The story of Kiska is a tale of the terrible injustice and inhumane acts of the captivity trade. Kiska is a killer whale who has lived all alone for over a decade at Marineland, a Canadian aquarium in Niagara Falls. According to IMMP, the complex confines hundreds of animals and is notorious for alleged violations of animal welfare laws. She was captured in Iceland when she was only 3 years old and was forced to watch the deaths of all of her young offspring in captivity. A video posted this week by former Marineland trainer-turned-whistleblower Phil Demers shows Kiska floating in her pool. The dramatic footage comes after Animal Welfare Services inspectors declared animals at Marineland were in distress due to the aquarium’s poor water quality. Horrifying numbers of marine mammals, including many orcas, have died at the park.
Other footage taken by Demers gives an aerial view of the orca’s suffering – her lifeless body movements make her seem so alone as she floats in her tank in solitary confinement. Animal welfare experts are appalled at the conditions of Kiska’s captivity. Dr. Naomi Rose, a scientist with the Animal Welfare Institute, wrote in an Animal Justice media release: “At a minimum, she should have long since been transferred to a facility with other orcas or provided with individuals of another cetacean species as companions. Under no circumstances was allowing her completely solitary state to continue — especially given her practically inert response to it — the appropriate choice.”
Source: Toronto Sun/Youtube
According to Ontario Captive Animal Watch, the park has housed 26 orcas throughout its checkered history, and of those, 20 have died in the park. The rest were sold or traded away, except for Kiska, alone in her tank. We know that orcas are social animals and many studies have shown that wild orcas, especially females, will live together as a pod for their entire lives if given the chance. Captivity robs orcas of their freedom and breaks up families. Orcas are meant to roam the vast seas, not forced to live in tiny tanks.
Sign this petition to tell Marineland to take action to move Kiska to an appropriate, attraction-free home with Whale Sanctuary Project in Nova Scotia!
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