Tilikum is a twenty two and a half foot, twelve thousand pound killer whale that lives in a small steel tank in SeaWorld. He first became famous for being one of a three-whale team to drown a trainer when he was part of SeaLand in 1991. He was later sold to SeaWorld where he eventually killed his new trainer, Dawn Brancheau, in 2010. All of this information was showcased in the documentary, Blackfish. Blackfish was written in 2013 on the lives of orcas in general, with specific examples about Tilikum. Tilikum is an unhappy orca who wants nothing more than to be set back into the wild. He tells us this by acting hostally, because he is unable to directly speak our language. It is not our choice whether or not he can be freely swimming in the ocean with his family. Wild animals should only be captured for research, and then should be released back to their families.
   

  Currently, a step-by-step retirement program is being done for Lolita, another one of the forty-four killer whales in captivity. She has had nothing but human contact since 1980 and is finally being prepared to be sent back into the ocean with her family. The process includes flying her from her current location in Miami to Bellingham International Airport. After being driven to the Bellingham Harbor, she will be returned to the ocean where she was born and slowly undergo treatment to sustain in the wild. She will learn how to catch fresh fish, rather than being given dead fish, but will still have dead fish as an option until she is able to find food on her own. Eventually, she will be able to return to the wild. She will also learn to come back by a call administered by her caretakers. In case she gets too tired, she will at all times have the ability to swim to a station for care and companionship. This retirement option is a safe way for whales to be released into the wild without endangering humans or other marine life. 
     

Lolita’s retirement option is the only one currently presented to the public. However, SeaWorld is working to expand whale tanks at the parks in San Diego, Orlando, and San Antonio. This will allow the large orcas to have more swimming room, but will not give them the pleasure of swimming in open waters. The best retirement option for Tilikum and other captive orcas is the one that is being provided to Lolita. He wants to go home and be set free from the frustrations of captivity. If he is not freed, his anger will continue to build up and could cause an event that would be worse than the two fatalites that have already occurred.
     

I believe Tilikum deserves to retire. He should never have been captured but been allowed to swim freely his whole life. Humans get this right and orcas are not any different. Not only should he have this right, but he has given the majority of his life to SeaWorld, including offspring. As highlighted in Blackfish, he is becoming more and more violent as time goes on, and it will not improve. Captive orcas do not live full and happy lives. I do not think that watching orcas do tricks is necessary; however, if it does educate us, then orcas should at least be allowed to retire. Humans are given the opportunity to retire after working their whole lives, orcas should be given the same decency.