Free Wikie: What happens to captive killer whales when their parks close?
The adult female, seeking a new home with her calf after the closure of Marineland in France, faces the grim reality of cetaceans used in human entertainment: there is only one marine sanctuary and total release into the wild is not considered for specimens bred in captivity
It all began with Moby Doll, one of the first orcas to be displayed in an aquarium after being captured in 1964 off Saturna Island, Canada. Though he survived only 87 days, Moby Doll proved that it was possible to keep this impressive, highly sociable, and intelligent cetacean in captivity, sparking what became known as orca mania. Now, more than 60 years later, 57 orcas live in 14 water parks around the world, where they perform in shows for human entertainment. Of these, 22 were captured from the wild, 33 were born in captivity, and two were rescued from strandings and have no chance of returning to their natural habitat, according to the latest data from Cetabase. It’s also estimated that more than 3,000 bottlenose dolphins and around 300 belugas are in similar conditions.
