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“Lots of people talk to animals. Not very many listen, though. That’s the problem.”
–Benjamin Hoff, The Tao of Pooh

This is the third in a series of ten in which we meet one of the San Diego 10 orcas and hear from an advocate who continues to be one of the voices of these imprisoned voiceless, never stopping until the whole world listens.

Prisoner #3: Ulises

Age: About 36

Ulises, the oldest male orca in captivity, and the second largest (the largest being Tilikum, 12k pounds) is also a good candidate for a full return to the ocean. This hefty, Icelandic orca is 19 feet 6 inches (5.94 m), weighing 9,200 pounds (4,200 kg). Easily discernible, one can recognize him as not only being the largest captive whale imprisoned in Sea World San Diego, but he has the tallest dorsal; it stands straight up and droops ever so slightly to the right at the top.

A true “hunk,” Ulises has large pectoral muscles, his tail is curved, and his left eye is blue, while his right one is brown. There are also a few black dots on his chin, along with a bump caused by an injury. His nicknames are Uli, Big Dog and Uli Bear.

In spite of his massive size, he’s known to have the gentlest of natures, called a “sweetheart” by those who know him. That’s quite amazing because this gentle giant spent his first 13 years of captivity alone—without any other orcas in his world.

Though he had a thing for Orkid, it seems to be unrequited, even though they spend a lot of time together vocalizing and playing. He is ranked very low in the imprisoned orca world so that might attribute to his submissive nature, and the fact that he’s perpetually “raked” by Kasatka and the other whales. Most of the time he spends swimming upside-down , similar to Corky.

Ulises was captured on November 07, 1980 at Reydarfjördur, Iceland, when he was approximately 3 years old. Only Ulises and another orca, Bjossa, survived that capture. Later, he was transferred to several parks including the Sædyrasafnid Aquarium in Iceland (November/December 1980), the Rioleón Safari (December 1980 to June 1983), and Barcelona Zoo (June 1983 to January 1994) in Catalonia, where he spent the next few years imprisoned with bottlenose dolphins who bullied him continually. Outgrowing the tank there, deeply depressed and alone for so many years, he was eventually transported to SeaWorld in 1994 for breeding purposes, where he lives at present.

Continue reading “Orca Profiles in Captivity: The San Diego 10 – #3”

This is the second in a series of ten in which we meet one of the San Diego 10 orcas and hear from an advocate who continues to be one of the voices of these imprisoned voiceless, never stopping until the whole world listens.

Prisoner #2: Kasatka

Age: About 36

Captured off the coast of Iceland, on October 26, 1978, Kasatka was just one year old when torn from her pod. Kasatka, whose name comes from the generic Russian derivative of the word “orca,” is 17.7 feet (5.4m) long and weighs 5,950 pounds (2,700 kg.)

Each of Kasatka’s children is captive born. She gave birth to four offspring: Takara, Nakai, Kalia, and Makani. Nakai, born on September 1, 2001, is the first orca to be born as a result of artificial insemination. While his mother, Kasatka, lived in California, his father, Tilikum, was in Florida. Tilikum is featured in the documentary, “Blackfish.” More on Nakai later in this series.

Kasatka’s first child, Takara, was born at Sea World, San Diego on July 9, 1991. Takara’s father is Kotar, like Kasatka, captured in Icelandic waters in 1978 very young, probably less than one year old. He spent his first couple years of captivity at SeaWorld San Diego, moved to SeaWorld Orlando where he bit another male orca’s penis (Kanduke) and was then moved to SeaWorld San Antonio (1988). On April 1, 1995, Kotar died from a fractured skull and severe blood loss caused by a gate closing on his head.

For the first 13 years of Takara’s life, she and Kasatka had a very close bond and spent a lot of time together. In the wild, orcas generally live in close-knit family pods consisting of several females, calves, one or more males and/or juveniles. There are some pods that consist of a mother and her offspring who stay with her for life. Many pods have been documented as stable, consistent matriarchal family groups with several generations traveling together.

Continue reading “Orca Profiles in Captivity: The San Diego 10 – #2”

Activists Gear Up for Easter Protest at SeaWorld

Dame Jane Goodall (famed British primatologist, ethologist, anthropologist, and UN Messenger of Peace) was asked a question. “Why did she do what she did for the chimps she has advocated for all her life?” She answered by sharing a true story.

A captive lab chimp had never lived outside a cage his entire life. Now freed by Jane and her team of researchers and scientists, the frightened primate sat and watched the other chimps in a large zoo compound—free of cages and offering grassy, rocky, chimp-appealing offerings, including the sight and sound of others like him. He was terrified by such a contrast—from darkness to light.

A growing crowd of onlookers watched silently as the terrified chimp was being acclimated to his new world and then in a united gasp of disbelief witnessed the chimp run and fall into the watery moat surrounding the enclosure. Not knowing what to do, never having experienced being in water before, he began to flail in terror and sink.

At that, a man in the crowd instantly jumped over the railing, dove into the water and pulled the huge ape up and out of the water to safer grounds. The man was even able to get there faster than the watching zookeeper who was as horrified as were all the on-lookers. The man made sure that the chimp was breathing alright. Climbing over the railing back to the crowd he turned to see the chimp yet again running in fright and falling back into the water. Again, the man jumped over the railing, lifted the heavy, flailing chimp back up onto the grassy enclosure and waited until now the chimp seemed to realize that he was home and calmed down.

Continue reading “Orca Profiles in Captivity: The San Diego 10 – #1”