Katina, one of the orcas at the SeaWorld Park in Orlando, Florida, US, has been nursing a serious wound to her dorsal fin for several days now.
Source: Heather Murphy/Ocean Advocate News
A very deep cut can be seen on the fin, which looks incredibly painful. Heather Murphy, a professional photographer, took these shocking pictures after hearing a rumour about Katina's injury. She said:
It's horrible. I can't imagine the pain she must be in.
Source: Heather Murphy/Ocean Advocate News
Seaworld have declined to give a detailed explanation about Katina's injury, and took two weeks to finally address the whale's injury.In a message posted on the park's blog, they claim not to know how Katina was hurt, and mention that she had been in contact with other orcas in the same tank.
Source: Heather Murphy/Ocean Advocate News
Naomi Rose, a scientist who specialises in marine mammals at the Animal Welfare Institute, told The Dodo:
The fact that they claim they don’t know is pretty mind-boggling. They’re supposedly the ones who know everything about these animals daily, and they spend more time with them than they do with their own children. And there’s cameras everywhere, so how is it that they don’t know what happens to them here?
Source: SeaWorld
The park, which despite everything refused to provide further explanation about the incident, maintains its version of events: Katina was hurt by the other orcas in the tank.They also claim it's natural behaviour for the whales, who are sociable animals with a strict hierarchies.Naomi Rose disagrees with this theory:
You can look through photos or the catalogues of populations all over the world … and you will not see an injury like that. There are other kinds of injuries that they inflict upon each other, but I’ve never seen the trailing edge of the dorsal fin at the base sliced like that, as if a machete hacked at it. It looks like a sharp edge.
Source: Heather Murphy/Ocean Advocate News
However, this isn't the first time that an orca has attacked another orca at a marine park.Katina was captured in 1972, along the coast of Iceland. Now aged 42, she has spent almost her entire life at Seaworld. Heather Rally, a vet specialising in marine mammals, isn't optimistic about Katina's future; she told The Dodo:
Her life depends on whether or not this serious wound heals. [We are] once again calling on SeaWorld to send the orcas to seaside sanctuaries, where they may live safer, more natural lives.
Source: Heather Murphy/Ocean Advocate News
Via : The Dodo
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