2025 News[]
The following is a timeline of news and updates published in 2025 regarding various killer whale populations, captive killer whales, strandings, births, deaths, transfers, rescues, and more. Information is added and updated when available. Dates are listed in a DD/MM/YY format.
| February | |
|---|---|
| 11/02/25 | Loro Parque announces Morgan, an approximately 17-year-old female Norwegian killer whale, is pregnant with her second calf. [1] |
| 11/02/25 | Wolfgang Kiessling, founder and president of Loro Parque, confirms Wikie and Keijo will be transferred to the park. [2] |
| 9/02/25 | A deceased adult female killer whale washed ashore at Yzerfontein, South Africa.[3] |
| 3/02/25 | J pod was seen in Active Pass, it appeared that J35 Tahlequah was no longer carrying J61. Tahlequah carried her deceased daughter for at least 11 days.[4] |
| January | |
| 16/01/25 | The French Ministry of Ecological Diversity rejects the Whale Sanctuary Project's proposal to transfer Wikie and Keijo, the last two captive killer whales in France living at Marineland Antibes, to Nova Scotia where there are plans to build a sanctuary. Construction of the sanctuary has yet to start. It was rejected on the grounds that the project may not match the timeframe requested by Marineland, which is looking to rehome their killer whales as soon as possible, and that water temperature could be problem if the orcas do not acclimatize quickly and there is no alternative plan proposed. [5] [6] |
| 10/01/25 | The mother of J62 is confirmed to be J41 'Eclipse." This is her third calf.[7] |
| 10/01/25 | J35 "Tahlequh" is still carrying the body of her deceased daughter J61 after at least 11 days, Tahlequah and her family were seen in Haro Strait off San Juan Island on Friday morning before they headed west towards the ocean.[8] |
| 5/01/25 | Marineland Antibes permanently shuts down to the public. The park was founded in 1970, operating for over 50 years. Marineland Antibes was the largest marine zoo in Europe and had the largest killer whale habitat for over two decades. Many animals still remain at the park, including the park's two surviving killer whales, Wikie and Keijo. Marineland has been attempting to transfer their whales to Japan, but have been unsuccessful due to organizations blocking the transfers. The fate of Wikie and Keijo remain uncertain. |
| 1/01/25 | Corky 2, a female wild caught killer whale at SeaWorld San Diego, becomes the first killer whale in captivity to turn approximately 60-years-old. |
| 1/01/25 | J35 "Tahlequah" a Southern Resident Killer Whale was seen pushing the body of her deceased daughter J61, who passed away sometime before December 31. Tahlequah made headlines in 2018 for carrying her newborn daughter's body for 17 days and over 1000 miles.[9] |
- ↑ Loro Parque's orca Morgan becomes pregnant in captivity
- ↑ Loro Parque in Tenerife will keep the Antibes orcas 'Wikie' and 'Keijo' despite animal rights activists: "There is no sanctuary like ours"
- ↑ Deceased killer whale South Africa
- ↑ Jpod in Active Pass! February 3, 2025
- ↑ France rejects bid to move two killer whales to proposed refuge in Nova Scotia
- ↑ Ministry of Ecological Transition Rejects Application to Bring Orcas from Marineland Antibes to Sanctuary
- ↑ Mother orca Tahlequah still carries dead calf after 11 days
- ↑ Mother orca Tahlequah still carries dead calf after 11 days
- ↑ Famous orca mother carrying body of another dead calf in act of grief: researchers
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