What Happened to Tilikum, the Orca That Killed His SeaWorld Trainer?

January 6, 2023 marks the six-year anniversary of the death of Tilikum—one of the most famous orcas in the world.

The orca—which was in captivity for 33 years—died at SeaWorld Orlando and is infamous for killing three people during his lifetime, the most well-known of which was Dawn Brancheau, who died at SeaWorld in 2010.

Tilikum was the focus for the controversial 2013 documentary Blackfish, which detailed the killings and presented them as a direct result of the stress he endured while living in captivity.

What happened to Tilikum?

Tilikum was first captured when he was two years old and swimming in Icelandic waters in 1983. He was first taken to the Hafnarfjördur Marine Zoo for nearly a year before he was moved to Sealand of the Pacific, in Victoria on Vancouver Island, Canada. He was then transferred to SeaWorld Orlando, in 1992.

Tilikum was a beloved orca at the park and would perform in theatrical shows and experiences, including "Dine with Shamu," where visitors would sit alongside a tank and observe him while they ate.

Shamu was a captive orca that appeared in shows at SeaWorld San Diego in the mid/late 1960s.

It was during a "Dine with Shamu" session that Tilikum killed Brancheau—the trainer who was with him at the time.

Tilikum's death

Following Brancheau's death, Tilikum stayed at the park until he died in 2017 from a lung infection.

How many people did Tilikum kill?

Tilikum was responsible for three deaths in his lifetime. Details remain relatively vague and nobody knows just why the orca acted in this way.

Dawn Brancheau

Brancheau, who was a highly experienced orca trainer at Seaworld, had been feeding Tilikum fish near the end of the "Dine with Shamu" show and was on the edge of the pool rubbing the orcas head.

The orca then grabbed Brancheau and pulled her into the water in an incident that was caught on film. Some eyewitnesses claimed they saw the orca drag her by the shoulder or ponytail.

After dragging the trainer underwater Tilikum eventually released her but it was too late.

An autopsy confirmed that Brancheau had died from drowning and blunt force trauma. Her scalp had been torn off and she had also suffered several other injuries including a severed spinal cord and fractures to her jawbone and ribs.

The incident was put down to a tragic accident.

Keltie Byrne

Although Brancheau's death was the most famous caused by Tilikum, it was not the only one. On February 20, 1991, 20-year-old trainer Keltie Byrne had been working at Tilikum's previous home, SeaLand, when an incident occurred that caused her death.

It is not clear exactly what happened, as eyewitness accounts differ and there were two other orcas present at the time but it is widely believed that Tilikum dragged her into the water.

A coroner's inquest into Byrne's death concluded that she had been drowned following "forcible submersion by orca."

Daniel P. Dukes,

Daniel Dukes was the second person killed by Tilikum. He was not a trainer but a member of the public who is thought to have snuck into Tilikum's pool at SeaWorld Orlando.

In July 1999, Dukes' dead body was found floating in the pool. It is not certain what happened but SeaWorld said at the time that Dukes had climbed into the pool and drowned.

However, animal rights activists and a coroner's report noted his body had been mutilated by the whale.

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