SeaWorld announced in 2016 that it would stop breeding whales in captivity immediately and phase out killer whale shows at all its parks by 2019. Killer Whales in Captivity Status of Captive Orcas Intelligent, charismatic and curious, the delphinidae family, including orca, is common in many aquariums and animal parks around the world, and between acrobatics and games, they have popularized a successful but controversial form of entertainment. This does not allow them to form into their natural social structure or develop any of the social bonds and relationships which they would in the wild. The practice of capturing and displaying these whales in exhibitions began in the 1960s, soon becoming popular attractions at public aquariums and aquatic theme parks due to their intelligence, trainability, striking appearance, playfulness, and sheer size. They are intelligent and travel long distances in the wild, yet there are many killer whales in captivity. Many of them are environments that allow researchers to learn more about them. Whales in Captivity. Their black and white colouring makes them easily recognisable and some of the best-known marine mammals. Not many whales live in captivity as the one people get mixed up is killer whales which are not actually whales. The killer whales were first kept in captivity in the early 1960s. There are whales that live a very long and happy life while in captivity. Not many whales live in captivity as the one people get mixed up is killer whales which are not actually whales. This article gives a list of captive killer whales, or orcas, large predatory cetaceans that were first captured live and displayed in exhibitions in the 1960s, or were subsequently born in zoological facilities. Orcas in wild can life to 60 years old and rarely live half of that in captivity. According to Whale and Dolphin Conservation, there were 45 killer whales in captivity as of April 2013. They soon became popular attractions at public aquariums and aquatic theme parks due to their intelligence, trainability, striking appearance, playfulness in captivity and sheer size. The company has said, however, that the shape of a killer whale's dorsal fin is not an indicator of its health. This varies about species of whale. Others are in captivity … While some others were born and grown in the aquariums. Killer whales, more properly known as orcas, have been kept in captivity since 1961, helpless victims of a blatantly commercial experiment which has seen dozens of wild orcas plucked from their families and forced to live in artificial social groupings which bear scant resemblance to their life in the wild. They are able to better observe their behaviors with this type of environment. Captive killer whales are live killer whales (Orcinus orca) which are held in captivity by humans, often for breeding or performance purposes. They soon became popular attractions at public aquariums and aquatic theme parks due to their intelligence, trainability, striking appearance, playfulness in captivity and sheer size. This practice has even been controversial enough that SeaWorld stated in 2016 that it would stop breeding orcas. Captivity banned in India – WDC supporters like you helped us work with local campaigners to persuade the Indian government to ban whale and dolphin captivity. Virgin bans wild captures – Thanks to WDC campaigning, the Virgin Group pledged to make sure its partners who run aquariums no longer take whales and dolphins from the wild. Not many whales live in captivity as the one people get mixed up is killer whales which are not actually whales. Due to protection in the U.S. and restrictions on trade, most parks now obtain their killer whales from captive breeding programs. Orcas in wild can life to 60 years old and rarely live half of that in captivity. In captivity killer whales are kept in groups of just a few whales and have no option other than to mix together. (In San Diego, the shows ended in 2017.) Despite their name, killer whales are actually the largest member of the dolphin family. Many orcas were captured from their natural habitat and transferred to aquariums. This article gives a list of captive killer whales, or orcas, large predatory cetaceans that were first captured live and displayed in exhibitions in the 1960s, or were subsequently born in zoological facilities.