Tilikum (Tilly), a 22-foot, 12,000-pound killer whale, recently killed marine mammal trainer Dawn Brancheau after pulling her into his tank at SeaWorld Orlando. This is clearly a tragedy – but one for animals as well as humans.
This whale has spent 25 years in captivity. In the wild, killer whales like Tilikum travel around 150-200kms every day. In captivity, they live in pools barely big enough to hold them. The recent attack is a clear indication that he is suffering from frustration and from a severely deprived environment.
Animal Defenders International’s evidence that the use of wild animals such as this in captivity causes psychological suffering and extreme physical and mental effects is clear – whether the animal is in a pool that for them, is the size of a bathtub, or whether than animal is used in circuses, films or TV.
ADI are urging people to express their disapproval for the use of whales like Tilikum for entertainment in theme parks like SeaWorld by signing a pledge.
