Last updated June 16, 2021.

“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” -Mahatma Gandhi

In my last article about the plight of captive orcas, I presented some of the books and films I’ve seen and read in recent months about this subject. After all that I’ve learned, I can definitively say that orcas should not be held in captivity. As I was researching I was disappointed to discover that marine parks are not caring for them the way they should be. While there are many issues, I wanted to address the ones that illustrate the strongest arguments against captivity. Today, we will look at mother and calf separations.

Orca Pods are Families

In the wild, orcas live in large family groups called pods. Within these families, each has its own set of vocalizations and culture. Baby orcas stay with these pods for decades and often for life, and they learn everything from their family. As National Geographic documented: “In the wild, orcas live in tight-knit family groups that share a sophisticated, unique culture that is passed down through generations…In captivity, orcas are kept in artificial social groups. Captive-born orcas are often transferred between facilities, breaking up social relationships.”¹ Additionally, ecotypes are mixed together with no respect for the cultural differences between them. 

Separating Mothers and Calves

I think what stuck with me most was the separation of whale mothers and calves. As I mentioned in my first post about orcas, their offspring, especially males, often stay with their mothers for life. The bonds orcas form are profound and they are disregarded in marine amusement parks. So it is appalling that SeaWorld and other marine parks separate the calves from their mothers and families as early as age 2. As Dr. Naomi A. Rose noted, taking an orca from their family at the age is the equivalent of separating a human toddler from their mother.² As a mother myself, I cannot even imagine what they experience. 

“In many orca populations, males spend their entire lives with their mothers, and in some populations, family ties are so persistent and well defined that all family members are usually within a 4 km (2.5 mile) radius of each other at all times.” -The Case Against Marine Mammal Captivity³

Grief is Mammalian

All mammals experience emotions, including grief. The studies of orca brains show that they likely have a greater emotional capacity than humans. This may mean they may feel emotions at a greater range than we do. In 2018, an orca made headlines when she carried the carcass of her dead calf around for more than two weeks.⁴ Many cetaceans have exhibited grief but this case caught international attention. Some speculate as to why this mother grieved for so long, but I ask, what mother doesn’t grieve the loss of a child? Regarding the separation of mothers and calves in captivity, Dr. Naomi A. Rose said:

“How can it be morally right for us to do to others, even when those others aren’t human, something we would consider devastating if it happened to us? That comparison isn’t anthropomorphism. It’s empathy.”⁵

SeaWorld Separations

As of 2016, nineteen calves in SeaWorld’s history, including calves captured at sea, have been separated from their mothers. In 1990, Kalina, SeaWorld’s first “Baby Shamu,” was separated from her mother (Katina) at age 4. SeaWorld later separated Kalina’s own calf Skyla, at age 2 or 3, sending her to Loro Parque in the Canary Islands. Some of the other orca calves separated from their mothers include:

• • • • Katerina, age 2
      • Keto, under age 4 years
      • Keet, 20 months old (still nursing)
      • Splash, 2.5 years old
      • Ikaika, age 4
      • Kohana, age 3
      • Trua, age 4

SeaWorld’s Justifications

Both the capture and importation of wild whales is illegal in most parts of the West. So SeaWorld had to breed orcas in order to keep their pools stocked. In order to maximize profits and breeding efficiency, they must move animals around between their parks. Additionally, baby orcas are a huge draw to the parks, increasing attendance and profits. SeaWorld became a multi-billion dollar company largely credited to its orca shows.

SeaWorld claims they are not separating calves from mothers by changing the semantics. “What they’ve tried to do is redefine the word “calf” by saying a calf is no longer a calf once they’re not nursing with their mother anymore, and that’s simply not true,” said John Hargrove. “A calf is always a calf.”[efn_note]Interview, “Former Orca Trainer For SeaWorld Condemns Its Practices,” Fresh Air, NPR, March 23, 2015.[/efn_note] David Neiwert noted in Of Orcas and Men that SeaWorld “separates mothers from their offspring in a manner that is completely unnatural, with relative ease and no apparent pangs of conscience whatsoever.”⁶ Remember, many calves live with or near their mother for life.

When NPR asked Chuck Tompkins, SeaWorld’s curator of zoological operations, about the separations, he responded:

“We’ve never moved a calf from a mom…A calf is an animal young enough who is still dependent on the mom, still nursing with the mom, and still requires the mom’s leadership…You can’t put it in human years; you’ve got to put it in killer whale years. We think they’re probably dependent [at] 4 to 5 years. After that, they start to gain their independence.”

So what about the relocations of the calves younger than age 4 or 5? I have been unable to find any information about that from SeaWorld’s website. All the marine biological studies contradict separation. Tompkins also mentioned that they prepare the whales for the separations and that they’ve “trained them to be relaxed during that move.”⁷ What does that even mean? How do you prepare a mother to never see her child again?

Calf Rejections

Another justification marine parks sometimes use to separate orcas is when mothers reject or become aggressive with their calves. This is extremely rare in the wild. One example is when SeaWorld separated a male orca named Sumar, born at the Orlando park, at only 6 months of age. Then they moved him to California when he was less than 10 months old.⁸ Sumar’s mother, Taima, was aggressive with him and several of her other calves. This likely happened from being bred too young and not having had a full family to teach her how to care for offspring. Sadly, she died after giving birth to her fourth calf in 2010.

Trainers Experience these Heartbreaks Firsthand

The trainers who have experienced these separations of mothers and calves watched the mothers grieve. They self-isolated, shook, and made unusual vocalizations. In fact, when senior research scientists analyzed the vocals, they described them as long-range vocals. This showed that the orcas were desperately trying to reach their calves despite being in concrete, enclosed surroundings. The calls went on for a long time. Describing his experience, former senior trainer John Hargrove said “obviously Takara was gone and [Kasatka] was trying anything she could to try to locate and communicate with Takara, which is absolutely heartbreaking.”⁹

In Blackfish, former orca trainer Carol Ray described Katina and Kalina’s separation. After SeaWorld removed Kalina, her mother swam to the side of the pool and stayed in one place, screaming, screeching, and crying. “There was nothing you could call that besides grief,” Ray explained sadly. “How can anyone look at that and think that that is morally acceptable?” said John Hargrove in Blackfish about the separations. These accounts brought me to tears. 

“Unable to sense her daughter’s presence in any of the adjoining pools, Kasatka was sending sounds far into the world, as far as she could, to see if they would bounce back or elicit a response. It was heartbreaking for all who heard what easily be interpreted as crying.” -John Hargove, after Kasatka’s daughter was moved to another park¹⁰

End of Captive Breeding?

SeaWorld claims to have ended its captive orca breeding program, “making the orcas in our care the last generation,” according to their website. In California, state legislation forced SeaWorld to do this before the company decided to do it on its own. Even so, it is a step in the right direction if all of its parks follow suit. If they have truly ended their breeding program, will they still separate and move orcas between parks? Could SeaWorld and other marine amusement parks keep mothers and calves together? The short answer is yes, but as you’ll see in my next post, a swimming pool is no place for an orca to spend its entire life.

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Additional Resources:

Video, “Let’s Throw Shamu a Retirement Party,” Dr. Naomi A. Rose, TEDxBend, May 25, 2015.

Article, “Op-Ed: SeaWorld was right to stop breeding orcas, but it should go further,” LA Times, February 23, 2017.

Footnotes: