14 DAY TRIAL // A killer whale living in captivity at Loro Parque in the Canary Islands, Spain, passed away over the weekend. The orca reportedly started feeling sick several days before dying, yet its caretakers failed to figure out what was wrong with her and help her overcome her illness.
Veterinarians are unable to say what killed the orca, but promise that an investigation is underway and that more news on this tragic incident will shortly follow.
To make things even worse, the killer whale was only 10 months old. She was named Vicky, and was born in captivity.
Her parents were Kohana and Keto. PETA informs us that Vicky was the result of inbreeding, meaning that Kohana and Keto were uncle and niece.
Shortly after giving birth to Vicky, Kohana rejected her, probably because she too was parted from her mother while still at a very young age.
“Kohana, who is Keto's niece—inbreeding is another sad outcome of captivity at SeaWorld – rejected Vicky, as she had previously done with her first calf, a male named Adan.”
“It likely didn't help that Kohana had been taken away from her own mother after just 19 months – ocean-dwelling orcas carefully guard their calves, and young females help the mothers care for them,” PETA writes on its website.
The organization also says that Keta, Vicky's father, is responsible for the death of trainer Alexis Martinez, whom the killer whale reportedly attacked and drowned.
As explained only yesterday, killer whales come to display aggressive behaviors towards humans due to the stressful conditions they are more often than not forced to live in.
PETA is firmly convinced that such incidents only prove that neither orcas nor other marine mammals are fit for life in captivity, and that amusement parks such as Loro Parque must quit imprisoning them and making them perform in front of an audience.