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. As of 1 January 2024, around 59 orcas are in captivity worldwide, 35 of which were captive-born.[1][2] At that time, there were 18 orcas in the SeaWorld parks.[3]
The practice of keeping orcas in captivity is controversial, due to the separation from their familial pod during capture, and their living conditions and health in captivity.[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. Attacks on humans by wild orcas are rare, and no fatal ones have been reported.
^"Fate of orcas in captivity". Whale & Dolphin Conservation UK. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
^"Captive Orcas – Inherently Wild". Retrieved December 9, 2023.
^"'Truly Amazing' 6-Year-Old Orca Whale Dies Unexpectedly at SeaWorld San Diego". Peoplemag. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
^"Orcas in captivity". Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society. Archived from the original on August 5, 2007. Retrieved July 25, 2007.
water to work with captiveorcas, which have been responsible for numerous attacks on humans—some fatal. Attacks on humans by wild orcas are rare, and no...
of February 2019, captiveorcas reside at facilities in North and South America, Europe and Asia. The first North Eastern Pacific orca, Wanda, was captured...
natural habitat. There have been cases of captiveorcas killing or injuring their handlers at marine theme parks. Orcas also feature strongly in the mythologies...
Orcas (or killer whales) are large, powerful aquatic apex predators. There have been incidents where orcas were perceived to attack humans in the wild...
with orcas.: 347 In 2000, she appeared on NBC affiliate WESH and discussed staying physically fit to deal with the intense rigor of working with orcas. To...
transient orcas have been observed to interbreed with one another, though occasional brief interactions do occur. Widely studied since the 1960s, the orcas of...
Northwest coastline, a pod of orcas are peacefully swimming. The pod is tracked down by a group of whalers. One of the orcas is separated from his family...
named Bebe at the Seaquarium in 1969 Crocodile The Golden Dome List of captiveorcas SeaWorld Orlando "About Us: History". Archived from the original on...
International called for Wikie to be released from captivity. List of captiveorcas List of individual cetaceans Abramson, J. Z., Hernández-Lloreda, M....
60–90% of male orca. Captives have vastly reduced life expectancies, on average only living into their 20s, although there are examples of orcas living longer...
"Shamu" shows for different orcas in different SeaWorld parks. Shamu was the first-known intentional live capture of a healthy orca as the three previous captures...
Since the beginning of orca captivity in 1961 there have been 156 orcas held in captivity. As of March 2017, there are 61 orcas held in captivity around...
aquarium subsequently closed and sold its orcas to SeaWorld. The aquarium opened in 1969, housing an orca named Haida which had been captured in 1968...
Aggression among captiveorcas is common. They attack each other and their trainers as well. In 2013, SeaWorld's treatment of orcas in captivity was the...
Beginning in 2020, a subpopulation of orcas (Orcinus orca) began ramming boats and attacking their rudders in waters off the Iberian Peninsula. The behaviour...
Fantasy at Marineland" (2020s–present) List of captiveorcas Miami Seaquarium "Kiska, the last captive killer whale in Canada, has died". CBC. The Canadian...
proposes this phenomenon can occur when any orcas live in relatively warmer conditions. Though, since captiveorcas are more likely to breach, rising up to...
of 2016, 63 orcas are in captivity in the U.S. Studies show that nearly all captiveorcas die for reasons other than old age. Twelve orcas have died at...
when the female gave birth to the first orca conceived in captivity. She was interested in studying how baby orcas acquired new language. However, the calf...
identified as a member of J Pod of the southern resident orcas. At the time of his capture, orcas were widely feared and hated. In 1972, Washington State...
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