Captive orcas

Dozens of orcas are held in captivity for breeding or performance purposes. The practice of capturing and displaying orcas in exhibitions began in the 1960s, and they soon became popular attractions at public aquariums and aquatic theme parks due to their intelligence, trainability, striking appearance, playfulness, and sheer size.

As of 24 March 2024, around 55 orcas are in captivity worldwide, 33 of which were captive-born. At that time, there were 18 orcas in the SeaWorld parks.

The practice of keeping orcas in captivity is controversial, due to their separation from their familial pod during capture, and their living conditions and health in captivity. Additionally, concerns have been raised regarding the safety of animal trainers entering the water to work with captive orcas, which have been responsible for numerous attacks on humans. In contrast, wild orcas are not known to have ever killed a human, and physical interactions with humans in the wild are extremely rare and typically non-aggressive.

Orcas

Main article: Orca

Orcas, also known as killer whales, are large and very smart animals. Males can grow up to 9.7 metres (32 feet) long and weigh more than 8 tonnes (8.8 tons), while females are a bit smaller, usually between 5 to 7 metres (16 to 23 feet) and weigh between 3 to 5 tonnes (3.3 to 5.5 tons). Orcas belong to the dolphin family and live in all the world's oceans, from cold polar waters to warm tropical seas.

These animals are excellent hunters and can eat many different foods, including fish, sea lions, elephant seals, seals, walruses, porpoises, dolphins, large whales, and even some sharks like great whites. Orcas are very social and often travel in family groups led by older females. Their smart behaviors and communication show that they have complex lives.

Capture and breeding

The first orcas were captured for display in the 1960s. These intelligent animals quickly became popular attractions at aquariums and theme parks because of their size, trainability, and playful nature.

By March 2024, around 55 orcas were held in captivity around the world, with 33 of them born in these facilities. Early captures often involved taking orcas from the wild, leading to concern for their welfare and the impact on wild populations. Over time, many orcas now living in captivity were born in these places, which helps reduce the need to capture wild animals.

Captivity locations

As of September 29, 2016, orcas are kept in 13 places in North and South America, Europe, and Asia for shows. These parks spend a lot of money to build their facilities, and the orcas are very important to them.

SeaWorld

Main article: SeaWorld

SeaWorld is a group of marine mammal parks in the United States and is the biggest owner of orcas in the world. The parks have shows with orcas, sea lions, and dolphins, along with other sea animals. Their famous orca is Shamu. The parks include:

• SeaWorld San Diego, San Diego, California; home of Corky II, Orkid, Ulises, Kalia, Ikaika, Keet, Shouka and Makani. Corky II is the oldest orca ever kept in human care, estimated to be 58 years old.
• SeaWorld Orlando, Orlando, Florida; home of Trua, Nalani, Malia, and Makaio
• SeaWorld San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas; home of Kyuquot, Tuar, Takara, and Sakari.

SeaWorld Ohio closed in 2001.

Miami Seaquarium

Main article: Miami Seaquarium

The Miami Seaquarium is an aquarium on Virginia Key in Biscayne Bay near downtown Miami, Florida. It is owned by The Dolphin Company and opened in 1955. Besides marine mammals, it has fish, sharks, sea turtles, birds, and reptiles. It was home to Lolita (also called Tokitae), who was expected to return to the Pacific Northwest in 2024 to live in a special area in the Salish Sea. However, she passed away in August 2023.

Marineland Canada

Main article: Marineland of Canada

Marineland was the last place in Canada to keep an orca. It is an amusement and animal park in Niagara Falls, Ontario. The last orca there was Kiska, who passed away in March 2023 due to an infection. After that, Canada passed a law in June 2019 to stop keeping whales and dolphins in places like this, except for special cases.

Marineland (Antibes)

Main article: Marineland (Antibes)

Marineland is an animal park in Antibes, France, founded in 1970. It is the only place in France to keep orcas and gets over 750,000 visitors each year. It has two orcas left: Wikie, born there in 2001, and her son Keijo, born in 2013. Two other orcas, Moana and Inouk, passed away in recent years. Because of a new French law starting in 2026 that stops showing whales and dolphins, the future of the orca shows is uncertain. The park may move the remaining orcas to Japan, but no applications have been made yet.

Loro Parque

Main article: Loro Parque

Loro Parque means "parrot park" in Spanish. It is a zoo near Puerto de la Cruz on Tenerife, Spain. The park has a big exhibit for penguins and a long shark tunnel. It is one of only two parks in Europe to keep orcas.

Loro Parque received four young orcas from SeaWorld in February 2006. Sadly, one trainer, Alexis Martinez, passed away in 2009 during a show when an orca named Keto attacked him. After that, trainers no longer went into the water with the orcas during shows. In 2017, SeaWorld said the orcas they had loaned to Loro Parque now belonged to the Spanish park.

Today, Loro Parque is home to Adán, the son of two of the original orcas, and Morgan, who was rescued in 2010. Morgan had a calf named Ula in 2018. Sadly, several orcas have passed away over the years, and a new orca named Teno was born in March 2025.

Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium

Main article: Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium

The Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium is a big public aquarium in Minato-ku, Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. It has housed orcas since 2003 in a very large tank. Currently, the aquarium is home to Lynn, as Earth, the last male orca in Japan, passed away in August 2025 after stopping eating.

Kamogawa Sea World

Main article: Kamogawa Sea World

Kamogawa Sea World is an aquarium in Kamogawa, Chiba Prefecture, Japan. It began breeding orcas in Japan in 1970. Today, it is home to Lovey, Lara, Ran II, and Luna.

Chimelong Spaceship

Chimelong Spaceship is a marine park in Hengqin, Zhuhai, Guangdong, China. It opened an orca breeding area in 2017 with orcas from Russia. It now has 14 orcas: five females and eight males, plus one calf whose gender is unknown.

Other marine exhibitions

• Moskvarium, Moscow, Russia; home of Naja/Naya
• Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park, Shanghai, China; home of Pànghǔ, Shawn II/Sean, Dora, Cookie, Cody/Fat Beans and Dora's calf born in December 2023.
• SunAsia Beluga Whale World, China; home of females "Samara" and "Kyra" (real names unknown)
• Wuxi Changqiao Killer Whale Ocean World Resort, Jiangsu, China; home of two unnamed males
• Kobe Suma Sea World, Kobe, Japan; new home of Stella and Ran
• It is unknown where TIN-OO-C1306 and Malvina currently are; they may be at a park previously listed.

Captivity conditions

Legal rules about how big tanks should be for orcas are different in each country. In the US, there are specific rules that say orcas need quite large spaces to live. For example, two orcas need a tank that is at least 48 feet wide and 12 feet deep. Some places, like in Switzerland, require even bigger tanks.

Orcas in captivity are given food like fish every day, and their health is watched closely. They are also trained using positive rewards, like getting food when they do what their trainers ask. This helps keep them active and healthy.

Issues with captivity

Keeping orcas in captivity is a topic that many people feel strongly about. Groups like World Animal Protection, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, and the Whale and Dolphin Conservation work to stop orcas from being kept in tanks. Orcas in these places can sometimes have health problems, like their dorsal fins collapsing. This happens to many male orcas.

The tanks where orcas live look very different from their natural homes in the ocean. Because of this, orcas in captivity sometimes act in ways that seem unusual, like being aggressive toward themselves, other orcas, or even people. This behavior is thought to come from stress.

Some studies suggest that orcas in captivity might not live as long as those in the wild. In the ocean, female orcas can live to be between 60 and 80 years old, and some have even reached 103 years. Males in the wild usually live about 30 years, but some can live up to 50 or 60 years. However, keeping exact track of these lifespans is difficult.