"Tilikum lived longer than almost any other captive male orca has, but his life was one of deprivation and difficulty," Animal Welfare Institute marine mammal scientist Naomi Rose said in a news release. "It is long since time for SeaWorld to begin serious consideration of retiring all of its orcas to seaside sanctuaries. Forcing these large, intelligent, socially complex animals to live out their sometimes decades-long lives in barren concrete tanks must end."