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Custody Battle Over a Captive Orca

Posted July 15, 2011 in Learn More by Michael Mountain

(Tenth in the series Superpod One – Where It All Began)

Day Five: Jeff Ventre has just picked up a report from the Toronto Star about the very unseemly custody battle going on between SeaWorld and the Canadian circus Marineland over orca Ikaika.

Jeff, a physician, was once a SeaWorld trainer, so he knows a lot of what goes on behind the scenes, especially the cover-ups that these facilities engage in. The article in today’s Toronto Star explains how, 10 years ago, SeaWorld and Marineland set up a mutual breeding program. And it gives some insight into the grotesque wheeling and dealing with the lives of animals whom they each claim to “own”:

Holer (owner of Marineland) wanted a male killer whale. But how much was one worth? About four belugas, which Busch (owner of SeaWorld) wanted. According to court documents, a beluga is worth $50,000. Holer only wanted to give up three. Busch demanded four, but would later toss in two trained sea lions. And the deal was done.

Then Ikaika is flown from SeaWorld Orlando to Marineland in Niagara Falls. He already has dental problems, most likely from chewing on the metal bars of his pool, and he needs daily treatment along with ongoing antibiotics and pain medication. (Such problems don’t exist in the wild.) At Marineland, Ikaika’s teeth just get worse, and SeaWorld thinks they can give him better care, so they want him back. But now Marineland doesn’t want to give him up.

As part of the pressure SeaWorld is putting on Marineland, they offer some unusually candid remarks about the dangers of keeping these huge animals captive. As the Star describes it:

SeaWorld continues to fret about Ikaika’s mental health. The whale has had to be separated from his female companion, Kiska, 37, because he would bite her.

Ikaika has a history of aggression, often of a sexual nature, which began with an attempt to breed a young calf at SeaWorld shortly before his transfer to Canada. SeaWorld’s veterinarians then sedated Ikaika twice daily with Valium to “try to mellow him out.”

“We’ve already seen some of the precursors (of a human attack) up there, meaning he’s grabbed boots, he’s grabbed targets, he’s grabbed an arm before,” Chuck Tompkins, a senior executive at SeaWorld and head animal trainer, said in an affidavit.

Those are signs Ikaika is testing his environment and seeing what he can do, Tompkins told the court.

“And if you’re not aware of all the little things that killer whales do, you can get somebody really, really hurt,” Tompkins said in his affidavit. “I’ve got grave concerns on the safety of the staff and inevitably the safety of the animal because of the lack of change.”

In all its public statements and PR, SeaWorld goes out of its way to say how safe the marine parks are. But to get Ikaika back to Orlando, they need to change their tune and explain what the real problems are – including that someone could get seriously hurt by an angry, frustrated orca with dental pain, who needs a constant supply of antibiotics and pain medication, along with sedatives to keep him from going completely ballistic.

(Photo of Ikaika from Toronto Star)

Table of Contents

Superpod One – Where it All Began
In the summer of 2011, a group of scientists, journalists and former orca trainers met up on San Juan Island. Their week together would eventually lead to the formation of the Whale Sanctuary Project.

Off to the Island
On the ferry to San Juan Island everyone crowds onto the top deck for glimpses of dolphins, harbor seals, eagles and other animals.

First Sighting
At the Center for Whale Research, we see dorsal fins popping out of the water … just a second or two as the orcas come up for air.

Grandma J2’s Birthday Party
Grandma J2 has celebrated her 100th birthday. San Juan Island held a party in her honor. But how do they know she’d just turned 100?

T Is for Transient
As well as the “resident” pods, who spend most of their time around the islands, there are “transient” pods whose lifestyle is quite different.

Luna: the Orca Who Wanted to Be Friends
Orcas need each other’s company. So, when Luna got separated from his family, he started making friends with humans on their boats in Nootka Sound.

Out on the Ocean, Surrounded by Orcas
We’re headed out toward the open sound, and our captain is confident we’re going to see some orcas.

Orcas at the Other End of the World
The orcas line up and create a wave that will lift one side of the ice floe and tip the seal into the water.

Orca Dinner Party
The whales need 200 pounds of food every day, and Chinook salmon is the only food that the resident orcas will eat.

Super-Intelligence
Whichever way you look at orca brains, you have to conclude that these guys are super-intelligent.

Custody Battle Over a Captive Orca
An unseemly custody battle is going on between SeaWorld and Marineland over orca Ikaika, whom SeaWorld has “loaned” them.

We’ll Meet Again . . .
The group needs a name. I suggest “Superpod” in honor of what we’ve seen and shared this week. It’s agreed … and it’s just a beginning

Also on the Blog

  • Canada Bans Captivity of Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises
  • Orca Brains and Intelligence
  • A Deep Dive into Environmental Analysis
  • TEDx Talk “Whales Without Walls” by Charles Vinick
  • Whale Aid Russia

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