World shocked by 'tragic' video of captive orca: 'That's seriously his tank?'
'He’s an emotionally complex animal… and it’s irrational to think that this is somehow excusable'.
There are growing calls around the world to urgently rehome an orca left to languish in tiny concrete tanks since 1992.
The plight of 35-year-old Kshamenk was thrust into the global spotlight after aerial video revealed the massive animal motionless on the bottom of his tank in Argentina. Another clip shows him struggling to negotiate a narrow corridor between his two cells.
Millions of people viewed the footage after it was shared by activist Phil Demers to TikTok and Twitter. “It’s disgusting to see him have to travel through this narrow channel, making contact with the bottom and the side walls as he slides through,” he told Yahoo. "I mean, this is an animal that could otherwise be swimming 100 miles a day."
It seems many social media users agree with Mr Demers that Kshamenk’s conditions need to be improve.
"You're kidding. That's seriously his tank?" one person wrote. "That’s so small. That’s insane that they think this is okay to do," another added.
Orca housed without company of own species for years
Over the last two months, Mr Demers' plan has been to “raise awareness” of the little-known Argentinian orca whose conditions he describes as “revolting” and like "a prison".
He believes what makes Kshamenk’s situation “more tragic” is that he’s been housed without other members of his species for over two decades.
“He’s an emotionally complex animal… and it’s irrational to think that this is that this is somehow excusable,” he said.
Kshamenk's time in captivity
Kshamenk was taken from the wild after he became beached over 30 years ago, but since his capture he's been largely forgotten outside of Argentina.
After his orca tank mate died in 2000, he bonded with a female bottlenose dolphin named Floppy. Key animal welfare advocates have warned the two must not be separated because it could cause them stress.
Spate of captive orca deaths intensifies call to help Kshamenk
There are growing calls to improve the plight of orcas held in captivity following a spate of captive orca deaths in 2023. They include:
'This only ends in tragedy unless you do something dramatic'
Yahoo sent a series of questions to Mundo Marino, the facility where Kshamenk is housed, but it did not hear back before deadline.
Once employed as an animal trainer at Canada’s Marineland, Mr Demers rose to prominence after running an ultimately successful campaign for over a decade to improve the living conditions of a walrus named Smooshi who was housed there.
He now works to raise awareness about other marine mammals on his UrgentSeas social media pages. His message to Mundo Marino and other facilities that continue to keep orcas in captivity is blunt. “This only ends in tragedy unless you do something dramatic,” he said. “It’s going to take a collaborative effort to do something for Kshamenk.”
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