Sea World Orcas
Keiko is the only Orca set free after being caught in the wild, then trained for performances and widely known by the public.
He was 27 years old when he died. That is very old. In captivity males live about 17 years and female about 29 years old. He died of pneumonia. That is not an unusual cause of death for Orcas in captivity (click here). It could have been his time with a weakened immune system due to age. The ocean climate including bacteria, etc., were probably different than when he lived there before.
Is Keiko definitive to all whale releases? That is not a conclusion that can be made.
He traveled to Norway and passed in Taknes Fjord. What is the shape of a fjord? What is the shape of a captive marine mammal pool? How does it look with ecolocation? Marine mammals are exceptionally intelligent.
It seems when he was the weakest in his life time and felt threatened because of his compromised ability to breath with pneumonia; he sought a fjord because it felt very safe and familiar. How did he know there was a fjord within the water? Ecolocation. When he felt threatened a fjord would probably mimic his former pool and limited his energy to expend in his distress.
I think it is fairly obvious Orcas after capture change their impression of the world.
Can and should this be attempted again? Can it? Yes, there is nothing preventing it by law that I am aware of. Should it? Those are ethical questions and should be brought as a paper to a professional society such as "The Society of Marine Mammalogy." (click here) Even a professional poster at a convention or in a journal could establish the ethics surrounding the issue. I am not aware of any professional presentation about Keiko and/or captive Orcas.
I could not hear the commercial from Sea World one more time without clarifying the status of Orcas in performance shows. These captive mammals due fall under the Endangered Species Act.
I think a lot can be learned from Keiko. I also think there needs to be scientific papers written on captive Orcas. Access is based upon their status defined in the Marine Mammal Protection Act as well as the Endangered Species Act.
Professional organizations have members from around the world and is a good place to work through ethics and possibilities.
Have a better day.
Our Mission (click here)
Keiko is the only Orca set free after being caught in the wild, then trained for performances and widely known by the public.
He was 27 years old when he died. That is very old. In captivity males live about 17 years and female about 29 years old. He died of pneumonia. That is not an unusual cause of death for Orcas in captivity (click here). It could have been his time with a weakened immune system due to age. The ocean climate including bacteria, etc., were probably different than when he lived there before.
Is Keiko definitive to all whale releases? That is not a conclusion that can be made.
He traveled to Norway and passed in Taknes Fjord. What is the shape of a fjord? What is the shape of a captive marine mammal pool? How does it look with ecolocation? Marine mammals are exceptionally intelligent.
It seems when he was the weakest in his life time and felt threatened because of his compromised ability to breath with pneumonia; he sought a fjord because it felt very safe and familiar. How did he know there was a fjord within the water? Ecolocation. When he felt threatened a fjord would probably mimic his former pool and limited his energy to expend in his distress.
I think it is fairly obvious Orcas after capture change their impression of the world.
Can and should this be attempted again? Can it? Yes, there is nothing preventing it by law that I am aware of. Should it? Those are ethical questions and should be brought as a paper to a professional society such as "The Society of Marine Mammalogy." (click here) Even a professional poster at a convention or in a journal could establish the ethics surrounding the issue. I am not aware of any professional presentation about Keiko and/or captive Orcas.
I could not hear the commercial from Sea World one more time without clarifying the status of Orcas in performance shows. These captive mammals due fall under the Endangered Species Act.
I think a lot can be learned from Keiko. I also think there needs to be scientific papers written on captive Orcas. Access is based upon their status defined in the Marine Mammal Protection Act as well as the Endangered Species Act.
Professional organizations have members from around the world and is a good place to work through ethics and possibilities.
Have a better day.
Our Mission (click here)
The mission of the international Society for Marine Mammalogy (SMM) is to promote the global advancement of marine mammal science and contribute to its relevance and impact in education, conservation and management.
Our Objectives
- Evaluate and promote the educational, scientific and managerial advancement of marine mammal science.
- Gather and disseminate to members of the Society, the public and public and private institutions, scientific, technical and management information through publications and meetings.
- Provide scientific information, as required, on matters related to the conservation and management of marine mammal resources.
