Captured near Iceland in November 1983, Tilikum “was housed in small tanks from the beginning,” said Blake. SeaWorld Orlando acquired the whale in January 1992, and put him in a breeding program shortly thereafter.
So, the question is, how old was he when captured? He has been in captivity a long time. But, was he in the wild long enough before capture to make it on his own?
Keiko was young when captured and never really acquired the total skill to survive in the wild. They tried and tried with some success.
Rumor has it Tilikum’s first name is, “Uralive”...