keiko_conservation/InstagramA video of an orca apparently being beached and stranded at an aquarium, originally filmed in 2017, is going viral again as people and activists call for a ban on orca captivity and breeding.
The whale, known as Juliet, was performing a trick for the audience at the Moskvarium aquarium in Russia when, for unclear reasons, another orca seems to push her further out of the pool and onto the land.
The whale can be seen clearly struggling, her body suffering from its own significant weight on land which, of course, wouldn’t be a problem is she wasn’t out of the water. The aquarium staff look as if they cannot help the animal, presumably because approaching it could be dangerous for them.
The video was originally shared by Keiko Conservation on Instagram, though it’s currently going viral again.
At the time, they wrote:
@moskvarium_official is a dolphinarium in Russia that holds three young wild captured transient orcas, Narnia, Nord, and Juliet.
A lot of the videos that have been put online from Moskvarium visitors are already very concerning despite the facility not being open very long. The latest one is no different.
Here you can see Juliet get stuck on the stage after Nord gives her a push for unknown reasons. It’s hard to watch as she struggles and none of the staff attempt to assist her.
Orcas bodies aren’t built to support their own weight on land like this.
Dear Juliet,
We see you. We care.
We’re sorry. We’re trying.
🐳💔#EmptyTheTanks pic.twitter.com/oEqUYUIH4g
— julie marie Ⓥ (@jmcappiello) April 19, 2019
They added:
Russia hasn’t had the media exposure that #TheCove and #Blackfish gave us over the recent decade.
We’re sure that the majority of people attending these parks, and probably even members of the staff, are unaware of the cruel treatments that are required to keep these animals alive in an environment like this.
In the wild Narnia, Nord, and Juliet would still be swimming alongside their family. Nord would stay with his mother for the rest of his life.
keiko_conservation/InstagramIn America, the Orca Responsibility and Care Advancement (ORCA) Act has been set up in an effort to end the captivity of orca whales in the country once and for all.
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Charlie Cocksedge is a journalist and sub-editor at UNILAD. He graduated from the University of Manchester with an MA in Creative Writing, where he learnt how to write in the third person, before getting his NCTJ. His work has also appeared in such places as The Guardian, PN Review and the bin.