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Orcas (or killer whales) are large, powerful aquatic apex predators. There have been incidents where orcas were perceived to attack humans in the wild, but such attacks are less common than those by captive orcas. [1] In captivity, there have been several non-fatal and four fatal attacks on humans since the 1970s. [2]
Orkid at SeaWorld San Diego. Dozens of orcas (killer whales) are held in captivity for breeding or performance purposes. 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.
A pod of orcas moving through the inland waters of Alaska. The Orca Welfare and Safety Act is a bill passed in the U.S. state of California in 2016. The bill phases out the holding of killer whales in captivity and establishes standards for treatment of all remaining captive orcas in zoos. [1]
When director Gabriela Cowperthwaite set out to make Blackfish more than a decade ago, not even she knew the impact the documentary about the captivity of orcas, mostly at SeaWorld, would have. "I ...
Initially named Walter the Whale, [144] [145] this orca was taken into captivity during the Yukon Harbor orca capture operation, which was the first planned, deliberate trapping of a large group of orcas (killer whales). 15 southern resident orcas were trapped by Ted Griffin and his Seattle Public Aquarium party on 15 February 1967, in Yukon ...
Tilikum was the largest orca in captivity. [8] He measured 22.5 feet (6.9 m) in length and weighed about 12,500 pounds (5,700 kg). [9] His pectoral fins were 7 feet (2.1 m) long, his fluke curled under, and his 6.5-foot-tall (2.0 m) dorsal fin was collapsed completely to his left side.
Most sources conclude that the project to free Keiko was a failure because the orca failed to adapt to life in the wild. [21] In Norway, Keiko had little contact with other orcas and was not fishing; for months before his death, the orca was being fed daily. [22] [23] [15] A report in The Guardian describes the freed orca's life in Taknes Bay ...
A new BBC documentary shows a pod of killer whales hunting a seal using a sophisticated technique. They used "wave crashing," creating a wave to break up an ice platform and trap the seal on it.