Orca Captivity Statistics |
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Questions | Answers |
1. How many orcas have been in captivity? | There are 130 documented captures of orcas from the wild. 96 are already dead. (74%). The average life span of the orcas that already died was about 5 years. |
2. How many orcas are in captivity now? | Today there are 49 orcas kept in captivity. 33 wild caught and 11 captive born (does not mean that breeding is successful). |
3. How many orcas have died in captivity? | Mentioned above. Stillbirth, aborts etc. are not documented by the industry. From 46 known pregnancies worldiwde in captivity, 16 calves only survived (35%). |
4. Why do orcas fins flop over in captivity? | The industry says that the shape of the dorsal fin has nothing to do with the mood of the animal or she/he feels = wrong. In photographs of more than three hundred killer whales inhabiting the waters surrounding Vancouver Island, B.C., fewer than 1% of the whales has a droopy dorsal fin. Adult killer whales in captivity who survive the onset of maturity invariably exhibit droopy dorsal fins. Smaller female dorsal fins usually bend over after a few years of captivity. |
5. How many orcas have been born in captivity? | Look at point 3. |