Captive orcas

The practice of capturing and displaying orcas in exhibitions began in the 1960s, and they soon became popular attractions at public aquariums and aquatic theme parks due to their intelligence, trainability, striking appearance, playfulness, and sheer size.

[4] Additionally, concerns have been raised regarding the safety of animal trainers entering the water to work with captive orcas, which have been responsible for numerous attacks on humans—some fatal.

[19] The third capture for display occurred in June 1965 when a fisherman found a 22-foot (6.7 m) male orca in his floating salmon net that had drifted close to shore near Namu, British Columbia.

[20] A few months later, Griffin procured a companion for Namu: a very young, 14 foot (4.25 m), 2000 lb (900 kg) orca captured off Whidbey Island, Puget Sound, Washington.

In his interview for the CNN documentary Blackfish, former diver John Crowe told how all five of the orcas had their abdomens slit open and filled with rocks, their tails weighted down with anchors and chains, in an attempt to conceal the deaths.

Icelandic herring fishermen had traditionally seen orcas as competitors for their catch, and sale of live killer whales promised a large new source of income.

[43] In 1997 a group of ten killer whales was corralled by Japanese fisherman banging on iron rods and using water bombs to disorient the animals and force them into a bay near Taiji, Wakayama, a technique known as dolphin drive hunting which these villagers have been practising for years.

Her mother, Katina, was captured near Iceland, and her father, Winston (also known as Ramu III), was a Pacific Southern Resident, making Kalina an Atlantic/Pacific hybrid—a situation that would not have occurred in the wild.

[46] The first orca conceived through artificial insemination was a male named Nakai, who was born to Kasatka and father Tilikum at the SeaWorld park in San Diego in September 2001.

[52] Building the physical infrastructure of the parks requires major capital expenditure, but as the star attractions the orcas are arguably the most valuable and irreplaceable assets.

[56] It was home to Lolita (aka Tokitae), who was expected to be returned in 2024 to her natal waters in the Pacific Northwest and reside in a semi-wild sea-pen in the Salish Sea for the remainder of her life.

It is a privately held themed amusement and animal exhibition park in the city of Niagara Falls, Ontario, and one of the main tourist destinations in town.

Marineland has reportedly been considering transferring its remaining orcas to Japan, although French authorities have stated that no export permit applications had yet been submitted by the park.

[66] In February 2006, Loro Parque received four young killer whales; two males, Keto (1995–2024) and Tekoa (born in 2000), and two females, Kohana (2002–2022) and Skyla (2004–2021) on loan from SeaWorld.

[75] They currently house 14 orcas: five females (Sonya, Nukka / Grace, Jade, Katenka and Katniss), and eight males (Tyson, Nakhod, Bandhu, Kaixin, Chad, Yīlóng, Loki and Wulong) and one unknown gender calf at Chimelong Holding Facility who was expected to be born between September and December 2023.

In the US, the minimum enclosure size is set by the Code of Federal Regulations, 9 CFR 3.104, under the Specifications for the Humane Handling, Care, Treatment, and Transportation of Marine Mammals.

[79] The Miami Seaquarium has been criticised for the small size of the tank holding their sole killer whale, Lolita, which is less than two of her body lengths wide at any point.

Kiska developed ritualistic, repetitive behaviours (such as repeatedly rubbing her skin against the tank until injured, thrashing, and floating motionless in one spot) that indicate stress and are abnormal for wild orcas.

[81] On average, an adult killer whale in the wild may eat about three to four percent of their body weight daily,[82] or as much as 227 kg (500 lb) of food for a six-ton male.

[84] Killer whales have been the subject of extensive medical research since their first capture, and much is known about prevention and treatment of the common viral and bacterial infections, including vaccination and use of antibiotics and other medicines.

Several studies published in scientific journals show that the average mortality rate for captive killer whales is approximately three times higher than in the wild.

He stated that it is misleading in two ways: "First, it compares two completely different circumstances: the controlled environment of a swimming pool, with highly trained vets on hand; and the wild ocean.

Possible explanations for this include: (1) alterations in water balance caused by the stresses of captivity dietary changes, (2) lowered blood pressure due to reduced activity patterns, or (3) overheating of the collagen brought on by greater exposure of the fin to the ambient air.

[102] After exposure to the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill, two male resident killer whales experienced dorsal fin collapse, and the animals subsequently died.

In 2002, the dorsal fin of a stranded 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.

[105] This is a higher prevalence of these deformities than in other areas of the world, as studies have reported rates of abnormal fins in wild adult males at 4.7% in British Columbia and 0.57% in Norway.

Trainers who have had killer whales ram into them in the water have suffered from injuries including internal bleeding, broken bones, ruptured organs, and heart attack.

He died due to a combination of hypothermia,[dubious – discuss] trauma, and drowning but Dukes was covered in bruises, abrasions and bite marks, and his scrotum had been ripped open,[113] indicating that Tilikum had toyed with the victim.

[114] On February 24, 2010, after a noontime performance at Sea World, Orlando, Florida, Tilikum killed trainer Dawn Brancheau during a training session with the whale.

[135] On October 13, 2010, Kohana, an eight-year-old female killer whale, gave birth to a male calf at Loro Parque's "Orca Ocean" exhibit after a four-hour labor.