Captive orcas
Encyclopedia
Public aquarium
A public aquarium is the aquatic counterpart of a zoo, housing living aquatic species for viewing. Most public aquariums feature tanks larger than those kept by home aquarists, as well as smaller tanks. Since the first public aquariums were built in the mid-19th century, they have become popular...
s and aquatic theme parks due to their intelligence, trainability, striking appearance, playfulness in captivity and sheer size. However, the captive environment usually bears little resemblance to their wild habitat, and the social groups that the killer whales are put into are foreign to those found in the wild. The practice of keeping killer whales in captivity is controversial.
Orcas
Dolphin
Dolphins are marine mammals that are closely related to whales and porpoises. There are almost forty species of dolphin in 17 genera. They vary in size from and , up to and . They are found worldwide, mostly in the shallower seas of the continental shelves, and are carnivores, mostly eating...
family. It is found in all the world's ocean
Ocean
An ocean is a major body of saline water, and a principal component of the hydrosphere. Approximately 71% of the Earth's surface is covered by ocean, a continuous body of water that is customarily divided into several principal oceans and smaller seas.More than half of this area is over 3,000...
s, from the frigid Arctic
Arctic
The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...
and Antarctic regions to warm, tropical seas.
Killer whales are versatile and opportunistic predators. Some populations feed mostly on fish, and other populations hunt marine mammals, including sea lion
Sea Lion
Sea lions are pinnipeds characterized by external ear-flaps, long fore-flippers, the ability to walk on all fours, and short thick hair. Together with the fur seal, they comprise the family Otariidae, or eared seals. There are six extant and one extinct species in five genera...
s, seals
Earless seal
The true seals or earless seals are one of the three main groups of mammals within the seal superfamily, Pinnipedia. All true seals are members of the family Phocidae . They are sometimes called crawling seals to distinguish them from the fur seals and sea lions of the family Otariidae...
, walruses and even large whale
Whale
Whale is the common name for various marine mammals of the order Cetacea. The term whale sometimes refers to all cetaceans, but more often it excludes dolphins and porpoises, which belong to suborder Odontoceti . This suborder also includes the sperm whale, killer whale, pilot whale, and beluga...
s. They are considered the apex predator
Apex predator
Apex predators are predators that have no predators of their own, residing at the top of their food chain. Zoologists define predation as the killing and consumption of another organism...
of the marine world. There are up to five distinct killer whale types, some of which may be separate races
Race (biology)
In biology, races are distinct genetically divergent populations within the same species with relatively small morphological and genetic differences. The populations can be described as ecological races if they arise from adaptation to different local habitats or geographic races when they are...
, subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
or even species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
. Killer whales are highly social
Social animal
A social animal is a loosely defined term for an organism that is highly interactive with other members of its species to the point of having a recognizable and distinct society.All mammals are social to the extent that mothers and offspring bond...
; some populations are composed of matrilineal family groups, which are the most stable of any animal species.
The sophisticated social behavior, hunting techniques, and vocal behavior of killer whales have been described as manifestations of culture
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
.
Although killer whales are not an endangered species
Endangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
, some local populations are considered threatened
Threatened species
Threatened species are any speciesg animals, plants, fungi, etc.) which are vulnerable to endangerment in the near future.The World Conservation Union is the foremost authority on threatened species, and treats threatened species not as a single category, but as a group of three categories,...
or endangered due to pollution by PCBs
Polychlorinated biphenyl
Polychlorinated biphenyls are a class of organic compounds with 2 to 10 chlorine atoms attached to biphenyl, which is a molecule composed of two benzene rings. The chemical formula for PCBs is C12H10-xClx...
, depletion of prey species, captures for marine mammal parks, conflicts with fishing activities, acoustic pollution, shipping vessels, stress from whale-watching boats, and habitat loss.
Capture and breeding
Orcas are large, active and intelligent.Males range from 6–8 m long (19–32 ft) and weigh over 8 tonne
Tonne
The tonne, known as the metric ton in the US , often put pleonastically as "metric tonne" to avoid confusion with ton, is a metric system unit of mass equal to 1000 kilograms. The tonne is not an International System of Units unit, but is accepted for use with the SI...
s, while females range from 5–7 m (16–23 ft) and weigh about 3 to 5 tonnes.
It is extremely difficult to capture orcas and to provide a healthy environment for the captives. Early attempts in the 1960s caused many injuries and deaths. However, with experience the teams who specialized in the business became more adept and post-capture survival rates improved. Live captures peaked in the early 1970s, but have become increasingly rare as the marine parks have learned how to maintain theme park populations through captive breeding and artificial insemination.
North Eastern Pacific Captures
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. The 5.2 m (17 ft) orca was placed in a tank at the aquarium, where she repeatedly crashed into the walls. She died the following day. The next orca captured, Moby Doll
Moby Doll
Moby Doll was the first captive orca displayed in a public aquarium exhibit.The 15 foot long, 1-ton male was captured in 1964 near East Point, Saturna Island in British Columbia. A sculptor, Samuel Burich, had been commissioned by the Vancouver Aquarium to kill an orca in order to construct a...
, had been harpooned and shot in 1964 and survived for three months when brought back for display to Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
. The third capture for display occurred in June 1965 when William Lechkobit found a 22 foot (6.7m) male orca in his floating salmon net that had drifted close to shore near Namu, British Columbia
Namu, British Columbia
Namu is a small fishing port, former cannery town and First Nations community on the coast of British Columbia, Canada. It is located about southwest of Bella Coola or SSE of Bella Bella, on the mainland shore of the Inside Passage ferry route directly opposite Hunter Island, and just south of...
. The orca was sold for $8,000 to Ted Griffin
Edward "Ted" Griffin
Edward Griffin, more commonly known as Ted Griffin, was an aquarium owner, entrepreneur and the first man to ever swim with a killer whale in a public exhibition. In 1965 Griffin purchased, displayed and performed with the orca, Namu, at Griffin's Seattle Marine Aquarium...
, a Seattle
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
public aquarium owner. Named after his place of capture, Namu
Namu (Orca)
Namu was only the second orca displayed in an aquarium exhibit and was the first orca to perform with a human together in the water...
was the subject of a film
Namu, the Killer Whale
Namu, the Killer Whale is a 1966 American film about a killer whale being studied by a local marine biologist and initially feared by local townspeople. The fictional story was filmed on location in the San Juan Islands and at Rich Cove near Port Orchard in the US state of Washington...
that changed some people's attitudes toward orcas He survived one year in captivity and died in his pen on July 9, 1966.
During the 1960s and early 1970s, nearly 70 orcas were taken from Pacific waters for exhibition. The Southern Resident community of the Northeast Pacific lost 48 of its members to captivity. By 1976, only 80 orcas were left in the community, which remains endangered. With subsequent captures, the theme parks learned more about avoiding injury during capture and subsequent care of orcas, and discovered that they could be trained to perform tricks, a great attraction to visitors. As commercial demand increased, growing numbers of Pacific orcas were captured, peaking in 1970.
A turning point came with a mass capture of orcas from the L-25 pod
Cetacea
The order Cetacea includes the marine mammals commonly known as whales, dolphins, and porpoises. Cetus is Latin and is used in biological names to mean "whale"; its original meaning, "large sea animal", was more general. It comes from Ancient Greek , meaning "whale" or "any huge fish or sea...
in August 1970 at Penn Cove, Puget Sound
Puget Sound
Puget Sound is a sound in the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected marine waterways and basins, with one major and one minor connection to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Pacific Ocean — Admiralty Inlet being the major connection and...
off the coast of Washington. The Penn Cove capture became controversial due to the large number of wild orcas that were taken (seven) and the number of deaths that resulted: four juveniles died, as well as one adult female who drowned when she became tangled in a net while attempting to reach her calf. In an attempt to conceal the deaths from the public, all five of the whales had their bellies slit open and filled with rocks, their tails weighted down with anchors and chains. The facts surrounding their deaths were discovered three months later after three of the dead whales washed ashore on Whidbey Island. Public concern about the welfare of the animals and the impact of captures on the wild pods led to the Marine Mammal Protection Act
Marine Mammal Protection Act
The Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 was the first article of legislation to call specifically for an ecosystem approach to natural resource management and conservation. MMPA prohibits the taking of marine mammals, and enacts a moratorium on the import, export, and sale of any marine mammal,...
being passed in 1972 by the US Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
, protecting orcas from being harassed or killed, and requiring special permits for capture. Since then, few wild orcas have been captured in Northeastern Pacific waters.
Lolita
Lolita (orca)
Lolita is an orca who has lived at the Miami Seaquarium for 40 years.-Early life:On August 8, 1970 in Puget Sound Lolita along with seven others were caught to be sold to marine parks and aquariums. Tokitae, as she was originally named, was purchased by Seaquarium veterinarian Dr. Jesse White for...
, originally known as Tokitae, was a survivor of the Penn Cove captures. She was about six years old at time of capture and is now the oldest captive orca. Lolita is the subject of the documentary Lolita: Slave to Entertainment, released in 2008. Various groups still argue that Lolita should be released into the wild.
Icelandic captures
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
. Icelandic herring fishermen had traditionally seen orcas as competitors for their catch, and sale of live orcas promised a large new source of income. 48 live orcas captured in Icelandic waters were exported to marine parks between 1976 and 1988. The capture process was based on luring the orcas by dumping leftovers from herring
Herring
Herring is an oily fish of the genus Clupea, found in the shallow, temperate waters of the North Pacific and the North Atlantic oceans, including the Baltic Sea. Three species of Clupea are recognized. The main taxa, the Atlantic herring and the Pacific herring may each be divided into subspecies...
fishing in front of the pod, capturing the orcas in a purse seine net, selecting desirable animals and hauling them onboard in a specially designed frame, then placing them in foam-lined boxes full of seawater. However, restrictions on US orca import permits and advances in captive breeding programs meant that the market never became as large as expected. Growing concern from conservationists and animal rights activists has caused the Icelandic government to limit the number of orcas that may be captured each year.
Perhaps the best known of the Icelandic captives is Keiko
Keiko (orca)
Keiko was a male orca / actor who starred in the film Free Willy and was perhaps the most famous of captive orcas.- History :...
, caught in 1979 and sold to the Icelandic aquarium in Hafnarfjörður
Hafnarfjörður
Hafnarfjörður is a port town and municipality located on the south-west coast of Iceland, about 10 km south of Reykjavík....
. Three years later, he was sold to Marineland Canada, where he first started performing for the public and developed skin lesion
Lesion
A lesion is any abnormality in the tissue of an organism , usually caused by disease or trauma. Lesion is derived from the Latin word laesio which means injury.- Types :...
s indicative of poor health. He was then sold to Reino Aventura
Reino Aventura
Reino Aventura was an amusement park located in Tlalpan in the south-western part of Mexico City. It opened to the public in March 1982 as the biggest amusement park in Latin America.-History:...
(now named Six Flags Mexico
Six Flags México
Six Flags México is an amusement park owned by Six Flags Inc. and the only Six Flags park operating in Latin America. It is located in the Tlalpan forest and borough, on the southern edge of Mexico City, Mexico. Six Flags México has become one of the most important theme parks in Mexico and the...
), an amusement park
Amusement park
thumb|Cinderella Castle in [[Magic Kingdom]], [[Disney World]]Amusement and theme parks are terms for a group of entertainment attractions and rides and other events in a location for the enjoyment of large numbers of people...
in Mexico City, in 1985. He was the star of the 1993 movie Free Willy
Free Willy
Free Willy is a 1993 family film directed by Simon Wincer, and released by Warner Bros. under its Family Entertainment label. The film stars Jason James Richter as a young boy who befriends an orca whale, named "Willy."...
, the publicity from which led to an effort by Warner Brothers Studio
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
to find him a better home. Using donations from the studio, Craig McCaw
Craig McCaw
Craig McCaw is a Seattle-area businessman and entrepreneur who achieved success as a pioneer in the cellular phone industry. He is the founder of McCaw Cellular and Clearwire Corporation.-Early life and cable TV beginnings:Craig is the second of four sons of Marion and John Elroy McCaw...
and millions of school children, the Oregon Coast Aquarium
Oregon Coast Aquarium
The Oregon Coast Aquarium is an aquarium in Newport in the U.S. state of Oregon. Opened in 1992, the facility sits on along Yaquina Bay near the Pacific Ocean. From January 1996 until September 9, 1998 when he was shipped to Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland this aquarium was home to Keiko, the orca who...
in Newport, Oregon
Newport, Oregon
Newport is a city in Lincoln County, Oregon, United States. It was incorporated in 1882, though the name dates back to the establishment of a post office in 1868...
spent over $7 million to construct facilities to return him to health with the hope of returning him to the wild. He was airlifted to his new home in January 1996, where he soon regained weight. In September 1998, he was flown to Klettsvik Bay in Vestmannaeyjar in Iceland, and gradually reintroduced to the wild, returning to the open sea in July 2002. Keiko died from pneumonia in December 2003. He had become lethargic and had a loss of appetite. He beached himself in the morning and died aged 27 years.
North Western Pacific captures
1,477 orcas were hunted in Japanese waters between 1948 and 1972, 545 of them around HokkaidoHokkaido
, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel...
. Killer whale encounters in Japanese waters are now rare. In 1997 a group of ten orcas was corralled by Japanese fisherman banging on iron rods and using water bombs to disorientate the animals and force them into a bay near Taiji, Wakayama
Taiji, Wakayama
is a town located in Higashimuro District, Wakayama, Japan.As of 1 January 2011, the town has an estimated population of 3,225 and a population density of 541 persons per km². The total area is 5.96 km². Taiji is the smallest local government by area in Wakayama Prefecture because, unlike others,...
. They were held in the bay for two days before being auctioned to Japanese marine parks. Five animals were released, and the other five transported via road or sea to the aquariums. All five are dead.
The first live orca captured in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
was an 18 feet (5.5 m)-long female estimated to be about six years old, captured off the Pacific coast of the Kamchatka district on September 26, 2003. She was transferred over 7000 miles (11,265.4 km) to a facility owned by the Utrish Dolphinarium on the Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
, where she died in October 2003 after less than a month in captivity.
Orcas born in captivity
A growing number of theme-park orcas have been born in captivity. Kalina, a female orca born in September 1985 at SeaWorld Orlando, was the first captive orca calf to survive more than few days. Kalina's mother is an Icelandic female named KatinaKatina (whale)
Katina is a female Orca who lives in SeaWorld Orlando in Florida. She was captured off Iceland at approximately two years of age on October 26, 1978. She is the most successful breeding female Orca in captivity.-Transfers:...
, and her father, Winston
Ramu III (Winston)
Ramu III was an Orca who resided at the now-defunct Windsor Safari Park in Berkshire, England between 1970 and 1976, and later, at SeaWorld San Diego in California between 1976 and 1986...
(also known as Ramu III), was a Pacific Southern Resident, making Kalina an Atlantic/Pacific hybrid — a unique situation that would not have occurred in the wild.
The first orca conceived through artificial insemination
Artificial insemination
Artificial insemination, or AI, is the process by which sperm is placed into the reproductive tract of a female for the purpose of impregnating the female by using means other than sexual intercourse or natural insemination...
was Nakai who was born to Kasatka
Kasatka
Kasatka is a female Orca who lives at SeaWorld San Diego and the mother of Takara, Nakai, and Kalia. She was captured off the coast of Iceland on October 26, 1978, at the age of one year. Her name probably comes from the Russian word Kasatka , a generic name for Orcas...
at the SeaWorld
SeaWorld
SeaWorld is a United States chain of marine mammal parks, oceanariums, and animal theme parks owned by SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment. The parks feature captive orca, sea lion, and dolphin shows and zoological displays featuring various other marine animals. There are operations in Orlando,...
park in San Diego in September 2001. A female orca named Kohana, the second orca conceived in this manner, was born at the same park eight months later. Artificial insemination lets park owners maintain a healthier genetic mix in the small groups of orcas at each park while avoiding the stress of moving orcas for breeding purposes.
The practice of exhibiting orcas born in captivity is less controversial than of retaining free-born orcas, since the captive-born orcas have known no other world and may not be able to adapt to life in the wild. Captive breeding also promises to reduce incentives to capture wild orcas. However, in January 2002 the Miami Seaquarium stated that captive orcas are dying faster than they are being born, and as it is virtually impossible to obtain orcas captured from the wild, the business of exhibiting captive orcas may eventually disappear.
Orca captivity locations
As of February 2010, 42 orcas are held captive at facilities in North and South America, Europe and Japan, providing entertainment for theme park visitors. Building the physical infrastructure of the parks has required major capital expenditure, but as the star attractions the orcas are arguably the most valuable and irreplaceable assets. Exhibition of captive orcas generates large revenues, and the theme parks continue to research ways to improve the health, fertility, longevity and general well-being of the orcas in their care.SeaWorld
SeaWorld is a chain of marine mammal parkMarine mammal park
A marine mammal park is a commercial theme park or aquarium where marine mammals such as dolphins, beluga whales and sea lions are kept within water tanks and displayed to the public in special shows. A marine mammal park is more elaborate than a dolphinarium, because it also features other marine...
s in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and is the largest owner of captive orcas in the world. The parks feature orca, sea lion
Sea Lion
Sea lions are pinnipeds characterized by external ear-flaps, long fore-flippers, the ability to walk on all fours, and short thick hair. Together with the fur seal, they comprise the family Otariidae, or eared seals. There are six extant and one extinct species in five genera...
, and dolphin
Dolphin
Dolphins are marine mammals that are closely related to whales and porpoises. There are almost forty species of dolphin in 17 genera. They vary in size from and , up to and . They are found worldwide, mostly in the shallower seas of the continental shelves, and are carnivores, mostly eating...
shows and zoological displays featuring various other marine animals. The parks' icon is Shamu
Shamu
Shamu was the fourth killer whale ever captured and was the third orca ever displayed in a public exhibit. She was the first orca to survive more than 13 months in captivity and was the star of a very popular killer whale show at SeaWorld San Diego in the mid - late 1960s...
, the orca. Parks include:
- SeaWorld San DiegoSeaWorld San DiegoSeaWorld San Diego is an animal theme park, oceanarium, and marine mammal park, located in San Diego, California, United States. The park is owned by SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, a division of The Blackstone Group....
, San Diego, CaliforniaSan Diego, CaliforniaSan Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round... - SeaWorld OrlandoSeaWorld OrlandoSeaWorld Orlando is a theme park, and marine-life based zoological park, near Orlando, Florida. It is owned and operated by SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, a subsidiary of The Blackstone Group...
, Orlando, FloridaOrlando, FloridaOrlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States... - SeaWorld San AntonioSeaWorld San AntonioSeaWorld San Antonio is a marine mammal park, oceanarium, and animal theme park, located in the Westover Hills area of San Antonio, Texas. It is the largest of the three parks in the SeaWorld chain owned by SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, a division of The Blackstone Group, and the world's...
, San Antonio, TexasSan Antonio, TexasSan Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,... - SeaWorld OhioSeaWorld OhioSeaWorld Ohio was a park in the SeaWorld chain of marine animal theme parks. The park opened in 1970 directly across from Geauga Lake in Aurora, Ohio, USA....
, Aurora, Ohio (closed 2001)
Miami Seaquarium
The Miami Seaquarium is an aquarium located on Virginia KeyVirginia Key
Virginia Key is a barrier island in Miami, Florida, United States in Biscayne Bay, south of Brickell and north of Key Biscayne. It accessible from the mainland via the Rickenbacker Causeway....
in Biscayne Bay
Biscayne Bay
Biscayne Bay is a lagoon that is approximately 35 miles long and up to 8 miles wide located on the Atlantic coast of South Florida, United States. It is usually divided for purposes of discussion and analysis into three parts: North Bay, Central Bay, and South Bay. Its area is...
near downtown Miami, Florida
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
. A subsidiary of the privately held Wometco Enterprises
Wometco Enterprises
Wometco Enterprises is a company headquartered in Coral Gables, Florida; a suburb of Miami. It was a large media company but today it is known only as the owner of the Miami Seaquarium.- History :...
, the Seaquarium was the first major marine park attraction in South Florida, opening in 1955. In addition to marine mammals, the Miami Seaquarium houses fish, sharks, sea turtles, birds and reptiles. It is home to Lolita
Lolita (orca)
Lolita is an orca who has lived at the Miami Seaquarium for 40 years.-Early life:On August 8, 1970 in Puget Sound Lolita along with seven others were caught to be sold to marine parks and aquariums. Tokitae, as she was originally named, was purchased by Seaquarium veterinarian Dr. Jesse White for...
(aka Tokitae), the oldest orca in captivity.
Six Flags Discovery Kingdom
Six Flags Discovery Kingdom (formerly Six Flags Marine World, Marine World, The New Marine World Theme Park, and Marine World Africa USA) is an amusement and animal park located in Vallejo, CaliforniaVallejo, California
Vallejo is the largest city in Solano County, California, United States. The population was 115,942 at the 2010 census. It is located in the San Francisco Bay Area on the northeastern shore of San Pablo Bay...
.
Marineland Canada
Marineland is a privately held themed amusement and animal exhibition park in the city of Niagara Falls, OntarioNiagara Falls, Ontario
Niagara Falls is a Canadian city on the Niagara River in the Golden Horseshoe region of Southern Ontario. The municipality was incorporated on June 12, 1903...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Owing to its proximity to the falls and other natural park areas and its blend of animal attractions and rides, it is one of the main tourist destinations in Niagara Falls, Canada.
Marineland (Antibes)
Marineland is an animal exhibition park in AntibesAntibes
Antibes is a resort town in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France.It lies on the Mediterranean in the Côte d'Azur, located between Cannes and Nice. The town of Juan-les-Pins is within the commune of Antibes...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, founded in 1970. It receives more than 1,200,000 visitors per year, and is the only French sea park featuring two cetacean species: killer whales and dolphins. The park is a subsidiary of Parques Reunidos
Parques Reunidos
Parques Reunidos is an international entertainment operator based in Madrid, Spain. The group operates over 50 parks in almost a dozen countries. Parques Reunidos operates theme and amusement parks, zoos, water parks, family entertainment centers, and cable cars...
, a Spanish group with properties in Europe, Argentina and the USA.
Loro Parque
Loro Parque (SpanishSpanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
for "parrot
Parrot
Parrots, also known as psittacines , are birds of the roughly 372 species in 86 genera that make up the order Psittaciformes, found in most tropical and subtropical regions. The order is subdivided into three families: the Psittacidae , the Cacatuidae and the Strigopidae...
park") is a zoo
Zoo
A zoological garden, zoological park, menagerie, or zoo is a facility in which animals are confined within enclosures, displayed to the public, and in which they may also be bred....
located on the outskirts of Puerto de la Cruz on Tenerife
Tenerife
Tenerife is the largest and most populous island of the seven Canary Islands, it is also the most populated island of Spain, with a land area of 2,034.38 km² and 906,854 inhabitants, 43% of the total population of the Canary Islands. About five million tourists visit Tenerife each year, the...
. The park has Europe's largest dolphin
Dolphin
Dolphins are marine mammals that are closely related to whales and porpoises. There are almost forty species of dolphin in 17 genera. They vary in size from and , up to and . They are found worldwide, mostly in the shallower seas of the continental shelves, and are carnivores, mostly eating...
show pool, the world's largest indoor penguin
Penguin
Penguins are a group of aquatic, flightless birds living almost exclusively in the southern hemisphere, especially in Antarctica. Highly adapted for life in the water, penguins have countershaded dark and white plumage, and their wings have become flippers...
exhibition, the longest shark
Shark
Sharks are a type of fish with a full cartilaginous skeleton and a highly streamlined body. The earliest known sharks date from more than 420 million years ago....
tunnel in Europe, and is one of only two parks in Europe to house orcas.
In February 2006, Loro Parque received four young orcas; two males, Keto (born in 1995) and Tekoa (born in 2000), and two females, Kohana (2002) and Skyla (2004) on loan from SeaWorld. Sea World still maintains ownership of these animals, and has sent its own professionals, including trainers, curators & veterinarians, to supplement the staff at Loro Parque. In 2004 and 2005, before the orcas were brought to Loro Parque, eight animal trainers from the park were sent to Sea World parks in Texas and Florida for training. However, only half of these trainers are currently employed in Orca Ocean, Loro Parque's facility for the killer whales. None of the subsequent employees hired have been sent to Sea World parks for training. On December 24, 2009, orca trainer Alexis Martinez, age 29, was killed during a Christmas show rehearsal when there was an incident involving one of the orcas, presumably Keto, resulting in his drowning. He had worked at Loro Parque since 2004. From this date the trainers no longer enter the water with the orcas during live shows.
Dolfinarium Harderwijk
Dolfinarium HarderwijkHarderwijk
' is a municipality and a small city in the eastern Netherlands.- The history of Harderwijk :Harderwijk received city rights from Count Otto II of Guelders in 1231. A defensive wall surrounding the city was completed by the end of that century. The oldest part of the city is near where the...
in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
temporary houses an young orca called Morgan. On June 23, 2010 she was found in the Dutch part of the Wadden Sea
Wadden Sea
The Wadden Sea is an intertidal zone in the southeastern part of the North Sea. It lies between the coast of northwestern continental Europe and the range of Frisian Islands, forming a shallow body of water with tidal flats and wetlands. It is rich in biological diversity...
. On July 19, 2011 the director of the Dolfinarium told the Dutch press that Morgan will be transferred to Loro Parque
Loro Parque
Loro Parque is a zoo located on the outskirts of Puerto de la Cruz on Tenerife, Spain where it houses an extensive and diverse reserve of animal and plant species...
on Tenerife
Tenerife
Tenerife is the largest and most populous island of the seven Canary Islands, it is also the most populated island of Spain, with a land area of 2,034.38 km² and 906,854 inhabitants, 43% of the total population of the Canary Islands. About five million tourists visit Tenerife each year, the...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
to be with her kind.
Other Marine Exhibitions
- Mundo Marino, Buenos AiresBuenos AiresBuenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
, Argentina - Kamogawa SeaWorld, Kamogawa, ChibaKamogawa, Chibais a city located in Chiba Prefecture, Japan.As of 2010, the city had an estimated population of 35,257 and a population density of 184 persons per km². The total area was 191.30 km²...
, Japan - Taiji Whaling Museum, Taiji, WakayamaTaiji, Wakayamais a town located in Higashimuro District, Wakayama, Japan.As of 1 January 2011, the town has an estimated population of 3,225 and a population density of 541 persons per km². The total area is 5.96 km². Taiji is the smallest local government by area in Wakayama Prefecture because, unlike others,...
, Japan - Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium, Japan
Tank size and water conditions
Legal requirements for tank size vary greatly from country to country. In the US, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection ServiceAnimal and Plant Health Inspection Service
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture responsible for protecting animal health, animal welfare, and plant health. APHIS is the lead agency for collaboration with other agencies to protect U.S. agriculture from invasive pests and...
(APHIS), under the USDA, sets standards for the care of captive orcas. APHIS defines the average length of an adult orca as 24 feet (7.315 meters), based on which they require a pool with a minimum horizontal dimension (the diameter of a circular pool of water) of twice that length or 48 feet (14.63 meters) and a minimum depth of 12 feet (3.66 m), giving a minimum volume of 615 m3. A pool of this size may hold two orcas under its rules. Swiss regulations require a larger minimum volume: 400 m2 x 4.0 m deep for two orcas, or 1,600 m3. The Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums (AMMPA) goes further, and recommends 1918 m3 for two orcas. The US exhibitors of captive orcas belong to the AMMPA, but exhibitors in other countries do not.
The tanks in most marine parks are considerably larger than the minimum sizes required by regulations. However, the Miami Seaquarium has been criticized for the small size of the tank holding their sole orca, Lolita, which is less than two of her body lengths wide at any point. Building a new tank would be costly and there is little prospect of replacing the aging Lolita.
Nutrition and medical care
On average, an adult orca in the wild may eat about three to four percent of their body weight daily, or as much as 227 kg (500 lb) of food for a six-tonne male. Their diet in the wild depends on what is available, and may include fish, walruses, seals, sea lions, penguins, squid, sea turtles, sharks and whales. According to SeaWorld, each of their adult orcas receives 140 to 240 pounds of food per day, primarily herring, capelin, salmon and mackerel. To maintain their alertness, the orcas are fed at erratic intervals throughout the day (as would happen in the wild) and feeding is often combined with training and exhibition. Each batch of fish is carefully tested to determine its nutritive composition, and each orca's weight, activity and health is carefully monitored to determine any special dietary requirements.Orcas have been the subject of extensive medical research since their first capture, and much is known about prevention and treatment of the common viral
Virus
A virus is a small infectious agent that can replicate only inside the living cells of organisms. Viruses infect all types of organisms, from animals and plants to bacteria and archaea...
and bacterial infections, including vaccination
Vaccination
Vaccination is the administration of antigenic material to stimulate the immune system of an individual to develop adaptive immunity to a disease. Vaccines can prevent or ameliorate the effects of infection by many pathogens...
and use of antibiotics and other medicines. Allometric principles and therapeutic drug monitoring are used to accurately determine the doses and avoid toxicity.
Training
Orcas are intelligent and can be trained to perform spectacular tricks. Trainers usually work on a one-on-one basis with an individual orca. In addition to training, the trainer is responsible for the health of their orca, cleaning their holding tank and performance area, preparing food and documenting their health, diet, and behavior. The trainer must patiently build a relationship of trust with the animal as they teach it show behavior, which takes months of hard work. The trainer cannot force an orca to do anything, but must find ways to make participation enjoyable within a relationship based upon mutual respect, including recognition that the orca is one of the ocean's apex predators. Most of the moves, including jumps and slides, are natural, so training involves teaching the orca to perform the moves on the trainer's command. This is done by breaking down the moves into simple components and using a system of positive reinforcement, mostly based on giving the orca food when they are successful at each stage, with a gradual buildup to the more complex moves.Issues with captivity
The practice of keeping orcas in captivity is controversial, and organisations such as the World Society for the Protection of AnimalsWorld Society for the Protection of Animals
The World Society for the Protection of Animals is an international non-profit animal welfare organization and also a federation of such organisations and active in over 150 countries with more than 1000 member societies.- Organization :...
and the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society
Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society
the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society is a wildlife charity that is dedicated solely to the worldwide conservation and welfare of all whales, dolphins and porpoises...
campaign against the captivity of killer whales.
Orcas in captivity may develop physical pathologies, such as the dorsal fin
Dorsal fin
A dorsal fin is a fin located on the backs of various unrelated marine and freshwater vertebrates, including most fishes, marine mammals , and the ichthyosaurs...
collapse seen in 60–90% of captive males.
The captive environment bears little resemblance to their wild habitat, and the social groups that the killer whales are put into are foreign to those found in the wild. Critics claim that captive life is stressful due to small tanks, false social groupings and chemically altered water. Captive killer whales have been observed acting aggressively toward themselves, other killer whales, or humans, which critics say is a result of stress
Stress (medicine)
Stress is a term in psychology and biology, borrowed from physics and engineering and first used in the biological context in the 1930s, which has in more recent decades become commonly used in popular parlance...
.
Disease and reduced lifespan
Captive killer whales have vastly reduced life expectancies, many having only lived into their 20s; however, there are examples of orcas living longer, including many who are over 30 years old, and two (Corky II and Lolita/Tokitae) who are around 40 years of age. In the wild, female orcas can live 80 years (though these are rare occurrences), while males can live to be 60 (though the average for males is roughly thirty).SeaWorld San Antonio's 14-year-old Taku, born in captivity, died unexpectedly on October 17, 2007. Trainers were notified that Taku had been acting differently a week before his death. The necropsy determined that Taku had died from a sudden case of pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
, a common illness among captive orcas.
The original Namu developed a bacterial infection which damaged his nervous system, causing him to become nonresponsive to people. During his illness he charged full-speed into the wire mesh of his pen, thrashed violently for a few minutes and then died.
Dorsal fin collapse
Dorsal fin
A dorsal fin is a fin located on the backs of various unrelated marine and freshwater vertebrates, including most fishes, marine mammals , and the ichthyosaurs...
that is partially or completely collapsed to one side. Several theories exist as to why this happens. A dorsal fin is held erect by collagen
Collagen
Collagen is a group of naturally occurring proteins found in animals, especially in the flesh and connective tissues of mammals. It is the main component of connective tissue, and is the most abundant protein in mammals, making up about 25% to 35% of the whole-body protein content...
, which normally hardens in late adolescence.
Scientists from the National Marine Fisheries Service
National Marine Fisheries Service
The National Marine Fisheries Service is a United States federal agency. A division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Department of Commerce, NMFS is responsible for the stewardship and management of the nation's living marine resources and their habitat within the...
(NMFS) have reported that "the collapsed dorsal fins commonly seen in captive killer whales do not result from a pathogenic condition, but are instead thought to most likely originate from an irreversible structural change in the fin's collagen over time. Possible explanations for this include: (1) alterations in water balance caused by the stresses of captivity dietary changes, (2) lowered blood pressure
Blood pressure
Blood pressure is the pressure exerted by circulating blood upon the walls of blood vessels, and is one of the principal vital signs. When used without further specification, "blood pressure" usually refers to the arterial pressure of the systemic circulation. During each heartbeat, BP varies...
due to reduced activity patterns, or (3) overheating of the collagen brought on by greater exposure of the fin to the ambient air." According to SeaWorld's website, another reason for the fin to bend may be the greater amount of time that captive whales spend at the surface, where the fin is not supported by water pressure. The Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society
Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society
the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society is a wildlife charity that is dedicated solely to the worldwide conservation and welfare of all whales, dolphins and porpoises...
says that dorsal fin collapse is largely explained by captive killer whales swimming in small circles due to the inadequate space in which they have to swim. SeaWorld, however, claims that "Neither the shape nor the droop of a whale's dorsal fin are indicators of a killer whale's health or well-being."
Collapsed or collapsing dorsal fins are rare in most wild populations and usually result from a serious injury to the fin, such as from being shot or colliding with a vessel. After the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill
Exxon Valdez oil spill
The Exxon Valdez oil spill occurred in Prince William Sound, Alaska, on March 24, 1989, when the Exxon Valdez, an oil tanker bound for Long Beach, California, struck Prince William Sound's Bligh Reef and spilled of crude oil. It is considered to be one of the most devastating human-caused...
, the dorsal fins of two male resident killer whales who had been exposed to the oil collapsed, and the animals subsequently died. In 2002, the dorsal fin of a stranded
Beached whale
A beached whale is a whale that has stranded itself on land, usually on a beach. Beached whales often die due to dehydration, the body collapsing under its own weight, or drowning when high tide covers the blowhole.-Species:...
killer whale showed signs of collapse after three days but regained its natural upright appearance as soon as the orca resumed strong normal swimming upon release.
Although it has been reported that seven out of 30 (23%) wild adult male killer whales from New Zealand waters have bent dorsal fins, this figure includes a variety of dorsal fin abnormalities, including rippled or twisted fins, in addition to simple one-sided collapse. The New Zealand study noted that, in addition to the high prevalence of dorsal fin deformities, two of the 30 adult males in this population also had prolific body scarring that were consistent with bite marks from other killer whales.
The prevalence of dorsal fin deformities is 4.7% among adult male orcas in British Columbia and 0.57% in Norway.
Amongst the well-studied wild killer whales off the coast of British Columbia, the total rate of dorsal fin collapse is around 1%.
Attacks on humans
There have been few confirmed attacks on humans by wild killer whales, and none of them have been fatal. Two recorded instances include a boy charged while swimming in Ketchikan, AlaskaKetchikan, Alaska
Ketchikan is a city in Ketchikan Gateway Borough, Alaska, United States, the southeasternmost sizable city in that state. With an estimated population of 7,368 in 2010 within the city limits, it is the fifth most populous city in the state....
and orcas trying to tip ice floes on which a dog team and photographer of the Terra Nova Expedition
Terra Nova Expedition
The Terra Nova Expedition , officially the British Antarctic Expedition 1910, was led by Robert Falcon Scott with the objective of being the first to reach the geographical South Pole. Scott and four companions attained the pole on 17 January 1912, to find that a Norwegian team led by Roald...
were standing. In the case of the boy in Alaska, the boy was splashing in a region frequented by harbor seals, leading to speculation that the killer whales misidentified him as prey and aborted their attack. In the case of the Terra Nova expedition, there is speculation that the seal-like barking of the sled dogs may have triggered the killer whales' hunting curiosity.
In 2004 a video purporting to show a jumping orca capsizing a Korean individual's kayak
Kayak
A kayak is a small, relatively narrow, human-powered boat primarily designed to be manually propelled by means of a double blade paddle.The traditional kayak has a covered deck and one or more cockpits, each seating one paddler...
circulated the Internet; according to folklorist David Mikkelson of snopes.com, this is a fake originally produced as an advertisement for the sports drink Powerade
Powerade
Powerade is a sports drink manufactured and marketed by The Coca-Cola Company. First introduced in 1988, its primary competitor is PepsiCo's Gatorade...
.
Orcas in the wild, however, are much less likely to attack people than are their captive cousins, who have been known to attack either their handlers or intruders. Following one such attack on a trainer in 2006, ABC News
ABC News
ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
reported that killer whales have attacked nearly two dozen people since the 1970s. Studies of killer whales in the wild have identified at least two categories, based on their territorial range. Those living in a limited area, such as Puget Sound or the Strait of Juan de Fuca, are termed "resident" whales, while "transient" whales roam the oceans at will. These "transient" types have to be more aggressive, in order to assert themselves in a wide range of territories and to prey on a variety of different species. This increased aggressiveness does not disappear in captivity. Furthermore, captivity itself could aggravate aggressive behavior, resulting in a "cetacean equivalent of anxiety disorder."
Captive orca attacks on humans seem to fall mostly into the categories of: biting during feeding, ramming in the water, and holding under water. Orcas biting trainers during feeding or shows is generally the mildest form of attack seen, but can escalate to an animal dragging the trainer underwater and holding them there until they lose consciousness and/or drown. Trainers who have had whales ram into them in the water tend to suffer from a range of injuries including internal bleeding, broken bones, ruptured organs, and heart attack.
Tilikum
Tilikum (orca)
Tilikum , sometimes misspelled Tillikum, is a bull orca who lives in captivity at SeaWorld Orlando. He has sired many offspring, and has been involved in the deaths of three people. Following a year long hiatus after his last incident, Tilikum returned to performing at SeaWorld Orlando on 30 March...
, a bull orca, was captured near Iceland in November 1983 at about two years of age. Tilikum was involved in an incident that resulted in the death of a trainer in 1991. 20-year-old Keltie Byrne, who worked at the park, slipped and fell into the tank with the whales. Tilikum and two other orcas grabbed her in their mouths and tossed her to each other, drowning Byrne. The orcas had never had humans in the water with them before. Tilikum was at the scene of another death on July 6, 1999. A park guest was found floating in Tilikum’s pool, apparently killed by a combination of hypothermia
Hypothermia
Hypothermia is a condition in which core temperature drops below the required temperature for normal metabolism and body functions which is defined as . Body temperature is usually maintained near a constant level of through biologic homeostasis or thermoregulation...
and drowning
Drowning
Drowning is death from asphyxia due to suffocation caused by water entering the lungs and preventing the absorption of oxygen leading to cerebral hypoxia....
. The guest had visited SeaWorld the previous day, stayed after the park closed, and evaded security to enter the orca tank.
On February 24, 2010, during a noontime performance at Sea World, Orlando, Florida, Tilikum grabbed the ponytail of his trainer, Dawn Brancheau, and pulled her into the water from a poolside platform. Brancheau died shortly thereafter from drowning and traumatic injuries.
This latest incident with Tilikum has reawakened a heated discussion about the effect of captivity on the orca's behavior, and in particular about the future of Tilikum in the context of SeaWorld. SeaWorld has a financial incentive to maintain Tilikum in captivity, since he is their most successful breeding bull and public opinion is now against capture of wild orcas. However, the main reason they claim to maintain captive orcas is that they are a valuable resource for the public to become acquainted with creatures they would never see in the wild. A former trainer with SeaWorld, who knew Brancheau personally, explains why he has come to view the captivity of orcas as problematic.
Kasatka
Kasatka
Kasatka is a female Orca who lives at SeaWorld San Diego and the mother of Takara, Nakai, and Kalia. She was captured off the coast of Iceland on October 26, 1978, at the age of one year. Her name probably comes from the Russian word Kasatka , a generic name for Orcas...
, a female orca who was captured off the coast of Iceland in October 1978 at the age of one year, has shown aggression toward humans. Kasatka tried to bite a trainer during a show in 1993, and again in 1999. On November 30, 2006, Kasatka grabbed a trainer and dragged him underwater during their show. The trainer escaped the incident unharmed.
On Christmas Eve of 2009, 29-year old Alexis Martinez of Loro Parque, Tenerife, Spain was crushed to death in the jaws of Keto. After spending two and a half minutes at the bottom of the 12-meter deep main pool, his body was retrieved but he was never able to be revived. He went into cardiac arrest in the ambulance on the way to BelleVue Medical Center in Puerto de la Cruz, and was pronounced dead. His funeral was held the next day, on Christmas, and his ashes were spread at Playa El Socorro at sundown. Since then, the trainers do not enter the water with any of the orcas. The park initially characterized the death as an "accident" and claimed that the body of the young man showed no signs of violence, however the subsequent autopsy report stated that Alexis died due to grave injuries sustained by an orca attack, including multiple compression fractures, tears to vital organs, and the bitemarks of the animal on his body. During the investigation into the death of Alexis Martinez, it came to light that the park had also mischaracterized to the public a 2007 incident with Tekoa, the other male, and claimed it was also an "accident" rather than an attack.
Aggression between captive orcas
One infamous incident of killer whale aggression took place in August 1989, when the dominant female Icelandic orca at SeaWorld San Diego, Kandu V, attempted to "rake" a female newcomer named Corky. Raking is a way orcas show dominance by forcefully scratching at another with their teeth. Kandu charged at Corky, attempting to rake her, missed and continued swimming into the back pool, where she ended up ramming the wall, rupturing an artery in her jaw. The crowd was quickly ushered out, and after a 45-minute hemorrhage, Kandu V died.Kanduke, a male captured from T pod in British Columbia, Canada in August 1975, often fought with a younger Icelandic male named Kotar. The aggression became increasingly serious, leading to an incident in which Kotar bit a part of Kanduke's genitals and caused an infection. It is not known if such serious aggression and injury would occur in the open seas.
Early pregnancy & related issues
Captive orcas often give birth at a much younger age than in the wild, and the young mothers may have difficulty raising their offspring. The calves have a relatively low survival rate.Corky (II), a female from the A5 Pod
A5 Pod
A5 pod is a name given to a group of orcas found off the coast of British Columbia, Canada. It is part of the northern resident population of orcas - a name given to the fish-eating orcas found in coastal waters ranging from mid-Vancouver Island up through the Queen Charlotte Islands of British...
in British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
became the first orca to become pregnant in captivity, giving birth on February 28, 1977. The calf died after 18 days. Corky went on to give birth six more times, but the longest surviving calf, Kiva, lived only 47 days. SeaWorld has attracted criticism over its continued captivity of Corky II from the Born Free Foundation
Born Free Foundation
The Born Free Foundation is a conservation and animal rescue organization in the United Kingdom. It originated in 1984 as the "Zoo Check Campaign" by actors Virginia McKenna and her husband Bill Travers along with their son Will Travers and four associates....
, who want her returned to her family in the wild.
An orca named Katina
Katina (whale)
Katina is a female Orca who lives in SeaWorld Orlando in Florida. She was captured off Iceland at approximately two years of age on October 26, 1978. She is the most successful breeding female Orca in captivity.-Transfers:...
, captured near Iceland at about two years of age in October 1978, became pregnant in early spring of 1984 at SeaWorld San Diego and gave birth in September 1985 to a female named Kalina. Although it was an extremely young age for an orca to become a mother, Kalina was the first orca calf to be successfully born and raised in captivity. In turn, Kalina gave birth at only seven and a half years of age to her first calf, a male named Keet
KEET
KEET is a digital-only public television station in Eureka, California, broadcasting locally on channel 11 as a PBS member station. Founded in 1969, the station is owned by Redwood Empire Public Television, Inc...
.
Gudrun was an Icelandic female caught in the 1970s. In 1993, she gave birth to Nyar, a female who was both mentally and physically ill, and who Gudrun tried to drown during several shows. Nyar died from an illness a few months later. Gudrun died in 1996 from stillbirth complications.
Taima is a transient/Icelandic hybrid female orca born in captivity to Gudrun in 1989. Trainers believe that Gudrun's behavior towards Nyar may have confused Taima, as she may have thought this was how to raise a calf. In May 1998, Taima gave birth to a male calf named Sumar. They were separated when he was about eight months old because of the aggression between them. On one occasion while performing, Taima started biting Sumar and throwing him out of the pool onto the trainer’s platform. She then slid out herself, and continued to bite him. In November 2000, Taima gave birth to a male named Tekoa. The two were separated after only nine months due to aggression between them. On March 12, 2007 Taima gave birth to her third calf, Malia. Taima seemed to be a better mother this time, and no notable occurrences of aggression were reported, this may be in part due to the fact, Kalina acted as "aunt" to Malia and helped Taima to look after her. Kalina was a very experienced mother and would often be kept with Malia, while Taima was given time with her mate, Tilikum.
Taima died in 2010 during the birthing process of her fourth calf. The calf, fathered by Tilikum, was stillborn.
Kayla, an orca born in captivity, gave birth to her first calf on October 9, 2005, a female named Halyn. Kayla rejected her calf, perhaps because she had never been exposed to a young calf before and did not know how to deal with it. Halyn was moved to a special animal care facility to be hand raised. Halyn died unexpectedly on June 15, 2008.
On October 13, 2010, Kohana, an eight year old female orca, gave birth to a male calf at Loro Parque's "Orca Ocean" exhibit after a four hour labor. The calf weighed in at about 150 kilograms (330 lb), and was two meters (6 ft 7 in) long. Kohana has yet to establish a "maternal bond" with her calf, forcing trainers to take the first steps in hand rearing him. The outcome of this pregnancy was not considered surprising since Kohana was separated from her own mother, Takara, at three years of age, and was never able to learn about maternal care, compounded by the fact that she spent the formative years of her life surrounded by the three other juvenile orcas at Loro Parque.
External links
- The Capture of Orcas Kokomo, Indiana On-Line.
- When Animals Resist their Exploitation by Jason Hribal
- Orca Resistance at Sea World: the Struggle of Nootka and Tilikum by Jason Hribal
- Orca — The Whale Called Killer Hoyt, Erich 1990.
- Keep Whales Wild Simpson, L.C. 2010.