Zombie_Harambe t1_jbqutnk wrote on March 11, 2023 at 12:23 AM

Reply to comment by Aazadan in Kiska, sometimes know as the world’s loneliest orca, has died at Marineland by waitingforthesun92

The best method may be simply to introduce her to a pod and hope the whales can find a way to show her the compassion humanity so cruelly denied.

dogwoodcat t1_jbqvqv6 wrote on March 11, 2023 at 12:30 AM

If they can identify and locate the whale's pod quickly enough (typically within a few days of separation) there is a chance. Otherwise, it has to be a captive until someone figures out a better way.

Send_me_snoot_pics t1_jbr81rj wrote on March 11, 2023 at 2:08 AM

Didn’t they try this with Keiko and it ultimately didn’t work out because he kept trying to seek out human interaction?

Relevant_Quantity_49 t1_jbrc6wc wrote on March 11, 2023 at 2:42 AM

It's a little more complicated than that.

Orcas are socially complex animals, with each pod often having distinct behaviors and vocalizations. To use an anthropomorphic term, orca pods can be said to have distinct cultures. You can't introduce an animal from one pod into another and be assured it will seamlessly integrate; you have to find the animal's original pod.

The rehabilitators never found Keiko's original pod. Instead he was released near a random pod of wild orcas with hopes he would somehow integrate. It was the orca-equivalent of taking some WASP from the American suburbs, dropping them into rural Afghanistan, and hoping it would work out.

It didn't work, so Keiko remained solitary with respect to other orcas. It's no wonder he sought out human companionship; orcas are social animals, and he had years of positive reinforcement around people. Worse, John Q. Public sought him out, further strengthening that relationship.

If we wanted to try again, the best candidate (assuming she's healthy enough) would be Miami Seaquarium's Lolita. We know exactly which pod she came from and where they are--they're one of the best studied pods in the world--and when a vocalization study was conducted, IIRC, in the 90s, she still recognized their calls. Quite frankly, Miami Seaquarium could contribute more to orca behavioral research by supporting such a project than they ever have because it would give us a chance to see whether or not an animal separated from its pod for decades could successfully reintegrate. Would they accept her? Would they take care of her? Would they teach her to be a wild orca again? Answers to such questions would tell us a lot about their capabilities as animals.

(Source for information on Keiko: As an undergrad studying Animal Behavior, I attended a seminar on the effort and failure behind Keiko's rehabilitation, held by people involved in it.)