Captive Orcas

Captive Orcas ‘Dying to Entertain You’ The Full Story A report for Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS) Chippenham, UK Produced by Vanessa Williams Contents Introduction Section 1 The showbiz orca Section 2 Life in the wild FINgerprinting techniques. Community living. Social behaviour. Intelligence. Communication. Orca studies in other parts of the world. Fact file. Latest news on northern/southern residents. Section 3 The world orca trade Capture sites and methods. Legislation. Holding areas [USA/Canada /Iceland/Japan]. Effects of capture upon remaining animals. Potential future capture sites. Transport from the wild. Transport from tank to tank. “Orca laundering”. Breeding loan. Special deals. Section 4 Life in the tank Standards and regulations for captive display [USA/Canada/UK/Japan]. Conditions in captivity: Pool size. Pool design and water quality. Feeding. Acoustics and ambient noise. Social composition and companionship. Solitary confinement. Health of captive orcas: Survival rates and longevity. Causes of death. Stress. Aggressive behaviour towards other orcas. Aggression towards trainers. Section 5 Marine park myths Education. Conservation. Captive breeding. Research. Section 6 The display industry makes a killing Marketing the image. Lobbying. Dubious bedfellows. Drive fisheries. Over-capturing. Section 7 The times they are a-changing The future of marine parks. Changing climate of public opinion. Ethics. Alternatives to display. Whale watching. Cetacean-free facilities. Future of current captives. Release programmes. Section 8 Conclusions and recommendations Appendix: Location of current captives, and details of wild-caught orcas References The information contained in this report is believed to be correct at the time of last publication: 30th April 2001. Some information is inevitably date-sensitive: please notify the author with any comments or updated information. Copyright: Vanessa Williams, Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS), Brookfield House, 38 St. Paul Street, Chippenham, SN15 1LU, UK. Tel: +1249 449500 Fax: +1249 449501 Email: [email protected] Website: http://www.wdcs.org 1 Introduction. Killer whales, more properly known as orcas, have been kept in captivity since 1961, helpless victims of a blatantly commercial experiment which has seen dozens of wild orcas plucked from their families and forced to live in artificial social groupings which bear scant resemblance to their natural order. Unaware of their plight, millions of people flock each year to watch the orca show, seduced by the extravagant promises of the display industry. Glossy brochures herald a spectacle - billed "The Wettest Show on Earth!" which will simultaneously entertain and educate the whole family. Visitors are invited to enter a fantasy land, where orcas weighing several tonnes circle, leap and tail-slap seemingly out of sheer high spirits. Highly-choreographed show routines, performed to a background of tired old rock songs, are presented as "natural behaviour". Entranced, many of the spectators fail to register the bare concrete walls of the tank. At show's end, as they file out, few people notice the endless circling of the captives in the holding pools or the drooping dorsal fins of the males. Clever marketing and showmanship have, however, failed to completely conceal the reality behind the razzmatazz. Visitors may experience feelings of disappointment, distaste and disillusionment after watching the orcas perform, finding it hard to articulate these feelings precisely, but aware that the docile, playful orca portrayed is far removed from the real animal. Similar emotions have been reported after seeing captive tigers or elephants - an awareness that the animal's dignity is demeaned and that, in 'taming the spirit of the great beasts', we, too, are somehow reduced in stature. This growing uneasiness with the concept of keeping orcas in captivity has only been increased by a spate of newspaper articles and video footage documenting the reality of the captives' existence. Despite the best attempts of the display industry to blow a smokescreen over such negative publicity, the wider world is now increasingly aware that all is not well in fantasy-land. In recent years, first a trickle, then a steady torrent, of incidents have been reported. A growing catalogue of "accidents", illnesses, failed pregnancies and premature deaths has forced a dramatic reappraisal of the suitability of orcas for confinement. In 1989, at Sea World's San Diego park, a young female named Kandu rammed into a second female, Corky, with sufficient force that Kandu died almost instantly, in front of a horrified crowd of onlookers. In 1991, at Sealand of the Pacific in Canada, a young female trainer called Keltie Byrne was drowned by Sealand's three resident orcas after she accidentally fell into their tank. In July 1999, a 29 year-old man, Daniel Dukes, was found dead, draped over the back of male orca, Tillikum, at Sea World’s Florida facility. We will probably never know the full story behind his death. Whilst undeniably the most tragic, these incidents were by no means isolated. Aggression between captive orcas and, equally disturbingly, aggression towards trainers, has increased in recent years. Disenchanted trainers and orca advocates alike have alleged that the mental and physical health of the orcas is highly compromised by the captive situation. For years, the display industry has employed a variety of arguments in its attempt to justify keeping orcas captive. We have been led to believe that captivity benefits both onlookers and animals alike: entertaining and educating audiences whilst, at the same time, providing a comfortable life for the captives. But, as long-term research into wild orca populations increases our knowledge of the species, so the glaring disparities between the lives of the captives and the lives of wild orcas becomes all too apparent. The reality of existence for the captives has become painfully obvious: cramped, chlorinated tanks, often inhabited by frustrated and unhealthy whales, performing circus tricks which bear little resemblance to their natural behaviour. Many people now feel that witnessing such impoverishment is unlikely to offer any real educational benefit. In 1992, WDCS commissioned a report entitled "The Performing Orca". Researched and written by Erich Hoyt, the report provided an in-depth summary of the issues surrounding the captive orca industry. In the years following its publication, no fewer than eleven adult orcas have died, eleven calves have died aged four years or under, and there have been at least six known stillbirths/miscarriages - giving the lie to the display 2 industry's contention that captives are surviving longer. In fact, the most respected scientific research to date suggests that captivity is highly correlated with a dramatically reduced lifespan in the case of orcas. This latest report aims both to summarise the relevant issues and to up-date readers on events occurring since the publication of "The Performing Orca". It seeks to provide a "behind the scenes" tour of the display industry, highlighting the reality of captivity and employing scientific, ethical and welfare arguments to debunk some of the myths surrounding the confinement and display of orcas. Above all, it seeks to provide information to the widest possible audience - only then can members of the public make an informed choice. Finally, there is some cause for optimism. Greater public awareness of the issues has led in turn to a willingness to question previously taken-for-granted assumptions about captivity. Attendance at several marine parks has declined in recent years and others have stopped displaying orcas altogether. An ambitious rehabilitation and release project came a step closer to its goal in January 1996, when a young male orca named Keiko was moved to a specially-designed rehabilitation pool or “halfway house” at the Oregon State Coast Aquarium. In September 1998, Keiko was airlifted to a purpose- built seapen located in Klettsvik Bay, Vestmann Islands in Iceland. If all goes according to plan, the programme will culminate in Keiko's full release into the freedom of his native Icelandic waters, hopefully during 2000. (Please refer to Section 7: Release Programmes). Change will be gradual, but the very fact that change is taking place is important. For the sake of the captives, we must ensure that this momentum is not lost. 3 Section 1 The Showbiz Orca First the facts: · At least 134 orcas have been taken into captivity from the wild since 1961. One hundred and six (79%) are now dead. (An additional male escaped after 2.25 years in captivity. His fate is unknown.) · Of the 107 which died, average length of survival in captivity was under six years (range: 1 day - 27.2 years). · Most captives die before they reach their early 20s, yet in the wild, females may live as long as 80 years or more. · As of August 2000, a total of 49 orcas (26 wild-caught and 23 captive-born calves) are held in 13 marine parks in five countries.1 There is also a male orca, Keiko, now in a seapen in his native Icelandic waters, as the second stage of a rehabilitation and release programme. · Of 59 known pregnancies in captivity since 1968, only 23 calves (38%) have survived. · Sea World owns 22 orcas, 44% of the world-wide captive total. Around 10 million people visit Sea World parks annually. Sea World has itself estimated that as much as 70% of its income derives from visitors attracted by the orca shows.2 Now the facade. Enjoy the show... To the orcas circling endlessly in the holding pool, it is merely the start of the third, or the fourth, or the fifth show of the day. This performance is likely to be identical to the last and the one before that. Today will eventually join a long line of yesterdays as the orcas clock up yet another day in captivity. A day that will join the weeks, which turn into months, which blend seamlessly into years.

Load more