An article in Science magazine by David Grimm, announces the formation of The Whale Sanctuary Project (WSP) and discusses the benefits and challenges of retiring orcas various arguments in favor of retiring cetaceans to sanctuaries, as well as those being put forward by opponents.
Grimm writes about the cognitive and social complexity of orcas, and about why advocates of sanctuaries “spectacularly unsuited for the relatively small, isolated tanks found in theme parks and aquariums.”
The article discusses the rehabilitation of Keiko from a Mexican theme park, beginning in 1998, and later release into the ocean near his birthplace off the coast of Iceland. Orcas who have been born in captivity, however, would most likely not be candidates for release, which is why there is such a need for sanctuaries – as is the case with elephants and great apes. As Dr. Lori Marino, President of The Whale Sanctuary Project, describes it to Grimm:
The enclosure would be “as open and naturalistic as possible,” she says. “It will never be ideal, but it will be enormously different from a theme park.” A sanctuary won’t be able to replicate orca social life, Marino admits, but at least the whales could communicate acoustically with wild orcas, as Keiko did.
Many thanks to Science magazine for this important article.
Note: The printed version of this article (not the online version) contains two mis-statements:
1: that the WSP “has begun pressuring SeaWorld to release its orcas.”
In fact, this is not part of the organization’s mission. We are focused exclusively on creating seaside sanctuaries for whales and dolphins who are retired from captivity or are rescued from the wild and are in need of special care.
2: that the WSP “envisions a sea cage for care and feeding.”
The term “sea cage” has been coined by SeaWorld to mischaracterize seaside sanctuaries by portraying them as being smaller than the concrete tanks in which they are currently housed. Sea cages will not be part of the sanctuaries that we’re developing.