Drone Captures Heartbreaking Footage Of Marineland's Last Standing Orca, Kiska

Drone Captures Heartbreaking Footage Of Marineland's Last Standing Orca, Kiska

A heartbreaking video was captured recently that shows Marineland's last living orca, Kiska.

According to World Animal Protection, Kiska first gained worldwide attention back in 2021 when a Phil Demers shared a video of her banging her head against the wall of her enclosure.

The organization explained that Kiska was stolen from her pod off the coast of Iceland back in 1979 when she was just 3 years old. The poor orca spent decades in captivity, eventually earning the title of being the world's loneliest whale.

Kiska spends her days cooped up in a tank at Marineland in Niagra Falls, Ontario, where she can often be found swimming in circles and displaying worrisome behavior.

Most recently, you can see her living alone in the tank and banging her body against the wall thanks to a drone video shared on YouTube.

Phil Demers uploaded the 30-second video on YouTube in mid-January with the description, "Kiska, MarineLand's last surviving orca has been in captivity since 1979. She has outlived all her tank mates, including her 5 calves. She's been completely isolated since 2011."

According to the Whale and Dolphin Conservation, Kiska is not just the last captive orca in Marineland but in all of Canada. However, other countries and amusement parks are still holding orcas, including SeaWorld in the U.S. which holds the most.

Per the WDC, orcas have been kept in captivity since 1961 for the sole purpose of commercial gain. Individuals were ripped straight from their pods in the ocean and forced into unnatural groupings with other orcas, or even kept in solitude like Kiska. Other orcas were bred into captivity and never go to experience a life of freedom.

National Geographic reports that orcas live 50-90 years in the wild and weigh up to 9+ tons.

They live and hunt together in "pods" and their families are an important part of life. Not only is it cruel to keep orcas in captivity, but it's hardly conducive to life considering how many offspring die in captivity.

Thankfully, the public is starting to become more aware of the cruelty behind commercial animal displays.

You can see the drone footage featuring Kiska in the video below:
Malorie Thompson

Malorie works as a writer and editor in Northern California. She's passionate about food, conscious living, animal welfare, and conservation. She's worked with a variety of publications in different sectors but is happiest covering topics close to her heart. When not at her laptop, Malorie can be found enjoying picnics on the beach, hiking in the redwoods, and spending time with her rescue pup, Jax.

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