whales

Tilikum, Subject of Killer Whale Doc ‘Blackfish’, Dies in Captivity
Tilikum, Subject of Killer Whale Doc ‘Blackfish’, Dies in Captivity
Tilikum, Subject of Killer Whale Doc ‘Blackfish’, Dies in Captivity
In 2010, an orca named Tilikum made headlines when he killed SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau in Orlando, Florida — Brancheau wasn’t the first person killed by the park’s troubled resident; then again, Tilikum wasn’t the first (or the last) captive orca to attack a human being. Three years later, he became newsworthy again as the subject of Blackfish, Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s eye-opening documentary which used the story of Tilikum to shine a light on the horrors lurking within sea parks (spoiler: it’s the humans you need to worry about). Four years later, Tilikum is making headlines again, as the now-infamous orca has passed away at the estimated age of 36.