Now it is very easy to get people quickly and clearly informed about orcas. Orcazine publishes a handy infographic at poster size. Ideal for schools, museums, whale-watch organizations and indeed indispensable for every orcaholic!
The idea was born during the preparations for the first issue of Orcazine. To provide the readers with basic knowledge quickly, an infographic is created to be published in the magazine. We made it already available as a poster in our webshop in various sizes and paper types. The posters are of very high quality and of course available worldwide. There is both an English and a Dutch version.
The text and design are done by Leonard Boekee. Some illustrations are made by Uko Gorter (www.ukogorter.com). Astrid van Ginneken, Annemieke Podt, Andy Foote and Uko Gorter gave valuable suggestions and comments on the content. Furthermore, we thank Stuart Shipp and Laura ten Seldam for translating.
The revenue of the Orcazine Webshop will be used for expenses and future productions to pay. Support our initiative to inform the world about orcas and buy this unique poster!
Orcas hunting other dolphins and porpoises must do everything possible to catch their fast and smart meal. After a exhaustive hunt they ram the prey with tremendous power and speed. The dazed victim is killed and divided among the other orcas. Needless to say that this is an impressive spectacle. The video below shows what happened above water. But how does it actually look underwater?
In Orcazine we will publish an article about transient orcas. The writer is Josh McInnes, a young ecologist from Victoria, with a passion for this ecotype. He asked us to make a picture of his favorite orca, CA60, hunting a porpoise. And preferably underwater. Photos are not there so we used Photoshop. Coral Levy gave us a picture of an orca underwater and Leonard took pictures of harbor porpoises in Ecomare. He composed them together into a spectacular image.
On the realistic digital composite CA60 is just behind the harbor porpoise. The huge male orca will ram his prey a second later with a speed of about 50 kilometers per hour.
With the help of digital technology we finally succeeded to capture this ‘impossible’ moment in a picture. Josh is very pleased with it and later, readers of Orcazine can also enjoy this image together with his interesting article.
Read more about Josh McInnes and his transient orca blog.
In preparation for the decisive court case on the future of orca Morgan, new reports on her situation have been published both by Loro Parque and The Free Morgan Foundation. According to Loro Parque, of course, Morgan is doing well but the investigation by the experienced orca scientist Ingrid Visser, a fierce opponent of orcas in captivity, shows just the opposite. Clearly, firm ramming and biting not only happens within the pools of Loro Parque but also between supporters and opponents of Morgan’s captivity.
Preface
On June 23, 2010 an orca was seen in the Dutch Waddenzee. It was a severely emaciated young female who would likely have died without intervention. The Dolfinarium brought the orca, which was named Morgan, to their park in Harderwijk for rehabilitation. Morgan recovered well and acoustic research, genetic research and photo-identification were used to search for her origin. Morgan most likely originated from a population in Norway. The results were given to seven scientists who were asked if releasing Morgan was possible. These scientists were unanimous that Morgan could not be released (report). After finding some relatives of Morgan, however, four of the scientists changed their opinion. They became more positive about a successful release than first stated in the report.
Not everyone agreed with the actions of the Dolfinarium. Opponents formed the Free Morgan Foundation and the Orca Coalition. A release plan with several phases was written and legal actions were taken to try to release Morgan.
On July 19, 2011 the Dolfinarium announced that Morgan would move to Loro Parque on the Spanish island of Tenerife. Opponents started their first trial and the move was successfully blocked on August 3, 2011. However, this was only temporary, because after a second trial that took place on November 7, 2011 Morgan could be moved to Loro Parque after all. The move took place on 29 November 2011.
Reports about Morgan’s situation
Meanwhile, Morgan has spent almost a year in Loro Parque and another court case is in the works. The previous two trials only had a temporary ruling. The hearing on November 1, 2012 will give a final judgment. In preparation for this court case several documents have been published by both sides. The report by Loro Parque mainly describes the integration of Morgan on Tenerife.
The Free Morgan Foundation wrote a comprehensive response to this report. They rightfully criticize on many points, such as the lack of attention and stimulation, recognizing the risks of aggressive behavior towards Morgan and the research of Loro Parque which means virtually nothing for wild orca populations. Sometimes the reaction is far-fetched and exaggerated. For instance, Morgan did not spend months together with Adan in the medical pool.
Recently, Ingrid Visser of Orca Research Trust and Free Morgan Foundation wrote a detailed report about Morgan’s situation in Loro Parque. For eight days in June and July 2012 she observed Morgan more than 77 hours. In this report she describes aggression between Morgan and the other orcas. She observed 91 aggressive events in which Morgan was involved. That’s an unusually high number, even for orcas in captivity. And because Morgan was often the subject of the other orcas’ aggression, the concerns for her health are most likely not without reason.
Rake marks on Morgan’s body
A detailed overview of the rake marks on Morgan’s body is available in the report. Orcas in the wild have rake marks as well, caused by conspecifics (Visser 1998), but often to a lesser extent compared to orcas in captivity. An important difference between wild and captive orcas is the space and group structure they live in. Orcas in captivity don’t have the ability to flee and they can’t choose who they want to be with. The Orca Ocean group in Loro Parque was formed in 2006 without an adult female who could be the matriarch. This can cause unnatural and aggressive behaviours towards conspecifics and trainers. There is a chance that if Morgan will be released, she gets rake marks caused by wild orcas. This was also the case with the successful release of orca Springer in Canada.
Ingrid Visser recommends that “Morgan should be removed from Loro Parque immediately and placed into a sea-pen”. Unfortunately, the mainly correct report does contain a few imperfections nobody has noticed yet.
Mysterious wound of a companion
In the report Ingrid Visser mentioned a wound that orca Nakai sustained several weeks ago at SeaWorld San Diego. According to Dr. Visser, this wound was caused by the bite of another orca.
However, this is not confirmed. A detailed analysis about the possible causes of Nakai’s wound can be read in the blog of Tim Zimmermann:
Did Morgan’s teeth really deteriorate this badly during captivity?
Another interesting point in the report of Ingrid Visser is the statement that Morgan’s teeth show signs of wear caused by chewing on the concrete pool walls in the Dolfinarium and Loro Parque. Photos taken by Ingrid Visser indeed show Morgan chewing on the concrete and that there is some wear to her teeth. Visser added a photo of a wild (New Zealand?) orca with a similar age as Morgan which has no tooth wear. However, the wear of Morgan teeth was already present when she was taken from the wild in June 2010. Tooth wear is typically seen on Ecotype 1 orcas in the North Atlantic Ocean (Foote et al 2009), caused by suction-feeding on herring or mackerel.
Photos of Morgan’s teeth in December 2010 & April 2012
Although Morgan’s tooth wear is not only caused by chewing on the concrete as Ingrid Visser reports, the chewing on concrete of the pool itself is not a good thing, because it can indeed lead to tooth wear which eventually can lead to infections.
Conclusion
The publications of The Free Morgan Foundation clearly show that the future of Morgan and her group mates is not so good. The rake marks and the chewing on concrete are clear signs of trouble. Loro Parque tries to prevent observations by blocking the view with fences. The public can only visit the orca stadium during shows. Clearly, Loro Parque is being very cautious and is not easily giving excess to independent researchers. Most of the independent scientists are afraid to get involved. The sometimes strong reactions by the anti-captivity-lobby, the apparent conflict of interest and possible negative implications for their career may play a role. Therefore, it is almost impossible to get a complete and no-nonsense picture of Morgan’s situation. For example, what about her hearing?
Decades of misleading information being spread by marine mammal parks has ensured a fiercer and stronger anti-captivity lobby. Chances of constructive cooperation and trust seem completely vanished. Public opinion is getting more negative towards these parks, partly by recent incidents in which trainers were killed and orcas were injured. In our opinion it is time that marine mammal facilities will consider their future in which the shows and related revenue are no longer the central role, but instead focus on the educational programs and spacious, natural enclosures in which marine mammals are no longer being bred. Unfortunately, this all seems far away right now.
Meanwhile, big names such as Jean-Michel Cousteau and the Prince of Monaco are speaking in favor of the release of Morgan. Norway is also optimistic about the return of the orca. Recently, another related orca with largely the same dialect as Morgan was spotted again. This improves the chances of a successful release. However, whether all of these developments have a role in the decision of the judges remains to be seen.
Thursday the decision will be made for Morgan. Forever in captivity or a return to freedom?
Update: The lawsuit
Thursday 1 November was the day of the hearing, which lasted for 8 hours (including breaks). The judges didn’t give their verdict right away, but instead planned to publicly announce this on Thursday 13 December. Should they rule in favor of the Orca Coalition, this will not have major implications for Morgan right away. First, they will have to file a lawsuit in Spain.
During Thursday’s hearing, recent photos of Morgan’s teeth were shown. These photos did show more serious damage to the teeth. It seems that throughout these past few months, the chewing on concrete has led to further wear.
Photos of Morgan’s teeth. December 2010, April 2012 and a recently acquired photo from October 2012, clearly showing the wear.
During the hearing it was also announced that hearing tests will commence in the second week of November.
Are you in favor of the release of Morgan? Then please sign this petition
Captivity of orcas is a sensitive subject in which opinions vary greatly. If you are interested to find out where Orcazine stands on captive orca? Check this page.
References:
Ecological, morphological and genetic divergence of sympatric North Atlantic killer whale populations Andrew D. Foote, Jason Newton, Stuart B Piertney, Eske Willerslev & M. Thomas P. Gilbert Molecular Ecology (2009) 18, 5207–5217
Prolific body scars and collapsing dorsal fins on killer whales (Orcinus orca) in New Zealand waters Ingrid N. Visser Aquatic Mammals (1998) 24.2, 71-81
This summer one of our editors, Annemieke, spent her holidays in de Spanish city Tarifa. This city is located near de Strait of Gibraltar and is the starting point for whale watching in this area. Annemieke did several whale watch tours with the company Turmares and saw orcas on five of these tours. Turmeres regularly post blogs about the wildlife in de Strait of Gibraltar on their Spanish weblog. One of their blogs about orcas in this area is translated to English for the Orcazine blog.
The presence of the orcas in the Strait is a situation that dates back to Phoenician times. But just from time to time they have let us see them just in front of Tarifa’s harbour. Nowadays, observing these sightings, there are similarities that indicate references to their behaviour.
We know that during the summer in the Strait orcas rely on the presence of the blue fin tuna fishermen, usually fishing in the area of “Las Bajas” against Tangier. When the fishing quota for tuna is completed via the ‘Almadraba’, Orcas begin robbing the fishermen, they also use another strategy of hunting for food.
We assume that from then navigate to other areas of the Strait, frequenting tidal currents (deep waters rich in nutrients) in which they find their prey. During the summer periods they can be seen even off the Bay of Algeciras, but just occasionally. They see them at noon; we then normally see them by the end of the afternoon… We are verifying tide data and hypotheses raised, as we are very interested to verify all the factors that explain this wonder: the Orcas in Tarifa!
Afternoon of July 26, 2012 by Kiko Gil.
This photo was taken on August 11, 2010 by Pablo Gil, in circumstances similar to those of the last day of July 26th 2012: end of the afternoon, following the disappearance of the orcas in the area of “Las bajas” in front of Tangiers, and after being seen in the the Bay of Algeciras / Rock of Gibraltar in the summer period when there was no tuna fishermen in the area of Las Bajas, Tangiers. After more than a week, on August 3, 2102, the orcas were encountered again during a whale watch tour, and were sighted again several times in the weeks thereafter.
Killer whales use different hunting techniques in the Strait
The first is associated with the Almadraba, a maze of nets corralling schools of tuna in the shallow areas to cause stress and capture them when they consequently have no power to escape. The Traps are Artesanal fishing methods in shallow waters off the coast of Tarifa, Zahara, Barbate and Conil.
The second related to fishing Longline in the middle of the Strait off the Moroccan coast on boats ( Spanish and Moroccan) with hook and line, in this interaction orcas have the advantage, whilst reeling in the tuna they snatch the prey from the fishermen.
The third is the game “free Style” that we are witnessing these days, a situation that the Orcas accompany tidal movements located in these areas rich in nutrients.
Remember that killer whales in their diet also include other types of fish in the Strait, not only tuna, fish such as amberjack, blackspot seabream and others. As a reference of our combined study, Dr. Pierre Gallego in collaboration with Turmares and The Natural History Museum of Luxembourg, this can be viewed at the following link: http://www.turmares.com/whalewatching/images/stories/pdf/ECS-2007-Poster2-EN.pdf
Below are some pictures show why the fishermen are not happy with the presents of the orcas
About Turmares Turmares SL has 3 different boats, to accommodate 150, 60 and 8 passengers, prepared to meet the specific demands of each group. It receives about 25,000 passengers a year more than 6,500 students being members of more than 100 school groups from Spanish territory and other countries.
One of the areas that are growing more and more in this company is the scientific department, with a permanent researcher who leads projects carried out by universities, also students who are doing their MSc thesis. We publish annually an average of 4 scientific communications, which include more than 20 we have presented at different European Cetacean Society symposiums. This large number of publications is thanks to a great number of sightings; the company has been collecting data since 2003 (for example we have collected over a thousand pilot whale sightings).
In the Strait of Gibraltar, an area declared a Biosphere Reserve, live 7 different species of cetaceans, depending on their migratory routes, abundance of food and breeding periods, some live permanently or just spend time in this area.
The whale watching is an ecotourism activity, which is based on scientific research and environmental education, which seeks to minimize environmental impact and maximize the conservation of the natural environment and the species present. On each trip a group of marine biologists accompany the tourists with the aim to inform, interpret and produce statistical information about these animals and their habitat.
- Excursion 1:
Whale Watching in the Strait of Gibraltar
Every day as long as the weather permits
Departs at 12:00 and 17:00
2-hour duration
- Excursion 2:
Sightings of Orcas in the Strait of Gibraltar
Daily departures in summer (if orcas are present)
Schedule subject to tide and other conditions
3-hour duration
The probability of success on the sighting is over 90% on all trips, with the guarantee of a second chance, in the unlikely event of failure to spot any wildlife.
Do you want to learn more about whale watching in the Strait of Gibraltar and Turmares? Watch their website: http://www.turmares.com
Orcas of Gibraltar in Orcazine
The second edition of Orcazine will focus on orcas in Europe and will describe this population from the Strait of Gibraltar.
