Orca - Hostage to fortune?

After a year of tragedy for both orcas and trainers alike, WDCS asks what lessons have been learnt?

On February 24th 2010, the world was shocked by the tragic news that trainer Dawn Brancheau had been killed by Tilikum, a male orca at SeaWorld Orlando, USA, resulting in a huge media response. Just a few weeks before, another tragic death occurred at Tenerife’s Loro Parque in Spain, where trainer Alexis Martinez was killed by Keto, also a male orca. One year on, questions still remain unanswered – similar deaths have never been reported involving orcas in the wild, so should such large and complex animals be held in captivity? SeaWorld has recently announced it will debut new ‘killer whale shows’ in coming months, including a return to the ‘Dine with Shamu’ segment, during which Ms Brancheau met her death. These shows will not, however, see a return to trainers conducting in-water work with the captive orcas. Cathy Williamson, anti-captivity campaigner at the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS) criticizes the continued confinement of these amazing animals in captivity: “Ethically, and backed up by strong scientific evidence, there is no justification for the continued display of orcas in captivity in the 21st century. Although orcas can be big money-spinners for the facilities holding them, the price the whales have to pay and the risks presented to their trainers are just far too high”. This opinion was recently supported by a comprehensive report published by two former SeaWorld trainers, which provided shocking details about the impacts of captivity and public display on orca health and welfare. Meanwhile, SeaWorld continues to stand strong against all criticism and has called for the exclusion of the public from a court hearing set for the 25th of April. SeaWorld is expected to present evidence at the hearing of the abatement measures that it has instituted since OSHA, the US government Occupational Health and Safety Administration, cited and fined SeaWorld $75,000 in August 2010 for willfully exposing its employees to hazards and risk of injury and death in its orca programmes. “WDCS is calling on the US Department of Labor to ensure the hearing remains public. Marine mammals are a public trust and not the private property of any facility or economic interest. The public has the right to know the details of this case which will have a direct impact on the future of orca welfare and worker safety at these parks”, states Courtney Vail, US campaigner for WDCS. “It is time for the truths behind captivity to be heard in the court of public opinion.” -ends-