The last killer whale born in captivity in SeaWorld's former breeding program died in 2017 while it was being treated for an infection at age 3 months at the company's San Antonio park.Ĭopyright 2021 The Associated Press. SeaWorld also subsequently announced it was ending killer whale shows at its parks.
The movie implied that orcas become more aggressive in captivity. The protests intensified after the release of the 2013 documentary “Blackfish,” which focused on the life of Tilikum, a killer whale responsible for killing trainer Dawn Brancheau when he dragged her into a pool at SeaWorld Orlando in 2010. SeaWorld announced the end of its orca breeding program in March 2016, following years of pressure from animal rights protests and shifting public opinion about orcas being held in captivity. 'Despite her care team's efforts, Amaya's. The cause of death will not be known until the results of a. On Wednesday, Amaya, the 6-year-old orca, started showing signs of an illness, so animal care specialists and veterinarians began treating her, SeaWorld said in a statement. A 6-year-old female orca named Amaya died unexpectedly Thursday after showing signs of illness a day before, SeaWorld San Diego said. SeaWorld San Diego has nine orcas remaining.įor more stories like this, check our news page.Described as one of the most playful of the whales, Amaya “helped us gather and share critical information about calf development for researchers studying wild populations,” the site said. Amaya, a six-year-old orca, died Thursday at SeaWorld San Diego after showing signs of an illness the day before, according to a statement from SeaWorld. (CNN) - The youngest orca at SeaWorld San Diego died at the animal theme park from an illness, leaving those who cared for her heartbroken. It said it is focusing on educational programs instead of killer whale shows.Ī female orca’s life expectancy in captivity is 29 years compared to 50 to 80 years in the wild, according to SeaWorld’s website. SeaWorld in 2016 said its orcas are the last generation of mammals being held at water parks. Her death comes after SeaWorld ended its orca breeding program in 2016 in light of criticism that it was mistreating killer whales in captivity. She helped the water park ‘gather and share critical information about calf development for researchers studying wild populations’. In 2016, SeaWorld announced the end of all of the parks' captive orca breeding programs.The decision came after years of. Based on true events of captive killer whales. Amaya was one of the last orca whales to be born in a SeaWorld park. The killer whale ‘taught millions of guests to appreciate this amazing species’ and the specialists are ‘heartbroken’, SeaWorld said in another tweet.Īmaya’s name means ‘night rain’, according to SeaWorld’s website. These are just some of the many stories of captive orcas through their eyes. This is a very difficult time for those who knew and loved Amaya.’
Thank you so much for the outpouring of love and support. ‘She will be missed by our team and the guests that she inspired. ‘Amaya was a playful, fun-loving orca that always put smiles on people’s faces,’ said one of the specialists, Petey, according to a tweet.
In a series of tweets, the water park wrote that Amaya was ‘a truly amazing orca and member of our SeaWorld family’. who lives at seawold san diego with her mum Kalia and father Ulises.