PETA’s Comment on ‘Blackfish’ Star Tilikum’s Death: He’s at Peace at Last

For Immediate Release:
January 6, 2017

PETA Senior Vice President Lisa Lange has released a statement in response to the breaking news of the death of Tilikum, an orca held captive at SeaWorld:

SeaWorld’s announcement that it’s ending its orca-breeding program came too late for Tilikum, who was bred 21 times—and 11 of his offspring died before he did. From the moment that he was taken from his ocean family, his life was tragic and filled with pain, as are the lives of the other animals who remain in SeaWorld’s tanks and exhibits. Tilikum must be the last orca to die at a SeaWorld amusement park. Sea World needs to release all the remaining animals from its parks—the orcas, beluga whales, bottlenose dolphins, sea lions, walruses, penguins, and others—and rehabilitate and return them to nature or release them into coastal sanctuaries, where they could spend the rest of their lives in as natural a setting as possible, which, contrary to its greedy claims, is both reasonable and achievable.

PETA’s motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment.” More information about our campaign is available at SeaWorldOfHurt.com.