Of Orcas and Men: What Killer Whales Can Teach Us

by David Neiwert

Both sides, for that matter, claim to have the animals’ welfare foremost in their minds, but the industry’s credibility in this regard is thin, to put it charitably. This is, after all, an industry that was founded on cruel animal-capture techniques considered inhumane and illegal today. While orca care in captivity has improved measurably in the recent past, the industry still regularly engages in appalling practices like “whale laundering” or warehousing orcas captured overseas (orcas are not legally available in U.S. waters) at a windowless backroom tank in another nation until sufficient time passes for it to be imported to a U.S. facility as a transfer, all so the American company doesn’t have to obtain a U.S. capture permit.

Whale laundering and warehousing