DAVIS — The recent death of an animal trainer in an Orlando amusement park has renewed public debate about the ethics of keeping killer whales in captivity.
Three scientists at the University of California, Davis, have extensive experience studying killer whales, also known as orcas, and other highly intelligent marine mammals, such as bottlenose dolphins. (Note: UC Davis has experts on many other marine (ocean) environmental issues at its Bodega Marine Laboratory, Wildlife Health Center and elsewhere on campus; contact the News Service's Sylvia Wright.)
BORN FREE, LIVING IMPRISONED — Debbie Giles, a UC Davis marine biogeographer with 20 years experience observing wild killer whales in Puget Sound, Wash., says there is little scientific and absolutely no conservation value in keeping killer whales (Orcinus orca) in captivity. "There is no scientific evidence to support the claim by some exhibitors that the environmental or conservation education provided to spectators is effective in changing people’s behaviors in ways that actually benefit wild whales or their habitats," Giles says. "What's more, several orcas now held in aquariums are excellent candidates for release because the families they were stolen from are still intact in the wild."
The orca group that Giles studies is known as the Southern Resident Killer Whales. At least 47 individuals have been taken from this population and put into aquariums. The Southern Resident population was listed as endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act in 2005; about 89 Southern Resident orcas remain in the wild. They are at risk from prey shortages, environmental toxins and the effects of marine vessels (collisions, noise, crowding). Giles' studies of wild whales show they are highly intelligent creatures with close, lifelong family bonds; they cooperatively hunt and share food; and they engage in complex social activities that include greeting rituals that occur when groups of whales are reunited after extended periods of time apart.
Giles uses a research tool that she helped create that combines survey-grade GPS technology, a laser rangefinder and a compass. The tool lessens any impact she might have on the whales by allowing her to record locations and behavioral data on individual whales and individual boats from a distance. Giles is a graduate student researcher. Contact: Debbie Giles, Geography Graduate Group. More information: http://biotelemetry.ucdavis.edu/pages/bio_Giles.htm.
DOLPHINS MAYBE BUT ORCAS NO — Brenda McCowan, a UC Davis expert on animal behavior, has studied members of the whale family (including wild humpback whales and both wild and captive bottlenose dolphins) for more than 20 years. She is available to describe their behavior and intelligence. McCowan says she is concerned about people keeping bottlenose dolphins in captivity simply for entertainment. As for orcas, she has no doubt they should not be held in captivity, because aquarium pools cannot offer enough space and mental stimulation for such large animals. McCowan is an associate adjunct professor in the Department of Population Health and Reproduction. Contact: Brenda McCowan, School of Veterinary Medicine, (530) 754-7373. More information: http://faculty.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/faculty/bjmccowan/.
KILLER WHALE DEATHS — Joe Gaydos, a UC Davis wildlife veterinarian in Puget Sound, Wash., investigates all orca strandings and deaths from Santa Barbara, Calif., to Alaska and Hawaii for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association. Very few killer whales are found stranded or dead, Gaydos said, and each one that is found represents an opportunity to learn more about them. Among the 12 orcas examined in this region during the past six years, causes of death included infectious diseases in two and trauma in two (one was hit by a boat; the other may have been), while the cause could not be determined for the others. Gaydos is Pacific Northwest regional director and chief scientist of the SeaDoc Society, a marine ecosystem health program of the UC Davis Wildlife Health Center, at the School of Veterinary Medicine. Contact: Joe Gaydos, UC Davis SeaDoc Society, (360) 376-3910. More information: http://www.seadocsociety.org/.
About UC Davis
For more than 100 years, UC Davis has engaged in teaching, research and public service that matter to California and transform the world. Located close to the state capital, UC Davis has 32,000 students, an annual research budget that exceeds $600 million, a comprehensive health system and 13 specialized research centers. The university offers interdisciplinary graduate study and more than 100 undergraduate majors in four colleges — Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Biological Sciences, Engineering, and Letters and Science. It also houses six professional schools — Education, Law, Management, Medicine, Veterinary Medicine and the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing.