Another orca death in captivity

Taku, a male killer whale at Sea World died on Wednesday 17 October, 2007. According to reports he had received antibiotics few days prior to his death, due to a ‘slight infection’.

Taku was the first male orca born at SeaWorld Orlando, Florida and was later transferred to SeaWorld San Antonio, where he performed with five other killer whales. At 14 years of age, he was a mere teenager when he died - in the wild male killer whales live on average to 45+, however in captivity their lifespan is usually much shorter.

In a statement, a Sea World spokesperson said, "While we recognize that death is part of the life cycle, we are saddened over the unexpected loss of this animal." This is the third captive bred killer whale that died in this facility, the average age of all three animals was less than 10 years.

Marine Connection campaigns officer Janja Novak responded: “This shows that in captivity marine mammals’ welfare is severely compromised. These animals receive constant veterinary care, yet many animals do not reach even half the age they would in the wild, and they often die of infections and immune system failures which indicates psychological stress”.