New Videos Of Marineland's Kiska The Orca Have Left Viewers Calling For Her Release
"This is the most heartbreaking captivity clip I've ever seen," said one person.
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Two more disturbing videos of Marineland's last surviving orca, Kiska, have surfaced online.
In July, a video of Kiska "floating listlessly" alone in her concrete pool made rounds on the internet. Yesterday, two more videos of Kiska "bashing her head against the wall" in her solitary aquarium emerged.
The clips, which have been liked and retweeted thousands of times, were posted by former Marineland marine mammal trainer Phil Demers, who said they were recorded during a protest on Saturday, September 4.
"That was the annual Marineland Labour Day Protest, but we decided to go a little further this year with a #FreeKiska march before the demo," Demers told Narcity via Twitter, adding that another protest is slated for October and will be held at Queen's Park.
"Whales are known to self-harm on rare occasions, but it has been noted in captivity and at Marineland," Demers told Narcity.
Several concerned Twitter users commented on the videos. "This is beyond cruel and coldhearted, this beautiful orca deserves to live in the sea with her kind, and live happily free," one person said. "I hope she [is] freed and that no animals [have] to suffer like this ever again #FreeKiska."
Another said it was the "most heartbreaking captivity clip [they've] ever seen."
When asked what Kiska was like when he worked there, Demers said she was "always a docile animal."
"Peaceful," Demers called her. "It's a tragedy to watch her suffer. It doesn't have to be this way."
The video of Kiska from July showed her faintly moaning and gently floating close to the water's surface, prompting calls for the orca to be freed. According to Demers, Kiska has been in complete isolation since 2011.
Animal Welfare Services conducted a months-long inspection of Marineland earlier this year and found that the marine animals at the park were in distress due to the poor water quality in their tanks, according to The Canadian Press.
Narcity reached out to Marineland for comment but did not hear back in time before this article was published.