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 ||||| ORLANDO, Fla. -- Tilikum, an orca that killed a trainer at SeaWorld Orlando in 2010 and was profiled in a documentary that helped sway popular opinion against keeping killer whales in captivity at SeaWorld parks, has died. 
 
 SeaWorld officials said Friday that Tilikum died but did not give a cause of death. In a statement to CBS News, the officials said Tilikum had faced serious health issues including a persistent and complicated bacterial lung infection. He was estimated to be 36 years old. A necropsy will be performed, according to the statement. 
 
 “Tilikum had, and will continue to have, a special place in the hearts of the SeaWorld family, as well as the millions of people all over the world that he inspired,” SeaWorld President and CEO Joel Manby said. “My heart goes out to our team who cared for him like family.” 
 
 Tilikum was SeaWorld’s most prolific male orca, siring 14 calves while he was at SeaWorld Orlando. He arrived at the park about 25 years ago. 
 
 He was noticeable for his size at more than 22 feet and 11,800 pounds. 
 
 Tilikum was born off the waters of Iceland and moved to Sealand of the Pacific in Canada after being captured. While at Sealand in 1992, Tilikum and two female orcas were responsible for the death of a part-time trainer who slipped and fell into their pool and was submerged by them. 
 
 Tilikum was moved to SeaWorld Orlando a short time later, and Sealand later closed. 
 
 In 1999, a naked man who had eluded security and sneaked into SeaWorld at night was found dead the next morning draped over Tilikum in a breeding tank in the back of Shamu Stadium. 
 
 But it was the 2010 death of SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau by Tilikum after a “Dine with Shamu” show that left the biggest impact on the future of orcas at SeaWorld parks. 
 
 Brancheau was interacting with Tilikum before a live audience at SeaWorld Orlando when he pulled her from a platform by her arm and held her under the water. An autopsy report said Brancheau drowned but also suffered severe trauma, including multiple fractures. 
 
 SeaWorld Entertainment officials announced in March 2016 that the tourist attraction would end its orca breeding program and theatrical shows involving killer whales. The decision came six years after Brancheau’s death and three years after the release of the documentary “Blackfish,” which chronicled Tilikum’s life and Brancheau’s death. 
 
 Gerardo Mora/Getty Images 
 
 The documentary argued that killer whales, when in captivity, become more aggressive toward humans and each other. After the documentary played at the Sundance Film Festival and aired on CNN, several entertainers pulled out of planned performances at SeaWorld parks and animal rights activists increased their demonstrations outside the parks. 
 
 Attendance at SeaWorld parks dipped, the company faced falling profits and Southwest Airlines ended its 25-year relationship with the theme park company. 
 
 In March, SeaWorld’s CEO acknowledged that the public’s attitude had changed about keeping killer whales captive and that the company would end its orca breeding program. 
 
 “We needed to move where society was moving,” Manby said. ||||| Tilikum, the orca at the center of the documentary "Blackfish," has died. 
 
 According to SeaWorld, Tilikum passed away early this morning surrounded by the trainers, care staff and veterinarians. 
 
 While the official cause of death will not be determined until the necropsy is completed, the SeaWorld veterinarians were treating a persistent and complicated bacterial lung infection. 
 
 Tilikum has been at SeaWorld for more than 25 years. 
 
 Even after her death, SeaWorld continued to offer Tilikum the care. 
 
 “Tilikum had, and will continue to have, a special place in the hearts of the SeaWorld family, as well as the millions of people all over the world that he inspired,” said President & CEO of SeaWorld Joel Manby. “My heart goes out to our team who cared for him like family.” 
 
 People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, better known as PETA, has long condemned the capturing of wildlife for show and SeaWorld. The organization sent out about a dozen tweets condemning the whale's health problems. 
 
 Some of those tweets centered around points brought up by "Blackfish," including the fact Tilikum killed several people while in captivity. 
 
 Technically, Tilikum wasn't captured by SeaWorld or born in captivity. And the organization says he's about 36 years old, which is "near the high end of the average life expectancy for male killer whales." 
 
 ORLANDO, Fla. -
– 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."