Orcas, or killer whales, are large predatory cetaceans that were first captured live and displayed in exhibitions in the 1960s. They soon became popular attractions at public aquariums and aquatic theme parks due to their intelligence, trainability, striking appearance, playfulness in captivity and sheer size. As of April 2026, there are an estimated 53 - 55 orcas residing at facilities in North and South America, Europe and Asia. The first North Eastern Pacific orca, Wanda, was captured in November 1961 by a collecting crew from Marineland of the Pacific, and over the next 15 years, around 60 to 70 orcas were taken from Pacific waters for this purpose. When the US Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 effectively stopped the capture of Pacific orcas, captures were made in Icelandic waters. Since 2010, captures have been made in Russian waters. However, facilities in the United States such as the SeaWorld chain of aquariums have not collected wild orcas in over 35 years. As of 2 April 2026, captive orcas are distributed globally as follows:
Out of the 22 captive orcas currently located in the western world (United States, Spain and France), 19 were born in captivity (Adán, Ikaika, Kalia, Keet, Keijo, Kyuquot, Malia, Makaio, Makani, Nalani, Orkid, Sakari, Shouka, Takara, Tekoa, Teno, Trua, Tuar, Wikie). Only 3 (Corky II - Northern Resident; Morgan - Norwegian; Ulises - Icelandic) are wild-captured or rescued individuals still held in these countries. Lolita (Tokitae), the last surviving Southern Resident orca in captivity, died in 2023. In Japan, 5 of the 6 orcas on display were born in captivity (Lara, Lovey, Luna, Lynn, Ran II). The only wild-captured survivor is Stella. All 25 known captive orcas in China and Russia are Russian ecotypes. Of these, 18 were wild-captured: Naja/Naya (the last captive orca in Russia) and 17 individuals in China (Bandhu, Chad, Cookie, Dora, Jade, Kaixin (Kaishin), Katenka, "Kyra" (real name unknown), Nakhod, Nukka/Grace/Yaohe, Pànghǔ (Fat Tiger), "Samara" (real name unknown), Sean (Shawn II), Sonya, Tyson, WCKWOWR-OO-C1601, WCKWOWR-OO-C1601).[citation needed] Additionally, there are 7 orcas in China that were born in captivity: (Bowen (Wǔlong), Cody (Fat Beans), Jingxi, Katniss (Sanlong (三隆)), Loki (Erlong (二笼)), Wulong, Yīlóng (一隆), Zimo)). Kalina, born in September 1985, was the first captive-born orca calf to survive more than a few days. In September 2001, Kasatka gave birth to Nakai, the first orca conceived through artificial insemination, at SeaWorld San Diego. This technique lets park owners maintain a more healthy genetic mix in the small groups of orcas at each park, while avoiding the stress of moving orcas for breeding purposes.
List of living captive orcas This table contains a full list of living captive orcas in human care (status 7 June 2026).
List of unknown captive orca status
List of deceased captive orcas
*Please note that not all orcas that died in the capture operations are listed.
Notable captive orcas
Living
Adán Adán (Spanish variation of "Adam") measured about 6.6 feet (2.0 m) and weighed 330 pounds at birth. He was born on 13 October 2010, at Loro Parque to Kohana and Keto. Due to the fact that Kotar is Kohana's maternal grandfather and Keto's father, Adán is 6.25% inbred. His mother, eight-year-old Kohana, showed no maternal interest in him at birth. As a result, he was bottle-fed by staff until May 2011 when he was permanently moved onto fish. Adán's only full-blooded sibling, Victoria, died in 2013. When Morgan was moved to Loro Parque, Adán was the first killer whale to be introduced to her.
Corky II
Corky II, more commonly known as Corky, is a 60-year-old female orca at SeaWorld San Diego. She is the longest-held captive orca in the world, the largest female orca in captivity at 20 feet long and 8,500 pounds, and the oldest orca to ever be displayed to the public. She is now the only survivor from the Northern Resident captures. Around the age of four, Corky was captured in Pender Harbour off the coast of British Columbia on 11 December 1969. From there, she went to Marineland of the Pacific and lived with three other orcas. However, the two orcas who she was captured with died after three years and she spent most of her time at Marineland with an orca bull named Orky. Corky has been pregnant seven times, resulting in four live births from 1977 to 1985 (with two failures in 1986 and 1987), none of which survived the first two months of life.On 21 January 1987, during her seventh pregnancy, she and Orky were moved to SeaWorld San Diego. She settled well in the new environment, but she had problems with one of the Icelandic orcas, Kandu V. The two females fought for dominance and it peaked during a show in 1989, resulting in Kandu V's death. Corky is also used as the "Welcome Whale" for new trainers and new orcas. She has also "adopted" some of the whales she has been with. She has been a surrogate mother to Sumar, Splash, Orkid, and Keet. Corky is easy to identify, mostly because of her large size for a female, her tall unbent dorsal fin, the small 'chips' in her dorsal fin, and a nick in her left dorsal fluke. She also has experienced problems in aggression from a male named Ulises. "At SeaWorld, Ulises is dominant over some of the female orcas, especially Corky. In fact, trainers would not allow Corky and Ulises to be in the same pool unless Kasatka, the then ultimate matriarch, was present to keep both whales calm." Since Kasatka's death in 2017, Corky and Ulises are no longer allowed to be in the same pool together.
Ikaika
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