Tilikum, the killer whale that became infamous for battering and drowning a SeaWorld Orlando trainer, has an apparent lung infection that could kill him. 
 
 SeaWorld announced Tilikum's illness Tuesday on social media. The orca, estimated to be 35 years old, has become increasingly lethargic over the past few weeks. 
 
 "I wish I could say I was tremendously optimistic about Tilikum and his future, but he has a disease which is chronic and progressive and at some point might cause his death," veterinarian Scott Gearhart said on a video. 
 
 SeaWorld said the bacteria that has infected Tilikum is found in a variety of species including wild cetaceans. Trainers are giving him a variety of antibiotics and antifungal medications in his fish. 
 
 "What I know is that every day that I'm here and every day that these amazing veterinarians are here, he will receive the best care," said Kelly Flaherty Clark, SeaWorld's director of animal training. 
 
 SeaWorld said Tilikum has not lost any significant weight. The fact he is still eating is generally a good sign, said Naomi Rose, a marine mammal scientist with the Animal Welfare Institute. 
 
 Tilikum is in SeaWorld's medical pool. Asked if he was still performing, a SeaWorld spokeswoman pointed to the company's online video — in which animal care supervisor Daniel Richardville says, "if he's ready to go out and do a show and get people wet, I'm excited to do that with him." 
 
 Animal advocates say that Tilikum's life is a sad example of why whales should not be kept in captivity. 
 
 "The sickness at SeaWorld is with its management, which has deliberately caused Tilikum — the subject of Blackfish, the damning documentary about SeaWorld — to suffer immensely by confining him to a small concrete tank for decades, causing him to succumb to mental illness that has resulted in aggression and now to some incurable illness," People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals said in a statement. 
 
 Tilikum came to SeaWorld 23 years ago from the now-defunct Sealand of the Pacific in Victoria, British Columbia. SeaWorld acquired him to breed with female orcas. Tilikum has sired more than a dozen whales for SeaWorld. But he has also been a public relations problem for the park. 
 
 He has been involved with three human deaths. He was one of three whales that drowned a trainer at Sealand. In 1999, he was involved in a second incident when the naked body of a man who had apparently sneaked in after hours to swim with the whales was found draped dead across his back. 
 
 After Tilikum killed trainer Dawn Brancheau in 2010, his life became the focus of the 2013 documentary "Blackfish." That movie suggested the stress of his captivity made him lash out and kill Brancheau. SeaWorld is still grappling with the fallout from that film: It has lost corporate sponsorships, attendance and revenue while spending more money on public relations and fending off lawsuits. 
 
 In the video released this week, SeaWorld animal care workers talked lovingly of Tilikum getting back rubs and playing with his favorite toys. 
 
 Richardville said Tilikum "has had some ups and downs healthwise." Those include what SeaWorld calls "chronic teeth issues." 
 
 spedicini@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5240 ||||| Published on Mar 8, 2016 
 
 Since Tilikum became a part of SeaWorld’s family 23 years ago, he has received the best in marine mammal health care available for killer whales. You can learn more about the care Tilikum is receiving by watching this video of Tilikum and other whales. 
 
 
 
 *We are saddened to announce Tilikum passed away on January 6, 2017. Learn more about the life and care of Tilikum, https://www.seaworldcares.com/tilikum. 
 
 
 
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 SeaWorld® Insider Blog: http://bit.ly/JsTJZu ||||| SeaWorld Says Health Of Tilikum The Killer Whale Is Declining 
 
 Enlarge this image toggle caption Phelan M. Ebenhack/AP Phelan M. Ebenhack/AP 
 
 SeaWorld says the health of one of its best-known killer whales is deteriorating. Tilikum is the orca that killed SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau in 2010 — her death and SeaWorld's treatment of its killer whales were at the center of the documentary Blackfish. 
 
 On its blog, SeaWorld says Tilikum has become increasingly lethargic in recent weeks. The orca appears to have a bacterial infection in his lungs that is resistant to treatment. Tilikum is one of SeaWorld's most prolific breeders, siring more than 20 calves. 
 
 In a video on the blog, SeaWorld veterinarian Scott Gearhart says he is not optimistic about Tilikum's future. 
 
 YouTube 
 
 Tilikum has been with SeaWorld for 23 years, having coming from another park, Sealand of the Pacific, which closed in 1992. 
 
 Besides Brancheau, the orca has been implicated in the deaths of two other people. A Sealand trainer died in 1991 after falling into a tank holding Tilikum and several other whales and was prevented from surfacing. And in 1999, a man who had remained at SeaWorld after the park closed apparently entered Tilikum's tank, where he was found dead the following morning. 
 
 Those deaths were detailed in Blackfish, which galvanized a public campaign opposing shows with captive killer whales. Following the documentary's release in 2013 and its broadcast on CNN, attendance fell at SeaWorld's three parks — in San Diego, San Antonio and Orlando, Fla. The theme park attributed some of the decline to public reaction to the film. 
 
 Following Brancheau's death, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration said trainers would no longer be allowed into the water with orcas unless separated by a barrier. SeaWorld has continued its signature orca shows, though CEO Joel Manby recently said the theme park was planning a new "orca experience" that would show them in a more natural setting.
– Tilikum, the killer whale at the heart of the SeaWorld-damning documentary Blackfish, has a lung infection that could possibly kill him, the Orlando Sentinel reports. SeaWorld announced the 35-year-old whale's illness Tuesday. "I wish I could say I was tremendously optimistic about Tilikum and his future, but he has a disease which is chronic and progressive and at some point might cause his death," a veterinarian says in a video released by SeaWorld. Tilikum is being being treated with antibiotics and antifungal medications. While the whale is still eating, he's become increasingly lethargic. And USA Today reports the bacteria has been resistant to treatment so far. According to NPR, Tilikum has been at SeaWorld for 23 years and is one of its "most prolific breeders." Tilikum has been involved in three human deaths, the most lurid of which was in 1999 when a naked man was found "draped dead across his back" after getting into the park after hours. But it was the 2010 drowning death of a trainer that inspired Blackfish. In the documentary, experts argue that killer whales are highly intelligent creatures who can become depressed and dangerous if kept in confinement. Since Blackfish was released in 2013, SeaWorld has lost attendance, revenue, and sponsors. A SeaWorld spokesperson wouldn't say whether or not the ailing Tilikum is still performing at the park. But a trainer in the company's video says "if he's ready to go out and do a show…I'm excited to do that with him."