Tilikum the Orca that Blackfish was based around has died.

[HalfShellHero]

This has really upset me i saw blackfish when it came out and followed much of the aftermath, i hope his legacy prevents this future for other orcas and i hope lolita in bloody miami seaquarium has a more dignified old age. Disliking the 'the whale who killed dawn' headlines too like hes a murderer whos finally dead, hmph just having a moment, RIP Tilikum, i hope theres a big wide ocean youre in now, humans are shit

Ah...

Out of his misery at last . Blackfish was a real eye opener , those poor animals so clearly tormented by being cooped up.

Yeah it really was an eyeopener Condensed, apparently the whale show is ending fully this year aswell...that doc just completely shocked sea world dont think the
Coorperate jackets ever thought it would...And i wonder what will happen with Lolita from Miami the longest lone whale in captivity, she gets forgotten shes in her 40s ...

Truly devastating.

I feel conflicted. On one hand, it's so incredibly depressing to think that he spent his entire life in a bathtub, and on the other hand I'm almost happy he's out of his misery now. But that doesn't solve the issue with all of the other orcas still in captivity, like Morgan, Lolita etc. So sad.

I hope that SeaWorld sticks to their no-breeding, show-phasing-out plans but I highly doubt they will, considering their morally bankrupt past (and present). I don't know how they intend to house orcas together and stop them from breeding naturally... although I am under the impression that it's almost completely artificial insemination.

It's very sad. He should have been left in his home round Iceland.

They inbred a lot of whales and bred the females much younger than in the wild ... i wonder too what will happen now Pluto30 ive got the book by david kirby death at seaworld had it a few years but knuckling down with it now on page 21 so far

I've never seen blackfish

And I'm trying hard not to.

I've been to sea world as a kid. 3-4 times and I've seen the orca shows.

I always loved it as I found the bond between orca and trainer amazing.

I'm sad now that I participated in these events

Free again at last

It is devestating but at least he is out of his misery he was just a sperm bank really it was horrific

I don't know how they intend to house orcas together and stop them from breeding naturally... although I am under the impression that it's almost completely artificial insemination

Some sort of female contraceptive, I expect.

They keep them in unnatural pods and seperate the males and use AI but i think i read that seaworld and loro parc in Tenerife have stopped breeding

I felt the same sobriquet, its not your fault though as its not everyone elses its a very good doc. You learn about a lot you wouldnt have found out otherwise.

He did kill Dawn Branchau but he was a wild animal.. you can't blame a wild animal who's been driven crazy for acting on instinct.

It is terribly sad that he has died, but what a miserable life. At least the legacy left behind and inspired by him should improve the lives of all the other orcas.

For what it's worth, I think SeaWorld is a great place. His life was vastly improved when he moved there from SeaLand, they do a lot for conservation and are trying to rectify the mistakes they've made.

You mean thryve been bulldozed into it by the aftermath of blackfish MaryPoppinsPenguins? The manatee project is good but they dont have to perform for theyre food.

I know it's not my fault. I was a kid.

It makes me sad though. I've swam with dolphins at discovery cove, I've waded with rays there too.

I've fed the dolphins at sea world and never questioned the shallow pool they were kept in.

Makes me think how naive I was

Of course... but equally of all the places like that, they're the one with the most regulations, the best enrichment, the most space etc.

Ive seen a dolphin show in Cuba and a sealion show in Spain and both were heartbreaking conditions. Sea world would be considered luxury in comparison.

We went to seaworld in 04 and watched the Orca show with a bit of ignorance and a bit of ignoring the obvious I know better now but I don't feel terrible for going I just think yes we went no I will never go back

Apparently the last 'performance' as they have been up to now will be today - here but it will be replaced with something marginally less awful.

For what it's worth, I think SeaWorld is a great place. His life was vastly improved when he moved there from SeaLand, they do a lot for conservation and are trying to rectify the mistakes they've made.

It wasn't though...

How is sitting in the equivalent of a pool, not being allowed even the most basic interaction with other orcas or people (who he had come to be receptive to) because you're deemed "a danger", used for your sperm and nothing more, a better life? It's sickeningly cruel.

I wish Sea World (not connected with SeaWorld) in Australia got the same sort of vilification for having polar bears in the Queensland heat with nothing more than a pool and a patch of ice (no exaggeration).

Of course they do good when it comes to rehabilitating and releasing some animals, but some are caught and kept purely for profit.

I don't have a problem with zoos (though I think reserves are better) who have breeding and conservation programs in place for those animals who are fast becoming extinct, but orcas do not fit that criteria even remotely.

Oh right is the last performance today thats interesting, that sounds awful pluto30 youre quite right.

Not nice to keep wild animals in captivity. Humans are ruining the world for other animals.

SeaWorld take in their customers with talk of "research" etc. It's all total bullshit if course, but it's an effective smokescreen. It's like a human in a solitary cell being studied...the science is completely meaningless. The fact is there is loads of meaningful data being gathered on wild orca/dolphin populations, including here in the UK. As for the "rescue" bollocks, just look at what happened to poor Morgan. I give her three years at the outside.

Morgans tank is truly pitiful its so unnecessary