[TheMamba]

This weekend, the "Empty the Tanks Worldwide" event is taking place. Empty the Tanks is an annual worldwide protest and public awareness campaign against the cetacean captivity industry.
In honor of this occasion, here is a drawing of Keiko, the famous orca who became known through the "Free Willy" movies and was released back into the wild.

[Cosmonaught]

ive always wondered what causes captive orcas dorsal fin to flop like that, im glad keiko is swimming free now though :)

[TheMamba]

ive always wondered what causes captive orcas dorsal fin to flop like that, im glad keiko is swimming free now though

Dorsal fin collapse is caused by limited time below the surface. Captive orcas spend 70-80% on the surface so the water creates less support for the dorsal fin. Stress and reduced swimming can also be reasons for the fin to collapse. 100% of captive adult males have flopped fins.

Sadly, Keiko died in 2003 but at least he got to swim in the ocean again instead of spending the rest of his life in a concrete bathtub.

[EatingTuna]

I remember watching a video about him, its really sad that some humans dont realise that these are literal huge aquatic mammals and need big space, havent only orca attacks been in captivity?
Im glad he could be free at the end of his life, but he was alone sadly

[COOLDOGOOO]

This is amazing, and the water textures appear so real!!
I was wondering, does it hurt then if their dorsal fin is collapsed? <3

[TheMamba]

havent only orca attacks been in captivity?

Yes, the only intended attacks by orcas happened in captivity, three of them were deadly but there were many more incidents. The only recorded injury of a human by a wild orca happened in 1972 at Point Sur, California. However, this was an accident and when the orca realized it was a human and not food, he turned away from them.

I was wondering, does it hurt then if their dorsal fin is collapsed? <3

There is some debate among marine biologists as to whether a collapsed dorsal fin causes physical discomfort or pain for the orca. Some believe that it may cause discomfort due to the change in the orca's center of gravity, while others think that it does not affect the orca's health.