In Canada, at the age of 47, a killer whale named Kitty died. For the past four decades, the animal has been kept at the Marineland theme park in Ontario.
A killer whale was captured in Icelandic waters in 1979. For several years, Kitty lived in the aquarium with another killer whale, Keiko, who became a star after the movie Free Willy. Keiko died almost 20 years ago.
The Whale Sanctuary project called Kiska “the loneliest whale in the world”. While kept at the Marineland amusement park, the killer whale gave birth to five calves, but all died at a young age. Since 2011, Kiska has lived alone, but this became known only recently – after the publication of a photo from a drone, in which the animal swims alone.
The whale’s official cause of death is unknown, although the animal rights organization Whale Sanctuary Project claims that Kitty died of a bacterial infection. Captive killer whales are at increased risk of death from pathogenic infections.
Animal rights activists have been calling for years for Kiska and other captive whales to be transferred to a suitable nursing home so they can live more freely. Canada passed a law in 2019 criminalizing the keeping and breeding of whales, dolphins, and porpoises in captivity. However, an exception was made for marine mammals already in captivity, and Kiska remained in the aquarium, writes IFL Science.
Killer whales are one of the most social animals on the planet. They live in packs where matriarchy reigns, all members are very attached, and the young and healthy take care of the old and sick. Killer whales have also developed different hunting strategies for different animals.