infection in his lungs.

"Despite the best care available, like all aging animals, he battles chronic health issues that are taking a greater toll as he ages," SeaWorld said of the 35-year-old mammal that was captured off the coast of Iceland.

"He killed Dawn Brancheau, Daniel Dukes and Keltie Byrne, and he has continued to live for years in similar conditions to the one that allowed for these tragedies to transpire," Cowperthwaite added. "Why? Because when he breaches, he splashes audiences really well. This is one of those stories that really has no upside."

Blackfish, which was a breakout documentary hit for Magnolia Pictures and later found a larger audience when it aired on CNN, sparked criticism of SeaWorld by animal rights' activists and led to boycotts. The film was a Grand Jury Prize nominee at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival and BAFTA best documentary nominee in 2014.

Why killer whales should not be kept in captivity

Keeping orcas in aquariums deprives them of crucial aspects of their lives, and in some cases, it can even prove dangerous to humans.

By Melissa Hogenboom
10 March 2016

Is it finally time to stop keeping orcas in captivity?
For the last few years there has been a torrent of stories of captive orcas suffering severe health problems, and in some cases attacking and even killing their trainers.

Many of these stories have focused on an orca called Tilikum, who lives at SeaWorld Orlando in Florida. Tilikum has been involved in three deaths during his time in captivity.

SeaWorld has now announced that Tilikum's health appears to be deteriorating, possibly due to a bacterial infection in his lungs.

In response, conservation groups are once again calling for an end to the practice of keeping orcas, and other large marine mammals, in captivity. Are they right?

See link for rest of article:
http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20160310-why-killer-whales-should-not-be-kept-in-captivity

Tilikum, SeaWorld’s Killer Orca, is Dying
Three tragic human deaths made us finally confront the reality of keeping wild whales in captivity.

By Tim Zimmermann
PUBLISHED MARCH 10, 2016

Tim Zimmermann has been writing about SeaWorld and marine mammal captivity since 2010, and he was an associate producer and co-writer of the documentary Blackfish.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/03/160310-tilikum-killer-whale-orca-death-seaworld-sick-dying/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Social&utm_content=link_fb20160310news-tilikum&utm_campaign=Content&sf22309721=1

Former Trainer Slams SeaWorld for Cruel Treatment of Orcas

Author says the damage to these animals in the name of entertainment and profit is morally and ethically unacceptable.

By Simon Worrall, National Geographic
PUBLISHED SUN MAR 29 08:19:23 EDT 2015

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/03/150329-orca-blackfish-seaworld-dolphins-killer-whales-ngbooktalk/

"It’s actually quite simple. First of all, they have to stop their breeding program. If you don’t stop your breeding program, you’re going to have killer whales in captivity till the end of time. But SeaWorld can’t release these whales into the wild anyway, because they’ve inbred them. You have types of whales that would never interact naturally in the wild: hybrid killer whales that don’t exist in nature. There are also horrific health issues due to captivity."

"It is just morally and ethically unacceptable."

OP-ED: NO ORCA DIES PEACEFULLY SAY FORMER TRAINERS
10 MARCH, 2016 BLOGCAPTIVITY INDUSTRY

https://dolphinproject.net/blog/post/op-ed-no-orca-dies-peacefully-say-former-trainers/

Since the announcement from SeaWorld that Tilikum, the orca at the center of the documentary ‘Blackfish’ is ailing, there has been a media blitz focusing on his impending death. Meanwhile, across social media, well-wishers are already mourning him and praying for his peaceful passage to somewhere better.

I’ve struggled for a long time over writing this article because I know that Tilikum’s passing will not be peaceful. And while I loathe bursting the ideals that people hold, the truth needs to come out. There is no smooth transition for orcas in captivity. Their deaths — absent supporting family members and pod mates are often solitary and extremely violent affairs.

This is not information that marine parks are going to share with you. If and when Tilikum succumbs to his illness, SeaWorld will spoonfeed us carefully structured sound bytes. “We are saddened to report that Tilikum has died … surrounded by those who loved and cared for him.”

But none of them will be orcas.

The end of an orca’s life is visualized in this description of Kanduke’s death, told by Dean Gomersall and included in the extras of the ‘Blackfish’ Blue-ray edition. Another orca named Kandu died after a fatal interaction broke her jaw. She bled out for over 45 minutes as her panicked calf swam alongside her. Everybody watched but nothing could be done.

One would hope these types of death were an anomaly, but they’re not. All orcas, suggests former Senior SeaWorld trainer, John Hargrove, endure an arduous death that is further compounded by the captive environment in which they’re kept. Hargrove, the author of the New York Times bestselling book “Beneath the Surface“, was himself present during the death of a young orca. The animal died alone surrounded by humans, none of whom could do very much to help.

“The most disturbing aspect of watching an orca die is to see the panic in them,” Hargrove said. “These whales are voluntary breathers,” he added, “they’re used to being able to swim and hold their breaths — this is where they live. But people forget that they also have to breathe, just like we have to breathe, and when they’re dying, they start to drown and then they panic because they’re drowning.”

Hargrove told me it was gut-wrenching to see an apex predator so adapted to water, now panic like someone who can’t swim. “That’s what so heartbreaking about it,” he said, “the unforgettable look in their eye and the unforgettable vocals they emit.”

In the case of the young orca who died, the former trainer was not only present as a witness to it, but was part of the decision-making process in keeping the whale alive.

As they grow increasingly panicked, they get to the point where they literally start throwing themselves into the walls of the pool. And you’re doing everything you can to try and stop that by getting them into the medical pool to beach them — John Hargrove.

Hargrove told the Dolphin Project that in the case of this particular orca, whenever the animal was beached the whale would hold its breath. “This whale was young, motherless, and not fully trained on the medical pool,” he said.

In order to get this whale to breathe, we had to lower the med pool floor, but then the animal would immediately start thrashing and smash into walls. Cuts start to appear on the body, the whale is bleeding and making vocalizations of a panicked whale. These vocalizations are similar to when a really dominant whale is attacking a subdominant animal. It’s that type of vocalization but just off the Richter scale because it knows it is dying. It’s a horrible sound, short, sharp vocals. It’s thrashing around with eyes wide open and you can just see the panic — John Hargrove.

E.B: Is there any protocol for a dying whale? As noted with Kanduke — they put him in a sling, why did they put him in a sling?

J.H: Probably to keep him from thrashing around and injuring himself. But the whale whose death I was present for had not been trained to the sling because they were too young. And by the time we got this animal in the med pool, there was no way we could have gotten them into a sling, and if you don’t get them perfectly in the sling, they can break their pectoral flippers because they get caught in the cut-outs, so they have to be perfectly positioned. It’s a tricky thing even when they’re calm and they’ve been de-sensed to it. When you have a dying whale that is panicking and thrashing around, it’s incredibly risky. On a whale never trained to the sling, it’s impossible.

E.B: Do all orcas eyes turn red like Kanduke’s did?

J.H: Yes, anytime they are involved in aggressions or panicked and they’re bugged out — open as wide as they can be, with the blood vessels in the eye looking like they’ve burst. It’s why we call it the ‘red eye’ because all around their blue iris, these blood vessels look like they’ve burst because they are so stressed.

The whale whose death I was present for, actually ended up trapped in a net. When I eventually got that net off the animal, it took a nosedive down to the bottom of the pool and wedged its head into the bottom of the netting and never came back up. Then what looked like an oil slick, (the bodily fluids that come out of them when they die) reached the surface of the pool and I turned to the supervisor in charge and said, “I’m sorry, they’re gone.”

I was then asked to retrieve the body, so I swam down to the bottom of the pool and noticed the eyes were still open. I looked straight into one eye and could see the animal was dead. I pulled the whale out of the net and swam to the surface with the body and said how sorry I was. Partially beached now, I stayed with the animal until the crane arrived and we put it in a sling. Once the animal left the pool, we never saw this whale again.

E.B: What do they do with the body?

J.H: Deceased whales are taken to the onsite lab, and they perform a necropsy, we’re not a part of this process. It’s cut up and incinerated as biohazardous waste. But after taking the head and the brain, the rest of the body is just chopped into parts. You can’t even tell what is the dorsal fin anymore and once the skull has been opened, you can’t determine the features of the head.

E.B: But there is no protocol for a dying whale?

J.H: There is no protocol. Your best bet is to try and minimize their space. If you can minimize their space then maybe you can get control — maybe you can get them into a position where you can sedate them.

E.B: What type of sedatives, do you know?

J.H: I don’t know what medications they are but it doesn’t knock them out — it can’t knock them out because they need to be conscious in order to breathe. For the most part, the very senior level trainers get the information and we keep it from the younger staff, but there are some situations where they even keep that information from us and this is one of those times.

E.B: So does it help them?

J.H: No. The only time it seems to help is when they were going to do an invasive medical procedure such as a scoping, but in the death throes, I’ve never seen anything that makes their death peaceful.

E.B: So there is no orca that will ever have a peaceful death?

J.H: I’ve never seen it. Never heard of it. And like many whales, this animal died alone with no mother and no assistance from any other whale.

Remember that anytime SeaWorld tells you that their orcas die a natural death surrounded by those who love them.

March 10, 2016
An Open Letter to Tilikum

http://www.seashepherd.org/commentary-and-editorials/2016/03/10/an-open-letter-to-tilikum-754#.VuLCb7kLFOg.facebook

I am so sorry.

Words cannot even begin to express my sadness for you. I am sorry that you are dying, but even more sorry that you are dying in a concrete tank instead your ocean home off the coast of Iceland.

For more than thirty years, you have been held captive in one tiny pool or another, first in Sealand and now in SeaWorld. Of course, neither place resembles the sea where you were born. Your imprisonment spans nearly your entire life. You have been forced to perform tricks for food, forced to donate sperm, forced to endure isolation, and forced to live a shell of a life that in no way resembles the true nature of an orca. The pain you have suffered is simply incomprehensible.

For nearly forty years, Sea Shepherd has sought to protect you, your family, and all marine wildlife. We have sought to end the slaughter of seals in Canada, to stop the murder of whales in Antarctica, and we have sought to end the horrific dolphin drive hunts in Taiji, Japan. Your suffering is magnified in the thousands of dolphins ripped from the North Pacific Ocean to also endure a lifetime of slavery.

I have seen dolphins ripped away from their families. During my three campaigns in Taiji, Japan, I saw firsthand the harsh and brutal reality of the captive dolphin trade. The dolphins stolen from the sea in Taiji were not just taken captive; they were molested in the truest sense of the word. They were molested just as you have been for more than three decades. Sea Shepherd is committed to stopping the captive dolphin industry not just for those dolphins, but for you and for every other orca who languishes in a concrete tank.

Your story – and your struggle – brought attention to the plight of all animals in captivity. Blackfish was not just your story, but the story of all orcas, dolphins, seals, sea lions, and animals held against their wills in tanks, ocean pens, and cement pools.

And now your health has deteriorated to the point that even SeaWorld, your captors, admit that you are dying.

Tilikum, I am so sorry for all you have endured. I am so sorry that you will die in a tank instead of the sea where you were born. But the end also means freedom from your captivity. Soon, you will be swimming in the great big blue ocean and reunited in eternity with your long lost family.

Please know that Sea Shepherd will continue to fight for you and for cetacean freedom -- until every last tank is empty.

For the oceans,

Ethan Wolf

Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
Vice President, Board of Directors
Operation Infinite Patience, 2011, 2012, 2013
Operation Dam Guardian, 2013
Operation Jairo, 2015
Operation Milagro, 2016

Orcas swimming wild and free

Tilikum's former trainer says dying orca was once 'gentle, passive'
http://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/canada/british-columbia/tilikum-former-trainer-says-dying-orca-was-gentle-1.3487871

SeaWorld's Tilikum Orca Announcement Uses ‘Misleading Statistics On Life Expectancy'

Stats used by SeaWorld have been slammed as 'misleading'.
11/03/2016 14:34 | Updated 1 day ago

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/seaworld-tilikum-orca-announcement-uses-misleading-statistics-on-life-expectancy_uk_56e2c472e4b096ed3adbcfc3?edition=uk

Not any Orcas, in any captive facilities that hold cetaceans will ever retire in peace as long as the laws don't change and they are continued to be OWNED.

While they are forced to endure a tragic, sterile, dismal, lonely life in captivity, they will be forced to endure a horrific and terrible death, frightened, alone and drowning. They won't be humanely euthanized by SeaWorld or any other marine park because they have insurance policies on them.

This op ed piece shows how horrifically they will suffer in death, because of greed. Don't buy the BS that these places care. They won't do right by Tilikum or any other Orcas in captivity. They'll let them die, frightened terrified and alone.

Read the op ed piece by John Hargrove.
You'll see how much they really CARE!

I, for one, am incensed, enraged, even.

Remember 54% of the Orcas now in captivity are from Tilikum's masturbated sperm. No ethical entity would breed killer whales from one that has killed 3 humans and inbreed them as well.

This is what these magnificent creatures have to look forward to at the end of their lives after entertaning hundreds of thousands of ignorant people that "love" them!
I'm sickened and heart sick.

https://dolphinproject.net/blog/post/op-ed-no-orca-dies-peacefully-say-former-trainers/

50 Reasons Why We Won’t Be Celebrating SeaWorld’s 50th Anniversary

http://www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/50-reasons-why-we-wont-be-celebrating-seaworlds-50th-anniversary/

50 years of cruelty and enslavement.

50 Reasons Why We Won’t Be Celebrating SeaWorld’s 50th Anniversary

http://www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/50-reasons-why-we-wont-be-celebrating-seaworlds-50th-anniversary/

Is Superstar Orca ‘Tilikum’ Infected With A Superbug?
http://www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/is-superstar-orca-tilikum-infected-with-a-superbug/

Kate del Castillo Exposes Horror at SeaWorld
http://www.peta.org/features/kate-del-castillo-exposes-seaworld-horrors/

Confessions of a Killer Whale trainer by Steve Huxter
posted Sep 6, 2013, 2:16 PM by Jeffrey Ventre [ updated Dec 27, 2013, 7:25 PM by Laine Perez ]

https://sites.google.com/site/voiceoftheorcas/the-current-story/confessionsofakillerwhaletrainerbystevehuxter

I was the first “trainer” to greet Tilikum when he arrived at Sealand of the Pacific.

By the time he had been captured, detained and then flown to Victoria from Iceland, Tilikum had more experience interacting with humans, than I [had] with orcas. He was covered, rostrum to fluke, with lanolin to protect his skin during the long time [that] he was out of the water and after being lowered into the small pool that separated him from the two females who were to be his pool mates. Tilikum hesitatingly explored his new confines. As I watched Tilikum glide around the pool, I crouched at the water’s edge and encouraged him toward me, a bucket of herring in my hand. I tapped the water’s surface with a fish and as he came close I tossed the fish in front of him, which he scooped into his mouth and came closer still. He stopped in front of me and raised his head, opening his mouth for more. I was taken aback.

This creature had just been trapped and hung in a sling, slathered with goo, trucked, flown, trucked again, then lifted into the air and lowered into a tiny pool of water with concerned humans milling about and shouting to each other; yet… despite all this… he looked up at me and, seemingly, trusted. I was expecting distrust and hesitancy. It must have been an incredibly frightening journey, obviously perpetrated by people; yet he still trusted me. I couldn't say the same if our positions were reversed. It was a bonding experience and sparked in me a pilot light of empathy.

From that moment and ever after, as much as I enjoyed Haida and Nootka; I always felt the most affection for Tilikum.

Over the eight years I spent with Tilikum, Nootka and Haida, I came to know their distinct personalities and with each passing year my affections for them grew; especially for Tilikum. Perhaps it was that he was the “underdog” of the pool. There was something about him that touched my heart and the day that he was loaded onto a 747 cargo jet and shipped to Orlando my heart was broken that I would never see him again.

I told myself that moving him to SeaWorld would mean that he would have a better life. I was wrong… terribly wrong.

After Sealand closed I stepped, no, ran away from the industry and did my best to forget I was ever involved. I’d insulated myself for many years… until [the death of] Dawn Brancheau. Since then, and after meeting Gabriella Cowperthwaite [Director of “Blackfish”], I’ve been slowly coming to terms with my past and dropping my self-defensive leanings.

As I’ve looked inward, what has puzzled me most is: How did I live a moral and ethical contradiction for 9 years and so effectively convince myself that… I was doing no wrong. On one hand, I had learned and understood that the family structure of orcas was close and life-long. They have a complex intelligence and are wide ranging in their travels. They didn’t seem to live as long in captivity. Yet… there I was, teaching three animals that had been torn from their families, shipped half way around the world and trapped in a cell, to do tricks for fish.

Worse still, I spouted rationalizations to the public for their captivity and danced around the question of longevity. “That’s a good question little girl! We’re not sure how long they will live in an aquarium. And no one knows for sure how long they live in the wild. We haven’t been studying them for that many years.”

If I loved and appreciated these magnificent animals so much; why would I lie, especially to myself? Why? The answer is quite simple; once I was honest with myself. Ego and selfishness [got in the way]. How many in the world can say: “I’m a killer whale trainer.” I pet, feed, play, work with one of the most magnificent and intelligent animals on the entire planet! The ego boost from an admiring [public] raised eyebrows and a, “Really!!” when you answer a person’s question about what you do for a living. And especially walking through a crowd after a performance; surrounded by the admiring expressions of adults and kids alike.

The ego sucks it up faster than a Shamwow [brand name absorbent towel]. It’s addictive and I challenge any and all current SeaWorld & Marineland trainers to take an honest look inside their hearts and tell me otherwise.

What is truly confounding is how the veterans of the industry, the Kelly Flaherty-Clarks (current SeaWorld Curator of Animal Training) or the Brad Andrews (Chief Zoological Officer for SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment) can’t see the ethical contradiction they are living. They, more than any other, should have a deeper understanding of their psychological needs and they should understand the challenges to keep the animals stimulated, healthy and socially balanced.

(The image below features Kelly Flaherty-Clark and Steve Huxter.)

Regardless, after all these years, the orcas still damage themselves, still attack each other, still injure/kill the trainers and there is still a history of shortened life spans and health issues.

What is further disheartening is that over time, the public has been manipulated about life in captivity for orcas. What has been taught is veiled with lies and half-truths; especially so in the formative years of the industry. In reading through various blogs and threads of Facebook conversations, I found it astonishing that there were two camps on the issue of orcas in captivity:

Anti-caps vs Pro-caps

Perhaps because we are on an island and virtually live with the orcas here, at the juncture of the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Georgia Straight, I can tell you with confidence that if you stood on a downtown Victoria street corner all day and asked each person that walked past you, “Do you think it’s ok to have orcas in captivity?” I would be very, very surprised if even one single person said, "Yes." I sometimes wonder if the difference in attitudes is contextual. Because we see them often and see them framed in their natural environment we have a greater appreciation for their magnificence and, where they belong.

Whereas, much of the Pro-cap comments I’ve read are coming from people who greatly appreciate orcas and find them both awe inspiring and fascinating but their experiences are based on what they have seen and heard at SeaWorld or Marineland. It’s the difference between real life and fiction.

[In] real life [orcas are] gliding through the sea with family, capture a meal, swim to the rubbing beach for a rock massage; then, travel to meet up with another pod you hear in the distance. [In] fiction [the park guests] "Believe," hands raised to the sky, jumbo-tron, soundtrack, synchronized backflips, fireworks, grand finale!

Ironically, thanks to SeaWorld and IMATA, I gained a deeper understanding of the intelligence and social structure of orca families, which fermented my doubts that orcas should be held captive. Unfortunately, my empathy for their sorry life condition was overshadowed by the ego boost I enjoyed at being “a killer whale trainer”. I spouted the same rationalizations that SeaWorld does today and I tricked myself into thinking that I was benefiting the orcas by facilitating their role as ambassadors for their species and helping the public understand them better. When I reflect on that time, I am embarrassed at my ignorance and that my ego had selfishly clouded my judgement.

So, I would say to each trainer or aspiring trainer, to each curator, executive and especially to all the pro-caps and those of you who don’t want to lose the opportunity to visit with and appreciate the orca. Take a soul searching look inward and ask yourself, "Am I being selfish?" Are you putting your ego and desires at a greater importance than the needs of the animals you love? I did… and in that shadowy place in my soul, that place where I had secret misgivings about myself, I hid my understanding of the part I’ve played in this tragedy.

Never more!

Do you have the courage to put the orcas' needs before your own? Though cliché, it has never been truer…

If you love something, set it free!

Steve Huxter Bio:

Steve Huxter worked at Sealand of the Pacific for 12 years from 1981 until its closing in 1992. For 8 of those years, he was head of the training and animal care dept. as well as the Victoria Marine Animal Rescue Centre, which was operated by Sealand of the Pacific. On Sealand’s closure in 1992 he bowed out from the animal training world and accepted a position managing Victoria’s most prominent marina and marine tourism business. As one of Tilikum’s former trainers at Sealand, Steve is featured in Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s award winning movie “Blackfish” - where he discusses a little of Tilikum’s history and the conditions that may have led up to Tili killing Keltie Byrne in February of 1991. After a ten year hiatus from working with animals, in 2003 he returned to his first calling and formed Transform Animal Behaviour Solutions. Steve now specializes in resolving severe behavioural disorders in companion animals, primarily dogs and cats.

Monday, March 14, 2016
SeaWorld Can Extend Tilikum's Legacy Beyond the Show Pool
For the benefit of science, allow for open & collaborative histological examination of Tilikum's cadaver

http://voiceoftheorcas.blogspot.com/2016/03/seaworld-can-extend-tilikums-legacy.html?m=1

To Whom It May Concern:

Myself, and the other members of VOTO, Samantha Berg, John Jett, and Carol Ray, have been informed that Tilikum, a SeaWorld killer whale in Orlando, is near death. We are saddened by this announcement, although it is not unexpected.

Tilikum has developed an antibiotic resistant bacterial infection of the lungs, with pneumonia being the leading reported cause of captive killer whale mortality. Efforts to treat Tilikum have failed due to decades of antibiotic and antifungal therapy, medications that three-of-us at VOTO have fed him, and medications he was on in 2010 when he killed Dawn Brancheau, as reported by APHIS, here.

Tilikum IS the Blackfish Effect. He changed the world from a small tank at SeaWorld in Orlando. Photo: VOTO

Tilikum has been getting fed antibiotics consistently for at least two decades, primarily because of his badly damaged teeth, including open bore holes that must be flushed with antiseptic solution 2-3 times daily. These bore holes can lead to fish particles, roe, and other debris getting into the jaw and eventually into his blood stream, causing chronic low grade infection(s), and able to seed various organs, including the lungs. The end result is that, now, Tilikum is filled with bacteria that are resistant to powerful and broad spectrum medications that SeaWorld is dosing him with.

Tilikum is, at this time, likely suffering from pulmonary edema, or excess fluid in his lungs. When the surface area of his alveoli diminishes sufficiently, he will suffocate in a stretcher, at SeaWorld. In a last ditch effort to obtain air to oxygenate his tissues, he will likely thrash in the stretcher, and go through a period of "death throes," prior to finally passing. This is a particularly dangerous time for the animal care and training staff on hand.

A crane is reportedly standing by, possibly to recover his body if he should pass. This information is unconfirmed, but it does correspond with SeaWorld's recent announcements seen in this video:

http://voiceoftheorcas.blogspot.com/2016/03/seaworld-can-extend-tilikums-legacy.html?m=1

Many citizens, including some in the scientific community, are hopeful that SeaWorld will dedicate Tilikum's cadaver to science. This gesture would advance our understanding of the impact of captivity on marine mammals such as Tilikum.

Histological samples of dorsal fin collagen would help us understand collagen fibrillogenesis in killer whales, and why dorsal fins collapse in captivity. Kidney tissue samples could help us understand the effects of chronic dehydration on orcas, like Tilikum, who require gelatin as a dietary supplement. Cardiac tissue could be examined for evidence of physical deconditioning. Eye tissue could be used to understand the effects of looking upward toward trainers, a behavior that is probably contributory to early cataract formation in show animals that must look for hand signals from trainers, on stage. Blood tissue can be used to test for elevated titers of viruses such as West Nile, St Louis encephalitis, and other mosquito transmitted "bugs" associated with zoos, but not seen in wild animals. Immunoglobulin levels could provide information on captive orca immunity. Detailed bone and joint examinations could be examined for evidence of various arthritides. DNA testing could help identify Tilikum's natal pod, and so on.

Take the NFL as an example

Samples of brain tissue were critical in understanding the newly described condition (seen in NFL players) known as Chronic Traumatic Encephalopaty (CTE), and as depicted in the feature film "Concussion," with Will Smith. The NFL was initially resistant to outside scientists performing these studies, but is now helping to fund them. SeaWorld can mimic the NFL, and CEO Joel Manby can get credit for the change, something that might give him some job security.

Killer whales in captivity are also known to slam their heads on solid objects such as gates and concrete walls, especially adult male killer whales, with Kanduke being a famous example. Tilikum's brain tissue, or perhaps a new MRI, as depicted in Blackfish, could push our understanding of the orca brain forward, a brain four times larger than our own.

SeaWorld has an opportunity to extend Tilikum's legacy beyond the performance pool and to substantiate it's claims of performing relevant science. We are hopeful they will take up this idea for the benefit of science, the public, policy makers, whale lovers, and for future killer whales.

Thank you, Tilikum, for your sacrifices. Your legacy will live on through us and the millions of people your story has touched.

Jeffrey Ventre MD
Blackfish cast member
Former trainer at SeaWorld

WHY TILIKUM SHOULD BE THE LAST ORCA TO DIE IN CAPTIVITY
Tilikum, the captive orca held at SeaWorld, is very ill. SeaWorld reported in March 2016 that he is suffering from life-threatening bacterial infection in his lungs which they refer to as “chronic and progressive”.

P. WIGMORE
http://uk.whales.org/wdc-in-action/why-tilikum-should-be-last-orca-to-die-in-captivity

WDC is saddened to hear this news. We are also angry that a whale as magnificent as Tilikum, should have spent a mere 2 years in the wild, and 33 years of his life in a tank.

At least 150 orcas have been taken from their natural homes, to spend the rest of their lives in concrete tanks. 127 of these orcas are now dead. We believe that, Tilikum will soon bring that toll to 128.

We cannot know what has caused this illness. But we do know that captive whales and dolphins are vulnerable to many viruses and environmental pressures, they would not face in the wild.

There is also the matter of the 3 human deaths, Tilikum was involved, or implicated in.

No human has ever been killed by orca in the wild. Enough is enough.

Tilikum should be the last orca to die in captivity. No more should be taken from the wild; WDC has been instrumental in helping to achieve this.

Captive orcas should be assessed for release, or retired to a more natural life in a sanctuary.

Tilikum's life in captivity
See link:
http://uk.whales.org/wdc-in-action/why-tilikum-should-be-last-orca-to-die-in-captivity

Breaking News: SeaWorld to End All Orca Breeding

March 17, 2016
Wayne Pacelle

http://blog.humanesociety.org/wayne/2016/03/seaworld-to-end-orca-breeding.html?credit=aa_sw_7173_031716

In a sign that the humane economy is an unyielding force, exerting its influence on companies in all sectors of commerce, SeaWorld announced in cooperation with The HSUS today that it will end all breeding of its orcas and it won’t obtain additional orcas from other sources—policies sought by animal advocates for many decades.

The company also announced, after negotiations with The HSUS, that it would phase out its theatrical orca shows in favor of orca exhibits that highlight the whales’ natural behaviors, and have no orcas at all in any new parks around the world – the remaining orcas will be the last generation housed at SeaWorld. The company has also agreed to redouble its efforts to conduct rescue and rehabilitation for a wide variety of marine creatures in distress; join The HSUS in our advocacy campaigns against commercial whaling, sealing, shark finning, and other cruelties; and revamp food policies at all of its parks for 20 million visitors.

It’s a momentous announcement, and it comes almost exactly a year after Ringling Bros. agreed to phase out its elephant acts in traveling circuses. SeaWorld has pledged to invest at least $50 million over the next five years for the rescue and rehabilitation of marine animals and on advocacy campaigns—a major boost to our movement in helping marine animals in crisis.

In my forthcoming book, The Humane Economy: How Innovators and Enlightened Consumers Are Transforming the Lives of Animals, I wrote about SeaWorld in a chapter on the use of animals in film and television, in the circus, and in marine parks. I noted the revolutionary changes in the film industry where more and more producers and directors are embracing computer-generated imagery as an alternative to using live animals, and I recounted the decades-long campaign to bring pressure to bear on Ringling Bros. to end its elephant acts. In my discussion of SeaWorld, I forecast that its business model would have to change – that there was an inevitability to the shift in its operations due to consumer demand.

Little did I know when I turned in my manuscript in December that I’d soon be meeting with the new CEO of SeaWorld and launching discussions with him about the future direction of the company. And little did I expect that our two organizations would together make a landmark announcement before the book made it into bookstores.

The humane economy can move at lightning speed, and hit with full force. The world is waking up to the needs of all animals, and the smartest CEOs don’t resist the change. They hitch a ride on it and harness the momentum.

Joel Manby, SeaWorld’s CEO, is banking on the premise that the American public will come to SeaWorld’s parks in larger numbers if he joins our cause instead of resisting it, and if SeaWorld is a change agent for the good of animals. He’s exactly right, and I give him tremendous credit for his foresight.

As I wrote in The Humane Economy, the film “Blackfish” proved to be extraordinary in the annals of documentary filmmaking. It is exceedingly rare for an advocacy film to get a long run, and even rarer for it to get tens of millions of viewers, as “Blackfish” did, thanks to serial rebroadcasting by CNN. Director Gabriela Cowperthwaite changed the dynamics of this debate overnight with her potent film, following closely on the heels of David Kirby’s Death at SeaWorld, featuring my former colleague and orca scientist Naomi Rose. That book offered a hard-hitting critique of the history and operations of the company.

During my discussions with Manby, I was clear that the agreement we forged should deal with all animals – not just orcas. That’s why this announcement not only promises more help for manatees, sea lions, and other marine creatures in distress, but it also connects consumers to these issues through their diets. Starting soon, all SeaWorld food offerings will be cage-free for eggs and gestation-crate-free for pork, all seafood will be more sustainably sourced, and there will be more vegetarian and vegan options.

While the remaining captive orcas will live out their lives at SeaWorld, the company is phasing out theatrical performances at its three parks in San Diego, San Antonio, and Orlando, and spectators will instead see orca enrichment and exercise activities. In a nutshell, this is essentially an end to orca shows, with no orca breeding, no orcas at any new parks, and, during the transition period, a better environment for the remaining whales.

SeaWorld and The HSUS still have some disagreements. But we’ve found an important set of issues to agree upon. The sunsetting of orcas in captivity is a game changer for our movement, one that’s been a long time coming, and one that is only possible because of your advocacy and participation. I am immensely excited about this announcement and I hope you are too. Please sign here to show your support and share the news.

Now for Dolphins!

SeaWorld, you’re no hero. We take your abandonment of captive breeding and raise you retirement of your current captives. This isn’t over.

March 17, 2016Joanne Vere

https://joannevereantikillerwhalecaptivity.wordpress.com/2016/03/17/seaworld-youre-no-heroes-but-we-take-your-captive-breeding-ban-and-raise-you-retirement-of-your-current-captives-this-isnt-over-%f0%9f%90%ac/

No matter how they spin it, SeaWorld cares more about profit than the animals
it confines for their greedy and exploitive exhibitions. There is no dialogue about ending the breeding of any other marine mammals or cetaceans in captivity at their various locations around the world or establishing a sea pen for the remaining Orcas and other cetaceans remaining in captivity to have some semblance of normalcy.

They will continue to suffer in captivity.

Tilikum is dying and will suffer a terrible and terrifying, lonely death by drowning and because he is insured for $5 Million Dollars, he will not be peacefully euthanized by SeaWorld.

So please, don't tell me they really care.
These animals are commodities, nothing more.
Thanks to Tilikum, the makers of Blackfish and other organizations, worldwide, the awareness of how cruelly these magnificent creatures suffer in captivity has been brought into the light of day. We must keep the pressure on, demand that laws regarding wild animals and their breeding, ownership, sales and transport of them be changed and that they are protected as they should be.

This is a small step in the right direction.
SeaWorld has seen the writing on their financial wall.
Not until every tank and cage is empty, should we be satisfied.
Alana

How SeaWorld's empire collapsed — a tragedy in 3 acts.
http://www.upworthy.com/how-seaworlds-empire-collapsed-a-tragedy-in-3-acts?c=ufb1