Dedicated to those who did not survive the show
Number of orcas who have died in captivity: 176
This page details every killer whale that has died in captivity since 1961. Two formerly captive killer whales (Ishmael and Keiko – found in bold) are not included in the total number given at the top of the page as neither died in captivity. Ishmael, a U.S Navy Orca involved in Project Deep Ops, escaped off the north coast of Oahu, Hawaii, in February 1971. It’s unknown if he’s dead or alive. Keiko, star of Free Willy, was famously rehabilitated and released into the wild where he interacted with wild orcas and travelled 870 miles across the Atlantic from Iceland to Norway. In December 2003 Keiko passed away at 26 years old from what was believed to be Acute Pneumonia – a common disease both in captivity and in the wild.
Also not included in the total at the top of the page are 32 unsuccessful pregnancies (found here) and 15 mortalities during capture operations which are as follows:
– Between September 1962 and August 1970 at least 10 whales died during capture operations in Washington State, USA. During this time, at least 1 orca died in British Columbia, Canada.
– Another orca died during the 1992 capture in Argentina
– Between September 2003 and August 2018, at least three orcas died during three capture operations in Russia.
All these included would bring the total death count up to 215 orcas.
Note: According to data released by the Japanese Fisheries Agency, a total of 63 orcas have been taken in Japanese waters since 1972. 20 were taken into captivity and are listed as deceased in the above count. That means in addition to the ones listed below another 43 orcas have been taken, possibly killed during capture operations or more probably killed for meat or pet food.
To view photos of a certain orca simply click on the orca’s name!
Key notes:
– The information presented in this table was revised in April 2020. Some data displayed previously may have been changed in light of more accurate information.
– This data was compiled from multiple sources including the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Marine Mammal Inventory Reports (MMIRs), marine mammal publications, websites, books, newspaper and news archives, government oversight agencies and marine mammal park documents. Simply click on the hyperlinks to reveal the source.
– Emma Luck (@FlukePrintPhotography / IG) provided a vast array of knowledge to help determine which wild caught orca belonged to which wild population and/or ecotype.
Whales captured in Icelandic waters have been listed as “North Atlantic Type 1” as they closely resemble this ecotype in terms of morphology and ecology – they’re smaller than Type 2s and feed primarily on fish (especially herring) but will also eat the occasional seal. In contrast, Type 2s are massive with noticeably downward-sloping eyepatches, and they’re strict mammal-eaters. However, it’s important to note North Atlantic killer whales are not as well studied as those in the North Eastern Pacific. It’s possible there is more variation and diversity than just two ecotypes (Type 1 and Type 2). It’s also possible that there’s greater diversity in Argentina but not all populations have been adequately studied. Those that have are believed to mammal eaters so this general information has been applied to all orcas captured in the country.
– Estimated age at capture was calculated using “Killer whale growth rate defined by Duffield and Miller” (see below). This was then used to calculate each wild-caught whale’s age at death. In some cases, an orca’s age and length at capture may not correlate to the growth rate as an alternative source was used (all linked).
– Time in captivity was calculated using an online calculator. The end date was not included (otherwise this would’ve added a day) as the whales passed away before the 24-hour mark. Some capture dates and death dates lack an exact day or month due to insufficient historical data. In this case, 01 is used for an unknown day and January is used for an unknown month unless a season is specified, then the first month of the season is used.
– Some notable sources include “Orca – The Whale Called Killer” by Erich Hoyt, “Keto & Tilikum Express the Stress of Orca Captivity” by John S. Jett and Jeffrey M. Ventre, The Orca Project and Cetacean Cousins.
Potential Queries:
– All orcas captured at less than a year old were presumed to be at least six months old at the time for the sake of calculating their age at death. Please be mindful of this.
– Capture date for Ahab was found in a U.S Navy document regarding Project Deep Ops (found here). This date was then applied to the whales he was believed to be captured with (Cuddles, Mamuk, Haida and Ishmael).
– Based on newspaper records, the unnamed male captured in October 1978 was part of a group of three orcas who were the last to be captured that month. Assuming this record of Icelandic captures is listed in date order, the unnamed male was captured with the two largest females – believed to be Betty and Katina – so his capture date has been applied to them too. Using the same record of Icelandic captures, and the dates listed in this newspaper article, I was able to put the five orcas captured in November 1980 into order of capture by using their lengths and then applied the dates listed in the article:
Benkei 2 – 2.9m – Oct 24
Ulises – 4.0m – Nov 7
Vigga – 3.1m – Nov 10
Finna – 4.1m – Nov 14
Bjossa – 4.0m – Nov 14
This suggests Bjossa and Finna were captured on the same day, most likely at the same time, thus Bjossa’s capture location has been applied to Finna.
Killer whale growth rate defined by Duffield and Miller
Length in cm Est. age in years
< 291 < 1
291 – 328 1
329 – 366 2
367 – 404 3
405 – 442 4
443 – 480 5
481 – 518 6
519 – 552 7
553 – 590 8
591 – 628 9
Duffield, D.A. and K.W. Miller, 1988. Demographic Features of Killer Whales in Oceanaria in the United States and Canada, 1965-1987. Rit Fiskideildar. 11: 297-306.
In Pacific whales, growth is approximately linear, at a mean rate of 38 cm/yr up to 10-12 or 12-16 years of age, for females and males, respectively.
