Captive Orcas 'Dying to Entertain You' - Whale and Dolphin ...

These observations obviously have implications when considering the second majorfactor: namely the social mix of individuals in the captive setting. This all-importantsocial balance of animals within the pool is frequently grossly distorted. Wild orcasspend all their time with blood relatives and other members of their pod, but in thecaptive situation, orcas from different pods and different oceans are routinely kepttogether. The whales communicate in different dialects and the constant movement ofindividuals between parks further compounds the situation.Thirdly, orcas establish their own social hierarchy or pecking order. In captivity, as in thewild, the oldest or largest female is usually the dominant animal, but exceptions haveoccurred, especially in smaller facilities. The US Animal Welfare Act states that 'marinemammals that are not compatible shall not be housed next to animals that would causethem stress or discomfort, or interfere with their good health'. However, it is believed thatto date, no marine park has ever been charged with non-compliance with thisregulation.A 1985 report by marine mammal veterinarians, Andrew Greenwood and David Taylorstates unequivocally that 'clearly, trainers should be aware of the potential risk of seriousfighting between incompatible specimens, and facilities should allow for the separationof animals. 44Tragically, all too often, marine parks have not been sensitive to the subtleties ofdominant/subdominant roles and have kept incompatible animals in the same pool,sometimes with disastrous results.• In 1987 Sea World acquired Corky and Orky, an adult breeding pair, andtransferred them to the San Diego park. Orky, the male had been the dominantanimal and Corky was very much the subdominant when she arrived at SeaWorld. She was harassed unrelentingly by Kandu, the residing dominant female,who herself mated with Orky. In 1989, Kandu rammed Corky in front of a stadiumfull of horrified spectators. Kandu fractured her jaw and ruptured an artery, shedied 45 minutes later. Kandu and Orky had produced a calf and it is possiblethat the attack was motivated by jealousy of Corky's attempts to help to care forthe calf. Sea World tried to pass the incident off as a 'normal' display ofdominance, but must take its share of the blame for not paying heed to socialdynamics. 45• At Sea World's Orlando park, two entirely incompatible males were kepttogether. Kotar, a small Icelandic orca was forced to share a pool with Kanduke,a transient orca captured from BC. These two orcas would never have beenfound together in nature. Aggression between these two males was pronouncedand the confines of the pool meant that neither animal could escape from theother. Kotar was often observed deliberately beaching himself and makingcrying sounds. Kanduke occasionally beat his head against the pool's gate untilit bled and also made frequent distress calls. In 1987, Kotar reportedly bitKanduke's penis, turning the pool water red with blood and forcing shows to becancelled for two days. Both orcas are now dead. Kanduke died in 1990 ataround 20 years of age; his necropsy report listed 'a penile scar 10 cm long.'Kotar died in August 1995, aged only 19. Were their deaths hastened by theimmune-depleting effect of these constant 'fight or flight' scenarios? 46In early 1994, Ulysses, a mature male, arrived at San Diego on 'breeding loan' fromBarcelona. His intended mate, Kasatka, was still caring for her three year-old calf whenhe arrived and trainer Mike Scarpuzzi is quoted as saying 'it is crucial that Ulyssesunderstand Kasatka, the dominant orca. If he doesn't, the results could be violent.Maybe even deadly. 47The terse wording of necropsy or Marine Mammal Inventory Reports gives only asuspicion of the true number of deaths resulting from traumatic injuries and possibleincompatibility: 'haemorrhage', 'ruptured kidney', 'related to jaw fracture' and so forth.43