Calls mount for Marineland to free last surviving orca after ‘heartbreaking’ video surfaces

Calls grow for Niagara theme park to free whale that’s lived in isolation since 2011

||| FROM THE TORONTO SUN |||

Marineland is, once again, in hot water after a video of its last surviving orca have many calling for it to be freed.

The video on Twitter shows Kiska at the surface of her pool and, frankly, it’s pretty devastating to watch.

“We have more heartbreaking video of Kiska, MarineLand’s last surviving orca floating listlessly at the surface of her concrete pool,” Phil Demers, a former Marineland employee, wrote in the caption.

Posted by a whistleblower and former Marineland employee on Friday, the 35-second-long video shows Kiska floating dejectedly near the surface of the water in her concrete pool, appearing nearly dead at points.

As poster Phil Demers or “the walrus whisperer” points out in his now-viral tweet, Kiska, Marineland’s last surviving orca and the last captive orca in Canada, has lived her life in complete isolation for a decade now.

Kiska has not only been isolated since 2011 but she’s also been in captivity since 1979 when she was captured off the coast of Iceland. “She has outlived all her tank mates, including her five calves,” Demers told the Sun.

Demers has been sued by Marineland for his revelations as a former employee. In 2013, Marineland was ordered by the OSPCA over water system concerns but according to Demers, they didn’t comply.

Those concerns still remain.

“She has lived in complete isolation since 2011. Witnesses say she often calls out for other orcas.”

READ FULL ARTICLE: torontosun.com/news/call-for-marineland-to-free-last-surviving-orca-after-heartbreaking-video-surfaces

OTHER COVERAGE:

National Post: ‘People don’t love Marineland anymore’: Ontario law leaves orca floating alone in Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls Review: No killer whale shows at Marineland