A slight departure from furry to finned this week. Let’s talk about whales and dolphins - mammals uniquely similar to humans in terms of intelligence and family structure.

The tragic loss of a SeaWorld trainer dragged to a watery death by a 12,300 lb. killer whale sparked media buzz around the world. Most news reports sensationalized the horror of it all--a seasoned trainer killed by her prized co-star before a live audience. With two other fatalities under his fin, “Tilikum” now a killer in the truest sense.

But what about this behemoth of the sea, who lived the past 28 years in the equivalent of a large fish bowl. What kind of life has he had?

When captive wild animals turn on humans (particularly those exploited for entertainment purposes) I tend to sympathize with the animal, and this was no exception.

I thought about Tilikum for days, reading and researching Orca whales almost to obsession. I wondered how and what he was doing – if they sequestered him in the “bad boys” tank before reopening the show. I don’t believe he meant to kill his beloved trainer so much as make the point: “I don’t like this.” Prior to the attack, eyewitnesses reported an agitated, disobedient whale that wouldn’t perform his tricks. Was Tilikum just having a bad day or did he simply have enough?

I’ve always been fascinated by marine mammals, dolphins in particular. Orca’s are the largest member of the dolphin family, with brains nearly five times the size of man’s. Their intelligence, sensitivity and social structure mirror ours, with tight-knit family groups or “pods” swimming happily together for generations.

If they don’t get caught, that is.

Tilikum’s idyllic life came to an abrupt halt in November 1983 at the age of 2, when he was snatched from his mother and siblings off the coast of Iceland—a traumatic experience for any young orca. For the next 28 years, he learned to perform tricks for food in a confined “ocean” measured in feet instead of fathoms, circling endlessly with an artificial family. Doesn’t sound like much fun.

This is what I don’t get. People pay good money to get splashed by a giant whale trained to carry a human on his back and perform other tricks for sheer spectacle. And we think because he does it, he enjoys it. Those on the receiving end of this multi-billion dollar industry insist the shows promote conservation and education.

I understand the point of captive breeding these magnificent creatures to help sustain the species. Tilikum himself has fathered several offspring via artificial insemination. But holding a highly social creature in solitary confinement for decades and asking him to perform repetitious stunts in unnatural surroundings seems cruel.

One of the more compelling opinions of the SeaWorld tragedy came from Psychology Today contributing writer Gay Bradshaw, Ph.D. She specializes in human-animal relationships and trauma recovery of several species, including elephants, grizzly bears and parrots. Bradshaw believes after suffering a violent and premature separation from his mother, Tilikum’s diagnosis conforms to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). “Tilikum suffered shock and relational trauma from the capture, disrupted development and chronic stress during imprisonment for three decades”, she writes.

Even legendary marine explorer Jacques Cousteau weighed in years ago, stating “There’s about as much educational benefit studying dolphins in captivity as there would be studying mankind by only observing prisoners held in solitary”.

And what about Lolita, the 42-year-old orca superstar of Miami’s SeaQuarium--she and ten other family members captured off the coast of Washington State on their way to an orca reunion in 1970—the group chased down and netted amid the sounds of deafening bombs to confuse and corral the terrified animals. Only 7 lived through it.

I’m no scientist or left-wing activist but something isn't right here. And I’m still worried about Tilikum’s state of mind. If you have an opinion on this subject, I’d love to hear it.