Tilly, The Whale That Wants to be Free

Did you know, when we were kids we watched a lot of animal shows at tourist attractions. As for the shows like dolphins, whales, sharks and others. They are show how these animals can perform activities like humans or their intelligence is equal to or exceeds humans in general. Have you ever heard of a killer whale that has pounced on its own trainer? If you think about it logically it might be strange and unbelievable. It was weird that the whale he had raised since childhood was the cause of his own death. Behind the controversial events, there are many sad backgrounds of the whale growing up in captivity.

According to Wikipedia, Tilikum or known by the nickname Tilly, is an orca whale that was bred since childhood in captivity. Pope Tilikum began to be widely discussed and known by the public for having killed three trainers at Sealand of the Pacific which is now no longer operating. He was arrested in Iceland in 1983, then one year later, he was transferred to the Sealand of the Pacific in Victoria, British Columbia. In 1991, Tilikum was involved in an incident that killed a 21-year-old student named Keltie Byrne, who drowned in a pool containing three killer whales, namely Tilikum, Haia II, and Nootka IV. Byrne slipped and couldn't be saved. Then Tilikum was moved again to SeaWorld Orlando, Florida, in 1992. After being moved to Orlando, Tilikum was again implicated in the deaths of two people, an illegal visitor named Daniel P. Dukes in 1999, and his 40-year-old coach, Dawn Brancheau, in a way dragging into the water. Because this case is quite controversial, Tilikum an orca whale that killed his trainer at SeaWorld Orlando, in 2010 was made the subject of the documentary 'Blackfish'.

 

The physical characteristics of Tilly are quite different from other types of whales. As we can see that its fins are quite short and bent compared to other whales. This is because during life he does not have enough space to move because he is only in a narrow captive aquarium. Orcas' dorsal fins will bend when they are in a tank with little stimulation and water pressure. Some of the unique body features make animal hunters want to keep them as a show. For 33 years of his life Tilly was only used as a spectacle for humans. He was not given any freedom at all. Despite his reputation, coaches often say that Tilikum is a kind of "gentle giant", who has a calm demeanor.

Tilly's story has also appeared in several films, which has appeared in one of the popular korean drama scenes in recent weeks. The main character lawyer Woo, who has autism, she loves all things about whales. In episode 9 of the drama Extraordinary Attorney woo, she discussed about the freedom of children in South Korea. As we know education in Korea is very fierce, even children who are still in kindergarten have to study hard. Where in Korea, children are forced to stay in tutoring places until the evening without being given the freedom just go to the toilet or rest. Then in the trial scene an orca whale appears with the same physical characteristics as Tilly, namely its short and bent fins. This shows that the problems the children face are similar to Tilly's life story. Where for years he was simply placed and raised in captivity without the freedoms he deserves like other whales.

The definition of freedom does not only apply to humans, but to all living things. It's a tragic story of Tilly's sad life. For 33 years of living as a human spectacle and without rest is indeed very tiring. Tilly was forced to work and make money for them. Unfortunately, at the age of 36 years, on January 6, 2016 Tilly was declared dead in captivity. The exact cause of Tilikum's death will be known after an autopsy. Last time, Tilikum suffered from a bacterial infection found in his pond. The male whale, also known as Tilly, has been treated for 25 years by SeaWorld Orlando, Florida. However, the exact cause of the death of this killer whale, which has the name Tilikum, is still unknown. With Tilikum's death, there are now only 22 killer whales left in captivity at SeaWorld located in Orlando, San Antonio and San Diego.