#kiska orca

[zickmonkey]

In my free time I make really bad memes so here's some to channel my anger in response to Marineland Canada's last surviving orca dying (Kiska)

[sugargrim3]

Kiska, always in my heart and she is dearly missed

[ceramicdolphin]

rest in peace, pretty girl. 🤍 you’re not alone anymore.

[vampire6bux]

admittedly i dont follow the marineland antibes pod as well as i do the seaworld pods and i dont folow any of them as well as i do theone in orlando but it is sad to know he went becuz like. i hav loved to see him since he was born he was only 12... i feel bad 4 wikie too. like it sucks to know both of his parents r still alive an he was so little.

[confused-biscuit]

Kiska reuniting with her calves and Nootka V

Rest in peace pretty girl <3

[varpusvaras]

It's 4 am and I'm crying my eyes out because I just heard that Tokitae has passed away. Happy swimming girl.

[m1dnightsnackz]

Kiska the last captive Orca Whale passed on my birthday 😭

-- Which I also share with Bucky Barnes and is on MAR10 day. what is this life --

[sunburs2015]

Tweet from @Catlord568 on ORCA

Tweet from @Catlord568 on ORCA

https://twitter.com/Catlord568/status/1562412445007749121 @Catlord568: @Alibarbiepro The orca attacks are a result of them being trapped in a concrete bowl for the rest of their lives! And it is ALL down to those “people” who PAY to see the aqua-circus! https://t.co/OQWrez4wuV

[orcinus-veterinarius]

The Orchive

Get it? Orchive? Orca?

Below is a master list of (mostly) my original posts that address frequently asked questions! This is a living document and may not be comprehensive. I also utilize an extensive tagging system!

Please note that some topics contain multiple links, so look carefully!

Zoos & Aquariums (General)

How do I know if a zoo is ethical?

Stereotypical behaviors

Unethical animal sanctuaries

Why are so many zoos "for-profit"?

Elephants in zoos

Zoos & Aquariums (Specific)

The Beluga Whale Sanctuary

Clearwater Marine Aquarium

The National Aquarium

Disney's Animal Kingdom

Greensboro Science Center

SEA LIFE aquariums

Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park

Brookfield Zoo

Dolphin Quest (and Dolphin Connection)

SOS Dolfijn

Killer Whales & SeaWorld

Why I'm "pro captivity"

Is SeaWorld AZA accredited?

What about Blackfish?

How SeaWorld helps animals

SeaWorld's marine rescue program

Why is public sentiment against SeaWorld?

Why do orcas' dorsal fins collapse in human care?

Should whales and dolphins have larger tanks?

SeaWorld's killer whale breeding program

Life expectancy of SeaWorld's killer whales

Should SeaWorld have ended their breeding program?

Why did SeaWorld use artificial insemination?

Are killer whales "too smart" to be in captivity?

Why does SeaWorld teach their orcas to do "circus tricks"?

Keiko (Free Willy)

Tilikum

Tokitae

Morgan

Dawn Brancheau

Toa & Ingrid Visser

Kiska & Marineland Canada

Killer Whale Ecotypes

Should Tokitae move to SeaWorld?

Why are those orcas attacking boats?

How do whales sleep?

Other Cetaceans

What's it really like for a whale or dolphin in an aquarium?

Aren't scientists against cetacean captivity?

What are some sources supporting cetaceans in human care?

What do we learn from having cetaceans in aquariums?

Do dolphins do well in captivity?

Don't wild dolphins swim hundreds of miles a day?

How long do dolphins live in captivity?

Swim-with-dolphins Programs

Dolphin shows

Wild dolphin tours

Do dolphins enjoy being touched?

US Navy Marine Mammal Program

Hvladimir the "Russian Spy Whale"

Indoor vs Outdoor marine mammal habitats

Why reproduction is important to cetacean welfare

Opposing the SWIMS Act

Cetacean ultrasounds

Why sea pens aren't the perfect solution

How come we can't just free the dolphins?

Are dolphins still captured from the wild?

Pets

Adopt don't shop?

Vet Medicine & Vet School

Zoo opportunities for vet techs

Client abuse

Animal Rights vs Animal Welfare

Veal crates

Dairy hutches

Dissections

Animal rights groups spread misinformation

Why don't you support the Humane Society of the United States?

Do you support the ASPCA?

Trophy hunting

Other

Commercial fisheries

Shark finning

Red wolves

Fun facts about eels

[orcinus-ocean]

Icelandic whales and ecotype

I’ve seen some claims going around that the Icelandic whales displayed in zoos and aquariums for the past several decades are actually two different ecotypes, with some being “North Atlantic type 1″ and a few others being “North Atlantic type 2″.

I think this is completely wrong, and will show you why.

Above are an assortment of ecotype infographics.

As you can see, “type 1″ are the typical whale you’ll find off Iceland and Norway. They eat mainly herring and other small fish (though some individuals have been observed taking seals), and males typically range from 6.2-6.6 meters, females, around 5.5 meters.

They have clear saddlepatches, and tend to have eyepatches like this:

As the closeup of the map image (last image in the collection above) shows, “type 1″ orcas are also in turn split into type A and B. Type “1A”, if you will, follow exactly the range of where Icelandic whales were caught, and along the Norwegian coast (this eyepatch collage is of both Icelandic and Norwegian whales).

As all the other ecotype infographics show, “type 1″ live off Iceland, Norway, with a couple pointing out that they may range as far south as Scotland and Ireland.

“Type 2″ on the other hand, is huge, one of the largest killer whales anywhere on Earth (after Antarctic type A). Males are 7.5-8.5 meters long, females 6.5-7 meters. They have distinctive downwards sloping eyepatches (like sad eyebrows, seen above), faint saddlepatches, are are very rarely seen, range around Britain, Ireland, the Faroes, and occasionally as far as Svalbard - not Iceland or Norway. They are mammal-eaters, specializing in minke whales as prey. Today, only a few of them remain.

The claim is then, that some of our Icelanders in human care are secretly, actually, type 2.

Let’s look at them. I have gathered all the whales caught in Iceland into a large collage, here split for ease of viewing. The only named whales I couldn’t get good enough images of were Canuck 2, Magnus and Benkei 2.

If the whale is still alive or died as an adult, I will provide measurements, if known.

I originally wrote descriptions for all the following whales, but it got tiring, repetitive, and too lengthy.

Kim, Gudrun, Kenau, Kandu 5, Hoi Wai, Kona 2, Winnie, Betty, Kahana, and Kasatka.

All of very typical “type 1″ looks.

Kim

Gudrun has no measurements available, but as can be seen when she lived at SeaWorld as a full-grown female, she was not large.

Kenau was caught with Gudrun. She was 5.5 meters long when she died at age 16.

Kandu 5. Interestingly, Orkid is the only whale in human care who has anything like the type 2 eyepatch, but she’s the daughter of Kandu who does not, and a Northern resident (Canadian) father who also did not. Kandu measured under 5.4 meters when she died.

Hoi Wai

Kona 2 was likely caught with Kandu 5, had enormous, distinct eyepatches, and she was 5.5 meters long at the time of death.

Winnie was caught with Hoi Wai as said, had a typical Icelandic eyepatch, and the same size and shape as other Icelandic females she lived with.

Betty was caught along with Katina, so they were likely pod mates.

Kahana was caught with Kasatka. She was particularly petite, measuring barely 5.1 meters when she died aged 15.

Kasatka was a mere 5.2 meters long, and looks nothing like a type 2 whale.

Shawn

Kotar was 17-18 years old when he died, and measured 6.4 meters at the time of his death.

Katina is a typical, squat and stocky Icelandic whale with large eyepatches. She is just barely 5.5 meters long.

Dzul-ha

Caren was just 10-11 years old when she died, and measured 5 meters long.

Kiska was a larger female at 6 meters. Large for a type 1, but nowhere near the 6.5-7 meter type 2 females.

Keiko was an average-sized type 1 male at about 6.4 meters.

King

Ulises is another average-sized type 1 male, at 6.4 meters.

Bjossa is another I can find no measurements of, but she was much smaller than Corky, who is 6.1 meters (a Northern resident). She looks typical of an Icelandic whale if a bit long. Looking at the top middle whale of my eyepatch collage, that whale looks just like Bjossa.

Finna was caught along with Ulises, Bjossa and Vigga, his pod mates.

Vigga was another stocky and short female with large eyepatches, notably smaller than her 6 meter Northern resident companion.

Nemo

Neptune

Ruka

Noni/Nootka was stocky and large female, at 6 meters, but with a bright saddle and eyepatches so commonly seen among Icelandic and Norwegian herring-eaters.

Freya was the only adult I could find who had a truly faint saddle patch (note that juveniles of all ecotypes tend to have faint saddles). She was also very long and slender compared to the typical, more stocky Icelandic female. She was however caught along with Kim 2 and Haida 2, and measured 6 meters in her late 20s. Her eyepatch is not type 2.

Haida 2 was, unlike her likely pod mate Freya, very typical in appearance for a type 1. She measured 5.2 meters at the age of 13.

Kim 2 was reportedly a large male, at 6.9 meters, just under Tilikum in size.

Nootka 4 (strange designation since she was caught one year after “Nootka 5″) was the same size as Haida.

Tilikum was the largest Icelandic killer whale in human care, reportedly at just under 7 meters, though I have also seen 6.7 meters (in 2016, shortly before his death). Even if he was 6.9 meters, that is indeed large for a type 1, but absolutely minute for a type 2, and he looks nothing like them.

Nandu

Samoa was 5.15 meters long when she died, with a clear type 1 eyepatch and saddle patch.

Junior

Bingo had interesting triangular eyepatches and a black line in his saddle, and measured 6.5 meters in his early 30s.

Patty

Kandu 7

Prince

Maggie

Oscar was an unusually small male, measuring only 5.8 meters at the age of 26.

Stella is very small, only around 5.2 meters long.

Ai

Ran

Sharkane

Tanouk measured 6.4 meters in his teens (meaning he would grow larger for a few years).

So that’s all of them, except for Canuck 2, Magnus, and Benkei 2.

Then, there is this:

You can stop calling North Atlantic killer whales type 1 and type 2

“The main issue with type 2 killer whales came from the small sample size (5 individuals)”

“In the meantime, Dr. Foote suggested we just drop the “type 1/type 2” classification for now.”

There is simply no basis to think any of the above 45 whales from Iceland are or were the “type 2″ whales, like John Coe.

[veganpropaganda]

it's world whale day and i want to talk about a whale near and dear to my heart: Kiska the orca.

She is Canada's last remaining killer whale in captivity. She is alone at Marineland Canada. Orcas are highly social animals who live in pods made up of family members. Kiska has been alone for over a decade since her last tank mate was returned to SeaWorld.

She was captured in the North Atlantic at about 3 years old and has lived in captivity for ~40 years. All 5 of her offspring have died.

As of 2019, Canada passed the Ending the Captivity of Whales and Dolphins Act which effectively put an end to the use of cetaceans by the entertainment industry. However, Kiska and her beluga whale neighbours still remain at Marineland Canada.

In 2021, Niagara Regional Police brought forth criminal charges against Marineland Canada for violating federal law by hosting dolphin shows over the summer of 2021. A year later, the charges were stayed, however.

As of 2023, a lawyer representing Marineland Canada has lobbied the Ontario Ministry of of Tourism, Culture and Sport with the intent to sell Marineland Canada. It's uncertain what the future holds for Kiska should Marineland be sold.

edit: I updated the post because I said her former tank mate passed away when Ikaika was actually returned to SeaWorld. my apologies.

[azzurra-astra]

A stuffed orca diagram I did on MSPaint, while all measured for this example used, it would likely need WAY more adjustments in order to prevent being wonky if it were ever physically made. It would be LGBT friendly should anybody want one with that representation, with the flag colors being displayed in place of the plain gray saddle patch, and eyes would be customizable too.

Seen here, an example of some of the saddle patch patterns that would be made available, along with a list of the LGBT colors that would be available to custom order (more would be available than displayed). Followed by a custom orca and what it could look like.

Eyes would contain biodegradable glitter, be marbled, patterned, iridescent, themed, or solid. Saddle patches, eye patches, eyes, and dorsals would be customizable. LGBT colors, per custom order request, would be displayed on the saddle patches in place of the regular gray. I would try to cover as many eco types as possible, and Limited Editions would be a thing, even the deceased (members of SRKW, notable Patagonian Big Mel, captives such as Taima, Tilikum, Valentin, Kiska). The largest one would be limited to 5, possibly twice a year.

Editions concerning the SRKW would be 20/80% split with a majority of proceeds going towards conservation efforts supporting them. Outside would be soft spandex (same as Squishmallows).

Gay

Pansexual

Lesbian

Another small example of three females (3 different eco-types: C, D, B) with what their patches would look like with flag representation! Colors would have a soft but definitive border for each color, in order to make it smooth. I also redid the male dorsal more appropriately, and it will likely increase by an inch on the plush.

I also have thought about including calves around 4”-5” long, an optional add on to an order. I likely have gotten too ambitious with a speculative idea that won’t go anywhere…

It’s just fun to fantasize what this would’ve been like had I ever gotten the opportunity.

[catfang12]

Been a rough past two days but it's all okay now 💙 the pod has gained two new members🖤🤍

Meet Shachi! I absolutely love him as soon as I saw him on EBay I needed him! His name means orca in Japanese 😁

Next meet Kiska! Named after yet another captive orca who has recently swam over the rainbow bridge🩵 I love this plushie she looks so happy and silly!!!! And she's a big girl ☺️I love her little tongue 👅 💙

[daisylovesrumble]

petition: Marineland Broke Animal Cruelty Laws. Its Leadership Must Be Held Accountable.

Marineland is an infamous park in Ontario, Canada, known for allowing its captive animals to suffer. For example, one killer whale there named Kiska has become known as "the world's loneliest orca" due to her severe isolation and obvious signs of psychological distress.

Now Ontario's government is holding the park accountable for breaking animal cruelty laws in its mistreatment of three black bears. Officials have detailed the ways in which Marineland allegedly abused its bears — including by depriving them of sufficient access to water, for months at a time.

A previous employee also shared that due to mistreatment at the park, staff became fearful that male bears would develop aggressive behaviors and kill cubs. Marineland's response was to fire her. After an Animal Welfare Services investigation found multiple violations of animal cruelty laws, it ordered the park to make changes. But still, apparently, "Marineland did nothing."

Experts say it's very likely the park will be shut down soon, meaning the animals will be re-homed somewhere reputable. This is great news for all animals trapped in the nightmare that is Marineland. 

But the people who ran this facility and allowed animals to experience extreme suffering must also be held accountable for the cruelty perpetrated on their watch. Sign the petition now!