Tilikum’s Early Life and Capture
Born around December 1981 off the coast of Iceland, Tilikum’s life began in the wild, where orcas thrive in tight-knit family pods, hunting and communicating across vast distances. But in November 1983, at just two years old, his freedom was stolen. Tilikum was captured using nets in Berufjörður, eastern Iceland, and taken to Hafnarfjördur Marine Zoo. After nearly a year in a holding tank, he was transferred to Sealand of the Pacific in Victoria, Canada, where he shared a cramped space with two older female orcas, Haida II and Nootka IV. Both were pregnant and treated Tilikum with aggression, leaving him physically and emotionally scarred in an environment far from the open sea.
