| Anniversary of Corky and her pods' capture from the wild
On December 11th 1969, six members of the A5 pod of the "northern resident" community of British Columbia were captured at Pender Harbour on the North Coast of Vancouver, Canada. Of these six orcas, just one survives - Corky.
 Corky, captured when she was just four years old, is the longest living orca in captivity. Four of her pod, captured at the same time, were dead by 1972. The fifth orca, named Orky, died in 1988. It could therefore be said that Corky is "living on borrowed time". Wild female orcas on average live approximately 50 years but may live up to 80 years which means that Corky may have many years ahead of her. In captivity, these years will be spent in an inhibitive and uninteresting smooth-sided tank, entertaining humans with degrading tricks for the promise of a dead fish. Think about the contrast of this life with a life in the endless ocean containing stimulating, complex currents, prey and marine life to which orcas are inherently adapted. This is surely no life for the ocean's top predator?
Worldwide a campaign has evolved and many organisations, including our colleagues at Orcalab, are working to "Free Corky" and allow her retirement years to be taken within the ocean she was taken from 37 years ago. An initial step, following medical assessment to ensure she poses no health threat to other orcas, would be to move her to an ocean facility where she will be able to communicate with other orcas and adjust to the ocean environment. Practical decisions governed by circumstances would determine what actually follows. It is felt that based on everything that has been learned about orcas such as Keiko and Springer, is that Corky will prove herself still capable of thriving in the ocean, and that the other orcas will welcome her back into their midst. For more details about Corky's story please click here.
Today, along with Corky, many orcas are kept in captivity. Although wild captures are not as prevalent, they do still happen. In fact, in 2003, a Russian marine mammal captivity company, Utrish Dolphinarium Ltd., attempted the capture of a group of orcas in Zhirovaya Bay, Kamchatka in Far East Russia. During this capture a juvenile orca was killed. In addition, another young female orca was transported to one of Utrish Dolphinarium Ltd. captive facilities, where just a few weeks later, she died. For further information on Utrish and Russian marine mammal captivity please click here.
It has been shown again and again that orcas, specifically adapted to a predatory life within the open ocean, are not suited to a restrictive life in captivity entertaining humans.
| Please show your support and DO NOT visit captive dolphin and whale facilities |
Take Action!
Write a polite letter to August Busch III, CEO of Anheuser-Busch which is the parent company of SeaWorld, explaining your opposition to the keeping of dolphins and whales in captivity as well as your hope for the freedom of Corky.
August Busch III
Chairman
Anheuser-Busch
1 Busch Place,
St. Louis,
MO 63118
USA
For further information on how to help the Free Corky campaign please click here
Image: © M Reppy
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