Throughout most of history, human understanding (and, unfortunately, effective enforcement) of the activities and behavior of killer whales has been incredibly inaccurate: Killer whales were routinely cast as mindless, beastly creatures in the pages of African history, far worse than the Helpful Other they are today. In fact, the best reference work on whales, Cited in Notebooks by Peter Rennebohm (eds), makes note of the fact that “the history of killer whales in captivity is virtually non-existent.” The only known examples from history are teeth whitening, intentional captures using steel traps, and dissection of teeth in professionally prepared displays. As well, all recorded oral communication (sounds like a lot of work, doesn’t it?) from captive killers reveals an interest in preying upon the marine mammals rather than choosing them for their own predatory purposes.
The history of killer whales in captivity is complicated by the fact that, unlike whales, orca, or porpoises, orcas are unique among marine mammals in that their social structures are poorly understood. Killer whales, unlike orca, elasmosaurians, and cetaceans, tend to form extended families called pods, with at least one resident female in each pod and one or two breeding females, as opposed to the situation that applies to all other species of marine mammal in which one female alone will reproduce. While pods play an important role in helping to care and rear their young, it is unclear how these specific families interact within the context of the animals’ interactions with other marine mammals.
Apart from the lack of understanding about the social structure and behavior of the whales, the lack of understanding about the actual physiological traits of this unique species also contributes to the difficulty of studying their behavior in captivity. Even though most killer whales are large enough to be fit comfortably in a standard whale tank, they are also known to suffer from severe weight loss, and poor health due to the difficulty of maintaining an appropriate weight within their body type. The fact that many killer whales in captivity live for only a few years before succumbing to death, despite good care during their captive lives, serves as a worrying indication of what may happen if they are not well cared for after release.
As mentioned above, whales are sensitive to their environment, and being confined to a closed tank with no contact with the outside world can cause stress and discomfort. For this reason, orcas in captivity tend to be underweight and are often unable to meet their requirements for natural diet due to poor dieting in captivity. They can also become depressed due to the inability to experience the world around them. For this reason, the history of killer whales in captivity can also include a history of self-isolation from other orca whales. It has also been argued that, because most orcas are kept so close to their trainers, they end up becoming targets for aggression from other orca whales.
Another aspect of the history of killer whales in captivity is their relationship with humans, particularly their handlers. Captive killers were once held at Sea World in Orlando, Florida, before being released into the wild. In one case, an orca was fatally shot by an employee of Sea World after biting a handler. In another case, the whale, after biting a handler, bit another trainer, who was trying to help her shoot the animal.
Killer whales in captivity have been linked to certain types of sickness, including stress, depression, and disease, although there is no direct evidence linking these illnesses to the captive-born orca in any of these incidents. Perhaps it is a matter of how science deals with these issues, or perhaps the correlation is totally unrelated. What is clear is that orcas in captivity face a myriad of complex problems, some of which are caused by their lack of social interaction, and others caused by their unnatural environment (i.e. captivity). Whatever the cause of this disorder, it will be something that continues to be researched in laboratories around the world for the rest of time.
