Killer Whales - friend or foe

Orca Whale (Killer Whales) are creatures that myths are created from. Their enormous size, alien appearance and sheer serenity in the ocean inevitably raises questions as to where they came from and what they are. In recent years we have learnt a significant amount more about these incredible marine mammals, but sadly on more than one occasion at the high cost of a human life.

Found in every ocean in the world, Killer Whales are unsurprisingly known as the Alpha predators of the sea, meaning they have no known predators. Orcas feed off a wide range of other marine life, commonly fish but also pinnipeds and smaller whales, highlighting their enormous size; They can reach up to 9 meters in length and weigh up to around 6 tonnes. They are very social animals, with vocal signals and hunting techniques often specific to one group of Orcas, passed down through generations which many scientists believe to be a sign of there being a culture within family groups of Whales, possibly suggesting that Killer Whales are more closely related to humans than previously believed. 

Whilst (as with an marine based organism) it is slightly more difficult for us to observe Orcas and therefore learn about their behaviour, anatomy and social lives, we are able to study those in captivity in organisations such as Sea World. 'Blackfish' is a documentary surrounding the events at Sea World from the 1990s, which focuses around one Orca in particular - Tilikum. 

Tilikum was involved in the deaths of three experienced trainers, two of the from Sea World and the near fatal injuries of many more. Born in 1981, this 12,000 lbs creature is nearly 7 meters long and has a 2 meter high dorsal (back) fin. As one of the only male Orcas at the park, Tilikum has sired 21 offspring, meaning that his DNA is spread across the majority of the Killer Whales Sea World owns. A human death from a wild Orca attack has never been recorded, however there have been over 24 fatalities caused by those in captivity highlighting how social these animals are and how barbaric it is that perfectly healthy Killer Whales are being kept in captivity when they should be swimming up to 100 miles per day in the Ocean. 

Tilikum performing in 2009 in Sea World, the year before he
caused the death of trainer Dawn Brancheau

A Killer Whale as seen in the wild

Aside from the violence, one of the main differences between Orcas in captivity and those in the wild is their dorsal fin, As you can see in the photographs above, those Whales kept in captivity have a floppy and folded over dorsal fin whilst those in the wild have a perfectly rigid and straight fin. This collapse is caused by a change in the structure of the fins collagen, whilst swimming in the wild Killer Whales dive to incredible depths in the ocean and the pressure of the water provides support for the upright fin and means that it is in use often enough to be kept supple and strong, however when kept captive in shallow pools with little room to move about and change direction the Dorsal fins are not given a sufficient workout and the tissue cannot support it any more. 

Anyone can see that keeping Orcas in captivity is not only harming them as individuals and as a species, but is affecting our human view of their behaviour as we expect them to be violent and dangerous when in fact they are extremely docile gentle creatures. One clip that made me realise the full extent to which the unintentional cruelty towards these animals extends was from 'Blackfish'. A 4 1/2 year old Orca was separated from her mother, who - after the separation - struggled to cope. A noise that sounds like crying can be heard whilst she is shaking, grieving for her lost daughter (link is at the end of the article). Not only does this reinforce how sociable these animals are, but how barbaric it is that they are locked up in these pools for their entire lives for thirty minutes of our enjoyment. Families are torn apart, illness is rife and sadly both human and Orca lives are lost, making one wonder what it will take for this cruelty to stop.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SszgIZOPfqo - Mother crying for her daughter