Skip to content
All news
  • All news
  • About whales & dolphins
  • Corporates
  • Create healthy seas
  • End captivity
  • Green Whale
  • Prevent deaths in nets
  • Scottish Dolphin Centre
  • Stop whaling
  • Stranding
  • Whale watching
Gray whale

UN adopts High Seas Treaty to protect the ocean

At the UN 'High Seas Treaty' negotiations in New York, a historic vote for the...

Hopes raised for whale and dolphin protection after last minute landmark nature agreement

WDC's Ed Goodall (far right) at COP15 with Thérèse Coffey (centre) UK Secretary of State...

WDC orca champion picks up award

Beatrice Whishart MSP picks up her Nature Champion award The Scottish Environment LINK, an organisation...

Large number of dolphins moved to Abu Dhabi marine park

Up to 24 captive bottlenose dolphins have reportedly been sent to a new SeaWorld theme...

Third orca death in 18 months at theme park

Kohana and Adan at Loro Parque

Loro Parque tourist attraction in Tenerife, Spain has announced the death of Kohana, a 20-year-old orca transferred to the facility from SeaWorld in the US in 2006.

Kohana is the third orca who has died at the facility within 18 months after Skyla (17 years old) died in March 2021, and Ula (three years old), died in August 2021.

According to Loro Parque, Kohana had health issues that were identified some time ago, but the cause of death is unknown at this point.

At the age of only two years old, Kohana was transferred from SeaWorld San Diego to SeaWorld Orlando together with her mother Takara. Two years later, she was separated from her mother and transported to Spain together with three other young SeaWorld orcas.

Separation and transportation are extremely stressful for these highly social and intelligent marine mammals. In 2010, at the age of only eight years old, Kohana gave birth to a male calf, later called Adàn. However, Kohana showed no interest in the calf and Adán was raised by the trainers at the facility. He is still alive at present, however his sister Victoria, Kohana's 2nd calf born in 2012, died at the age of only ten months old. As Kohana had never learnt how to raise a calf, she also showed little interest in Victoria.

In the wild, the bond between orca mothers and calves are extremely close and last for a lifetime. Captivity can never replicate their complex social structures or give them the space they need.

WDC is working towards a phase out of whale and dolphin captivity and creating sanctuaries for individuals already in held in tanks.

PLEASE DONATE TO HELP END CAPTIVITY FOR GOOD

 

Related News

banner

Introducing the Whale and Dolphin Conservation official collectible card by Prince Hussain Aga Khan and philropy

We are happy to share that the philanthropy cards startup philropy, and environmentalist photographer Prince Hussain Aga Khan have joined forces to create the official...
Gray whale

UN adopts High Seas Treaty to protect the ocean

At the UN 'High Seas Treaty' negotiations in New York, a historic vote for the protection of the ocean took place at the weekend. After...
Fishers' involvement is crucial. Image: WDC/JTF

When porpoises and people overlap

We're funding a project in Hong Kong that's working with fishing communities to help save the vulnerable finless porpoises who share the sea with them....

Mindful conservation – why we need a new respect for nature

'We should look at whales and dolphins as the indigenous people of the seas - and treat them accordingly.' To succeed in our efforts to...

Leave a Comment