Orcas part 2

Alrighty folks, here's your part two!! This one I'll be focusing more on captivity v.s orcas in the wild.

Bahahaha!! I put this one because I love that he knocks her over. (She was fine)

On February 20, 1991, Keltie Byrne, (left) a 21-year-old marine biology student and competitive swimmer, slipped into the pool containing Tilikum, Haida II and Nootka IV while working as a part-time Sealand trainer. The three orcas submerged her, dragging her around the pool and preventing her from surfacing. At one point, she reached the side and tried to climb out, but as horrified visitors watched from the sidelines, the orcas pulled her screaming back into the pool. Other trainers responded to her screams, throwing her a life-ring, but the orcas kept her away from it. She surfaced three times screaming before drowning, and it was several hours before her body could be recovered from the pool. On July 6, 1999, a 27-year-old man, Daniel P. Dukes, (right) was found dead over Tilikum's back. Dukes had visited SeaWorld the previous day, stayed after the park closed, and evaded security to enter the orca tank unclothed. An autopsy found numerous wounds, contusions, and abrasions covering his body that were caused by Tilikum. The autopsy concluded that Dukes' cause of death was drowning. The medical examiner reports that no drugs or alcohol were found in Dukes' system.

On February 24, 2010, Tilikum killed Dawn Brancheau, a 40-year-old trainer. Brancheau was killed following a Dine with Shamu show. The veteran trainer was rubbing Tilikum as part of a post-show routine when the orca grabbed her by her ponytail or left arm, according to differing eye-witness reports, and pulled her into the water. Brancheau's autopsy indicated death by drowning and blunt force trauma. Tilikum returned to performing on March 30, 2011.

On November 21, 1987, trainer John Sillick was riding on the back of a female orca when Orky II, a five-ton male, jumped and landed upon him. Sillick had to have multiple surgeries; his back, hips, pelvis, ribs, and legs were severely fractured. The incident led to the firing of SeaWorld's president and 3 other employees. In an interview, he said, "I'm learning to walk again.

Orcas in captivity frequently hurt themselves on the enclosures that have metal, concrete, and plastic pieces

Nearly all whales at SeaWorld (from subadult to adult) have broken, ground, missing or drilled teeth. No percentage has been generated, but we’re working on that. It is truly epidemic in their collection, and among orcas held by other companies. Poor dentition is a strong predictor of a variety of health issues among other mammals, so it is reasonable to assume that, over time, teeth problems negatively impact the health of captive orcas.

On November 29, 2006, Kasatka, one of SeaWorld San Diego's seven orcas, grabbed her trainer, Ken Peters, by the foot and dragged him to the bottom of the tank several times during an evening show at Shamu Stadium. The senior trainer escaped after nine minutes, when Kasatka released him. The whale then followed Peters, proceeding over a netted barrier towards Peters. This was the second documented incident of Kasatka attacking Peters and was the third most widely reported of all the SeaWorld incidents.

SeaWorld breeds its orcas way too young. Kalia isn’t the only orca to have been bred too young. Several other females have been bred early despite scientific studies say that the average age in the wild that female orcas begin to reproduce is 14.9 years. Here are some of the more notable instances: - Taima gave birth to a male calf at SeaWorld Orlando in 1998 -- age 8
- Kohana, SeaWorld San Diego, had her first calf, Adán on October 12, 2010 -- age 8
- Takara gave birth to her first calf, Kohana on May 3, 2002 -- age 10

Tillikum's family line, he has been repeatedly bred with many of his family members.

The largest orca in captivity (Tillikum) lived in this swimming pool

Different types of orcas

Puget Sound orcas

Orcas in the wild have an average life expectancy of 30 to 50 years—their estimated maximum lifespan is 60 to 70 years for males and 80 to over 100 for females. The average age of death for orcas who have died at SeaWorld is 13 years old.

Orcas off the coast of Argentina, use the surf to propel themselves past the edge of the water to snag seal and sea lion pups as they play, blissfully unaware of the danger. Sometimes they eat the seals for themselves; other times, researchers believe, they pull the animal into the water to train young orcas for future hunts, according to National Geographic.

An interesting figure to note is that there are no recorded cases of orcas killing a human in the wild, but as most of us are aware, there are various cases of the whales attacking and occasionally killing people when kept in captivity.

Killer whales are large, active and intelligent. Males range from 6 to 9.7 m (20 to 32 ft) and weigh over 8 tonnes (8.8 tons), while females range from 5 to 7 m (16 to 23 ft) and weigh 3 to 5 tonnes (3.3 to 5.5 tons). It is extremely difficult to capture killer whales and to provide a healthy environment for the captives. Early attempts in the 1960s caused many injuries and deaths. However, with experience the teams who specialized in the business became more adept and post-capture survival rates improved.

The first captured North Eastern Pacific killer whale (Wanda) was caught in November 1961 by a collecting crew from Marineland of the Pacific in Los Angeles. The 5.2 m (17 ft) orca was placed in a tank at the aquarium, where she repeatedly crashed into the walls. She died the following day.

A turning point came with a mass capture of orcas from the L-25 pod in August 1970 at Penn Cove, Puget Sound off the coast of Washington. The Penn Cove capture became controversial due to the large number of wild killer whales that were taken (seven) and the number of deaths that resulted: four juveniles died, as well as one adult female who drowned when she became tangled in a net while attempting to reach her calf. In his interview for the CNN documentary Blackfish, former diver John Crowe told how all five of the whales had their abdomen slit open and filled with rocks, their tails weighted down with anchors and chains, in an attempt to conceal the deaths.

The majority of today's theme-park killer whales were born in captivity: 33 out of 56. Kalina, a female orca born in September 1985 at SeaWorld Orlando, was the first captive orca calf to survive more than two months. Kalina's mother is an Icelandic female named Katina, and her father, Winston (also known as Ramu III), was a Pacific Southern Resident, making Kalina an Atlantic/Pacific hybrid — a unique situation that would not have occurred in the wild.

SeaWorld San Diego, San Diego, California; home of Corky II, Orkid, Kasatka, Ulises, Nakai, Kalia, Ikaika, Keet, Shouka, Makani, and Amaya
SeaWorld Orlando, Orlando, Florida; home of Katina, Trua, Nalani, Kayla, Malia, and Makaio
SeaWorld San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas; home of Kyuquot, Tuar, Takara, Sakari, and Kamea

Tillikum tax R.I.P. Beautiful boy