List of Captive Orcas - Individual Orcas - Tilikum

Tilikum (sometimes misspelled Tillikum) is a bull orca who lives at SeaWorld Orlando. He has been involved in three human deaths and is a prolific sire. He was captured near Iceland in November 1983 at about two years of age. Tilikum measures 22.5 feet (6.9 m) long and weighs 12,000 pounds (5,400 kg). His pectoral fins are 7 feet (2.1 m) long, his flukes curl under, and his 6.5 feet (2.0 m)-tall dorsal fin is collapsed completely to his left side. He is the largest orca in captivity and also the most successful sire in captivity, with 14 offspring, 10 of which are still alive. In the Chinook Jargon of the Northwest, the name means "friends, relations, tribe, nation, common people."

Tillikum was first sent to live at Sealand of the Pacific near Victoria, British Columbia. 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 female trainer. Because of his huge size, Seaworld requested an emergency transfer to their facility. Tilikum was moved to his current location at SeaWorld Orlando, Florida on January 9, 1992. Sealand of the Pacific closed soon thereafter.

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. Taku died on October 17, 2007. Tilikum's other calves are: Nyar (born 1993, died 1996), Unna (1996), Sumar (1998–2010), Tuar (1999), Tekoa (2000), Nakai (2001), Kohana (2002), Ikaika (2002), Skyla (2004), Malia (2007), Sakari (2010) and Makaio (2010). In 1999, Tillikum 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 artificial insemination. Tilikum is also the first successful, surviving grandfather orca in captivity with the births of Trua (2005), Nalani (2006), Adán (2010) and Victoria (2012).

Tilikum was at the scene of a death on July 6, 1999. A 27-year-old male intruder was found floating naked in Tilikum’s pool, apparently killed by a combination of hypothermia and drowning. He had visited SeaWorld the previous day, stayed after the park closed, and evaded security to enter the orca tank. Investigators determined that the man had been bitten by Tilikum either before or after death. This however, can't necessarily be classified either way, as orcas generally use their teeth to inspect foreign objects in the same way a human would use their hands.

On February 24, 2010 Tilikum was involved in a third incident, when he killed a 40-year-old experienced trainer. The trainer was drowned following a popular Dine with Shamu show as at least two dozen tourists looked on from above a whale tank and from an underwater viewing area. Employees used nets and threw food at the whale in an attempt to distract him but one worker said it only made the animal more agitated.

Moving from pool to pool in the complex, they eventually captured Tilikum and released Ms Brancheau's body. A SeaWorld executive confirmed what witnesses saw, that the trainer was pulled into the water by Tilikum. At present, Tillikum was moved to SeaWorld San Diego, and has returned to performing; just in time for the parks new killer whale show "One Ocean". Contrary to numerous claims that he is kept alone and separated from the remaining whales, he has in fact been kept with his grandson Trua on numerous occasions, and can often be seen performing alongside of him during the show finales. Tillikum is kept separate from Katina and Kayla because they have been known to rake him.