The Orcas were seen as unpredictable and it was a common conception that Tilikum would only attack again and again. .
But is it really Tilikum's fault? Is it any wonder that the Orca became aggressive? Tilikum was depressed. He was enclosed by impenetrable walls every day for nine years when he had nothing to do but float or attempt to earn some food by physically exerting himself. The little food he was given was not healthy for a 22.5 feet long killer whale and caused many health problems, including the collapse of his dorsal fin. Was his attack on Keltie Bryne just a shout for help? A natural reaction to an unnatural situation? In the wake of this incident, animal activists gathered up a storm of people protesting against whale captivity outside the gates of Sealand of the Pacific and the aquarium was shut down for good. However, even though Sealand of the Pacific had closed its doors forever, their exploitation of the whales did not end there. The executives sold the Orcas that remained in their captivity. Tilikum was shipped off to SeaWorld Orlando in 1992 where he became the star of the show 'Shamu'. .
Soon, Tilikum was adored by thousands. His shows were awe-inspiring and everyone he came into contact with adored him, the trainers felt like they had a personal relationship with the whale and he was given the nickname 'Tilly'. Reportedly, for a while, Tilikum seemed to be happy with his new "home". But it still wasn't an ocean. .
Tilikum's living space was considerably bigger than he was used to at Sealand and he was given the opportunity to interact with other whales. The only problem was that the majority of the other Orcas were female. Female Orcas are the more dominant of the two sexes and, due to this, Tilikum was at the bottom of the social structure. In the wild, killer whales vie for dominance but the subdominant animal then flees the scene and the conflict subsides.