ORLANDO, Fla. — Tilikum was a wild whale until the age of 2 when he was captured. Then, he was put into a tank that, critics say, is much too small for the massive, 12,000 pound animal. Critics say it's no environment for an orca.
Animal rights groups are speaking out about the incident that killed 40-year-old SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau when a killer whale pulled her into the water. This has happened before and they say it will happen again unless the captivity of killer whales comes to an end.
For some, the tragedy at SeaWorld was not unexpected.
VIDEO REPORT: PETA Speaks Out
"We have been warning for years and decades about the possibility of human injury and human death. And we have seen frequent deaths occurring at marine parks across the world," Central Florida PETA spokesman Bryan Wilson told Eyewitness News.
PETA has objected to the trapping, training and breeding of killer whales for the theme parks.
"These animals are living in completely unnatural environments. Their tanks, as they call them, are what are like you or I in a bath tub," he said.
In the wild, killer whales can roam up to 500 miles per week in search of food. Critics say their range in SeaWorld's orca habitat, though it holds seven-million gallons of water, is nothing.
Animal rights activists say, for the safety of the trainers and the whales, the animals should be retired and either released into the wild or put in a protected environment far away from people.
"The only way to ensure these animals will not continue to live stressful lives in these tiny tanks is to put them into a seaside sanctuary where they can have a little more ability to move around, where they're not forced to entertain screaming crowds for the sake of profit," Wilson said.
An orca expert says the aquariums mischaracterize killer whales as animals people would want to swim with.
"We respect lions and wolves and wild dogs. We don't go run into the Serengeti and try to go jump on their backs," orca expert Fred Felleman said.
Felleman also said we don't have the facilities to accommodate the physical and psychological needs of massive animals like Tilikum. He says, when they're confined and cut off from their extended family, killer whales tend to get agitated.
Previous Stories: February 25, 2010: Autopsy Reveals Details On SeaWorld Trainer's Death February 25, 2010: Slain Whale Trainer Had True Passion For Job February 25, 2010: Trainer Killed At SeaWorld Loved Killer Whales February 25, 2010: SeaWorld Guests React Day After Whale Attack February 25, 2010: Whale Pulls Trainer Off Platform By Hair In Fatal Attack February 24, 2010: Whale Kills Female Trainer At SeaWorld's Shamu Stadium