These footage show a lone killer whale circling in its tank, splashing water. The whale has already outlived its animal friends and its own offspring.
Dubbed the world’s loneliest orca, Kiska circles her isolated tank at Marineland Park in Canada.
It is said to have been caught in Icelandic waters in 1979 and has been in confined tanks ever since.
Kiska is around 45 years old and has outlived all of her pelvic mates and her five calves. At least that’s what activists claim.
Researchers and activists also believe their deteriorated mental and physical health is a result of their long confinement.
Although Kiska is a social animal and orcas usually live in groups, she remains isolated from all animals.
Former Marineland employee-turned-activist Phil Demers says: “Her mental and physical health is deteriorating. As seen in the video, she swims around her pool the same way over and over again, even pausing briefly in the shallow water to shake herself.”
Experts call this behavior “zoochosis”. Orcas are social animals that should live with their family or with others of their kind.
A petition was started under the hashtag “freekiska” so that the lonely orca could be freed again. More than 500,000 people have already signed it.