Although people like to stereotype orcas as “killer” whales, there have been zero reported cases of an orca killing a human in the wild, but there has been one case of someone accusing an orca of threatening them. They said the whale charged at a surfer in Norway before quickly pulling away, but scientists have said that the human was probably mistaken as a seal in the water, according to livescience.com.
People have stated that orcas tend to ram boats, which has been said to mainly be three young orcas near Spain and Portugal. Scientists have also stated that they believe the orcas were “playing with the boats” and not trying to do any harm, according to livescience.com.
Despite the fact that there have been no attacks in the wild, there have been multiple in captivity. This can be because while in their enclosures, orcas tend to display aggression towards each other to show dominance or annoyance. The animals tend to leave rake marks from their teeth on each other’s backs and other injuries all over their bodies. Orcas have also been documented to engage in gnawing at their enclosure glass to try and escape, according to dolphinproject.com.
While there have been no outright reasons as to why these attacks have only happened in captivity, there are reasons why people believe this is happening. For example, people may believe that acts of aggression are caused by the stress put on the orcas. While trying to learn routines, the orcas are in a constant box. They are not allowed to go anywhere or be free, which could cause them to become stressed or anxious, according to dolphinproject.com.
Keltie Byrne
20-year-old trainer Byrne was drowned by Tilikum, the whale she was training, on Feb. 20, 1991. It was said that she tripped and fell into the pool that held three orcas in Sealand of the Pacific, located in Victoria, Canada. Viewers said they witnessed the orca drag her into the water; others say that the other two whales in the pool, Nootka and Haida, assisted by keeping the other trainers away. Since she could not escape the animals, she eventually drowned, according to dolphinproject.com.
“[Byrne] went up and down three times. [The other trainers] almost got her once with the hook pole, but they couldn’t; the whales were moving so fast,” witness Nadine Kallen said, according to dolphinproject.com.
Daniel Dukes
A body was found in Tilikum’s tank, the same orca as the previous attack, in SeaWorld, Florida, on July 5, 1999. The man was draped over Tilikum’s back with scratches and bruises all over him. People believe the incident was because he found a way to stay in the park after they closed. The man stripped to his underwear and either jumped, fell or was pulled into the pool with Tilikum, according to dolphinproject.com.
Dukes was found by Arturo Cordoba Jr., who was walking into work that morning, he called a paramedic soon after. A medical examiner later said he suffered hypothermia and drowned; he confirmed the man was 27-year-old Dukes, according to dolphinproject.com.
Alexis Martinez
During a training session with the whales in Loro Parque, a marine park in Spain, 29-year-old orca trainer Martinez was killed. This accident happened in 2009 on Christmas Eve while the trainers were practicing for their Christmas special. 14-year-old orca Keto crushed Martinez. He drowned from being trapped under the water while unconscious for several minutes. He was found with multiple cuts and bruises, both lungs had collapsed, fractured ribs and sternum, a lacerated liver, severely damaged vital organs and puncture marks from the whale’s teeth. After this attack, Martinez’s story had little to no press compared to others, according to outsideonline.com.
“After Keto’s initial attack on Martinez, the trainer never surfaced again, meaning that the orca’s attack must have been swift and devastating,” journalist Elizabeth Batt said, according to whalesanctuaryproject.org.
Dawn Brancheau
On Feb. 24, 2010, another one of Tilikum’s trainers, Brancheau, was killed. It was said that she had her hair in a ponytail, which the whale grabbed and pulled her into the pool. Tilikum began swinging her and eventually partially scalped her. Other witnesses said that the whale grabbed Brancheau’s upper arm and pulled her in the pool. There was no video available about the incident, therefore no verification of what happened, according to abcnews.go.com.
