Wild Caught Orca's STILL in Captivity

Were you horrified by the photographs of the recent bottlenose dolphin captures in Taiji?



Taiji drive hunt January 2014

 SeaWorld's recent statement condemns the drive hunt, stating they have no dolphins captured in this way still in their tanks. That may be true but there are orca still in their tanks who were captured in exactly the same way.



Penn Cove drive hunt 1970

Please read through the Facebook album to follow those horrible days and the lives of those killer whales.

Those wild caught orca listed below have more than served their time, there is no retirement, no release plan, at the moment the only way those orca will ever escape is to leave in the same way as every other captive orca has - dead!

There is nothing educational about seeing these creatures in a tank. The cetaceans you see in tanks are shadows of the animals they are supposed to be. Unless something is done, they will never again feel the tide on their skin, they will never play hide and seek in the kelp, they will never surf a wave again, they will never swim in straight lines for miles, just because they can and they will never again see a live fish or try to catch one.

 Is your entertainment really worth that??

Argentina - Mundo Marino       Kshamenk      captured Oct 1978          36 years in a tank

Canada -   Marineland             Kiska              captured Oct 1981          33 years in a tank

France -    Marineland             Freya              captured Oct 1982          32 years in a tank

Japan       Port of Nagoya        Bingo             captured Nov 1984         30 years in a tank

Japan       Port of Nagoya       Stella              captured Oct 1987           27 years in a tank

Spain -    Loro Parque           Morgan           captured Jun 2010             4 years in a tank

USA -    Miami Seaquarium   Lolita              captured Aug 1970          44 years in a tank

             Seaworld -               Corky 2          captured Dec 1969          44 years in a tank

                                             Kasatka           captured Oct 1978          36 years in a tank

                                             Ulises                captured Nov 1980         34 years in a tank

                                            Katina              captured Oct 1978           36 years in a tank

                                            Tilikum              captured Nov 1983          31 years in a tank

Russia                                 Narnia              captured Aug 2012            2 years in a tank

                                          7 others captured Sept 2013


20 Wild caught orca's were ripped from their homes and families in exactly the same way as the dolphins in Taiji. Many countries had them on display in the 70's when the world was ignorant of their plight.

In the early days of captures we were ignorant of orca and their needs. Research started on wild orca as the aquariums struggled to keep the orca alive and many died. As that research progressed though scientists across the globe realized that there were family bond, languages, matriarchal systems in the wild pods. They realized that there orca stayed with their mothers for life, they looked after disabled members of the pod and they were curious and playful despite being top ocean predators. 

As wild research progressed the realization of what was happening in the tanks started to dawn on many people. There were accidents, incidents, fights, deaths, stillborns, depression, and those who studied and worked with them as in Ted Griffin the original captor of Namu knew it was wrong and needed to come to an end. The marine parks however felt differently, this was now a multi million dollar business, there were not prepared to give up their star attractions and as wild capturing became banned, then the breeding and inbreeding to keep their tanks full and their paying visitors started, and the fight began.

Two new phrases were coined - pro-cap and anti-cap, those who wanted the cetaceans free and back where they belong and those who wanted to keep them performing tricks for their amusement.

That fight is still ongoing today.
 
First posted on CCSBTS on 22nd Jan 2014