Tilikum: After The SeaWorld Killer Whale Attack, What Should We Do With Captive Orcas?

BBC :

While we as humans might find it appealing to free a long-term captive animal, the survival and well being of the animal may be severely impacted in doing so
Scientists reporting on attempts to return an orca named Keiko, star of the film Free Willy, back to the wild

"They are highly social animals that tend to live in cohesive groups, so it's quite an artificial environment to capture them and put them in a small area," says Dr Andrew Foote, an expert on wild orcas from the University of Aberdeen, UK.

Read the whole story: BBC

Comments

[Metridium]

09:12 PM on 03/03/2010

Reflecting on the intelligence and emotions of cetaceans, one is reminded of Jeremy
Bentham's quote, "The question is not, 'Can they reason?' nor, 'Can they talk?' but,
'Can they suffer?' "

[Issaquah79]

05:53 PM on 02/26/2010

It's simple SeaWorld has made enough money off of these poor creatures and needs to do right by them. They will not survive in the wild so they must create a coastal marine sanctuary and stop breeding animals that they cannot reintroduce back into the wild. Seaworld claims they are a conservation organization and try to market themselves as some sort of sanctuary but legitimate animal sanctuaries and rescues do not breed animals for captivity and do not force them to earn their keep through idiotic spectacles. SeaWorld has made plenty of money and needs to put an end to breeding animals for entertainment purposes. Their claim that these animals are ambassadors is bs. It sounds very important and meaningful but it doesn't mean anything. How often does keeping an individual animal of a particular species enslaved really help the species as a whole? What species has had their habitat saved or their numbers increase since we started keeping and breeding animals for captivity? Very few. In fact most species of animals are having a harder time than ever. SeaWorld and their ambassadors hasn't made the general public care enough to keep the oceans clean for Orcas and other marine life. Zoos, aquariums, and water parks are failures for most animals. It's time for a different approach.

[Principaldad]

06:58 PM on 02/26/2010

I don't necessarily disagree with what you suggest. I mentioned such a plan in a post below. However, I do take issue with the latter part of your post.

Orca exhibits have greatly changed the public's perception of the species. They used to be seen as a vi.cious and dan.gerous animal, a reputation that brought them their name of "kiIIer" whale. Now they are seen for what they are, mostly gentle social creatures that are highly intelligent. That change in reputation has changed the way they used to be kiIIed in the wild and has created great interest in the welfare of the species as a whole. They might be highly endangered today if it weren't for this change.

Similar stories are true for other animals. The Orlando SeaWorld manatee exhibit brings to light the serious pressure that species receives from humans. It also takes in manatees that are injured in Florida waters. It is more like a preserve than an exhibit.

That said, the change has occurred and it is time to wind down the program. It is a wind down that already appears to be occurring naturally. There are now 42 orcas in captivity, down from 48 in 2005. The breeding program is somewhat successful, but is not keeping up with dying animals.

[Issaquah79]

07:50 PM on 02/26/2010

"They might be highly endangered today if it weren't for this change. "
That's pure speculation and completely ignores the obvious question that if humans have come to care so much for Orca and other marine life because of places like SeaWorld why are we not taking care of the oceans ? Because SeaWorld doesn't make people care enough to do anything real for orca in the wild. It's an attraction that families go to to have fun and then the real, wild orca are forgotten. So now we think they are nice and like to play around with humans? How does that benefit them and their habitat? Their current healthy population numbers (outside of the southern resident community) are not because of humans and Sea world but in spite of us.

The manatee exhibit at Sea world is the exception not the rule. The manatee is still endangered and Seaworld is not changing that because going to look at animals in a tank for a few hours has never been proven to help animals in the wild. Sea world is a for profit business that breeds animals for entertainment. That is their primary interest not conservation. If they want to turn themselves into a real sanctuary that doesn't breed animals and doesn't force them to perform I'm all for it but until then they are in the wrong and I will never see them as an ally in the fight to help animals.

[Issaquah79]

07:58 PM on 02/26/2010

And they are called "killer whale" because they are whale killers. Whalers used to encounter them on whale hunts trying to help and scavenging the meat.

[LeftLeanWing]

03:18 PM on 02/26/2010

Does Orca-Meat taste like Chicken or Beef ?

[carlosgriffin]

03:48 PM on 02/26/2010

That's what I was thinking. If we can't get rid of them for whatever the reasons, maybe we could eat them.

[SouthpawSass]

03:16 PM on 02/26/2010

Nothing a troubled orphan and his native indian friend couldn't solve...

[KellyRyan]

02:03 PM on 02/26/2010

I posted prior to reading the BBC article. If Sea World continues to maintain it's position and will keep the animal in shows, it's now in the hands of the consumer.

[KellyRyan]

01:37 PM on 02/26/2010

I've heard reports Orca's do not survive in the wild after being held captive. The reports come from those who keep the whale's in captivity, no proof provided.

Whale's travel in pods, migrate in pods, give birth in pods. I am inclined to believe a captive whale re-introduced into a pod would survive.

Tillikum has been living in a moderate climate. Why not introduce him into a similar situation, eg, the whale wild life sanctuary off the coast of Brazil.

[Principaldad]

02:02 PM on 02/26/2010

"The reports come from those who keep the whale's in captivity, no proof provided."

That is a typical response from someone who wants to reject something simply on the grounds that they don't want to believe it. The statement is also completely unture.

The test case for the release of orcas back into the wiId was Keiko, the star of Free Willy. Keiko was not released by those who kept him in captivity. The extensive rehabilitation and attempted release was the work of a foundation developed specifically to handle the release. There were attempts to get Keiko to reintroduce into a pod, but to no avail.
http://www.keiko.com/history.html

Even the organizations that advocate for returning captive orcas to the wild realize that the attempt to reintroduce Keiko failed. The merely argue that it should be tried again. Tilikum could be a possible test case, but remember that he has been captive for nearly 30 years.

Orca pods are social structures, each with its own heirarchy. Each even has its own songs. Tilikum was taken off of Iceland where, hopefully, his original pod would still exist. It is impossible to say whether there is any real chance to successfully reintroduce him into the wiId.

[Steven Travis]

03:53 PM on 02/26/2010

I hope this report is based on more than one case. If not, then it's not really worth the paper one might print it on.

[strawberryjulius]

11:50 PM on 02/28/2010

First of all, I would challenge your assumption that the release of Keiko was a total failure. While, Keiko never fully assimilated back into the pod and his trainers continued to feed him. Keiko did live in the ocean for several years.

Isn't it preferable to keep formerly captive orcas in open pens, like the one that Keiko lived in, rather than the completely unnatural environment of Sea World?

[Denise Rodriguez-Tavakolinia]

12:04 PM on 02/26/2010

STOP the immoral practice of removing them from the wild for entertainment is the most important FIRST STEP. I think this is where the focus needs to be right now while there is an enhanced interest in the topic. Make the breeding of them in captivity by commercial entities illegal.

Meanwhile, try to find a reasonable and realistic resolution for the animals already in captivity. It may be too late to save them but we must use their horrible life experience as an example of how not to treat these beautiful creatures in the future.

[KWHOO]

01:04 PM on 02/26/2010

Really good response; I concur.

[sabelmouse]

01:12 PM on 02/26/2010

yes

[SouthpawSass]

11:59 AM on 02/26/2010

Put a monitor on it and let it go, let them all go... We can't assume every animal we let go will fail... No more animal shows for human entertainment. If we want to see animals entertain us, we can just watch cspan.

[aflyinyoursoup]

01:03 PM on 02/26/2010

Watching the depraved animals on Cspan is repulsive. Although I would like to see them also returned to the wild...Say, to the middle of the Asian Tundra. And of course they should be fitted with a monitor so we can assure they are never allowed to re-infest our nation again!

[SouthpawSass]

02:21 PM on 02/26/2010

LOL...

[Principaldad]

01:43 PM on 02/26/2010

Actually, if we were to just "let them all go" then, yes, we absolutely can assume that every animal will "fail". In 2005, 40% of the orcas in captivity were born in captivity. Today that percentage is undoubtedly higher since the practice of taking from the wiId is virtually nonexistent and they are still being born in captivity. Of those not born in captivity, almost all have been captive for decades and have become highly acclimated to human contact.

Keiko was rehabilitated for years and still could not survive.

[SouthpawSass]

02:20 PM on 02/26/2010

"Love does not claim possession, but gives freedom."--Rabindranath Tagore

[patsydecline]

11:58 AM on 02/26/2010

there is a call to put down the whale by some...
why don't we 'put down' or put away the greedy folks who put this poor animal
in a very unnatural and cramped setting, made them do tricks
and exploit them for their gain...

they are the ones responsible for the deaths...

[disgustedcitizen]

11:51 AM on 02/26/2010

History shows that it is difficult to put these beautiful creatures back in the wild once they have lived in captivity, so what to do about the ones already in captivity is a difficult question. However, one thing can be done to stop this nonsense in the future by not taking any more out of the wild for these stupid shows.

[wm1066]

11:37 AM on 02/26/2010

How about giving them bigger pens to swim in, maybe big enough so a pod of whales can be together.

[RRonin]

02:08 PM on 02/26/2010

There's this really great pen with lots of room and food for the whales, it's called the OCEAN.

[wm1066]

03:20 PM on 02/26/2010

No need to be snarky, the animal might not be able to survive in the wild, its been trained to rely on humans for its needs.

[ChaiKat]

10:46 AM on 02/26/2010

While I understand the argument of these marine parks and zoos, about educating the public on wildlife, I think there are different ways to do that. I feel badly for anyone killed by one of these animals in captivity, but to put an animal down that kills someone, simply because it is doing what is in it's nature is wrong. You have already captured or bred an animal not meant to be trained to do tricks to entertain us, put it in some small enclosure, and made it dependent on humans. To kill it because it's instinct comes into play is not the right.

[ilovecandy]

10:39 AM on 02/26/2010

Every time I hear what was happening I can't help but think it seems like it was playing. Everyone is so scared of it no one gets in the tank with it. It might have just missed some interaction.
They should set it free. This animal should never have been there in the first place.
Wild animals are not meant to be in captivity and paraded around like circus creatures. I feel sorry for the trainer but this was a lesson learned, experience.

[imfedup]

10:23 AM on 02/26/2010

My reaction is intense sadness. I'm sad that this trainer died, but I'm also sad that they talk about putting down a "violent" animal we captured and trained to entertain us!

The story of the orca from Free Willy dying breaks my heart. All of these well meaning people pressured them to set this animal free, but it was already domesticated and incapable of living in the wild. What a traumatic experience attempting to set it free must have been for everyone, including the animal.

[StAlphonso]

10:09 AM on 02/26/2010

"After The SeaWorld Attack.... 7 Easy Veggie Meals"

HuffPo, perhaps you should pay a bit more attention to headline placement.
Or maybe you already do.