I came across this video (see below) while scrolling through Facebook a week ago and it praised how impressive it was that this orca was able to start learning human language. A day later, I saw the same information in a less flattering video on Instagram from one of the anti-captivity accounts I follow. It was interesting to see the two sides but in the end, I sided with the anti-captivity arguments.

After watching both videos multiple times I’ve drawn the conclusion that the one from Facebook, supporting this ‘new’ information, is absolutely ridiculous for so many reasons. Wikie, the whale in question, is one of four orcas stuck in captivity at Marineland of Antibes in France. The video includes pictures and video clips of wild orcas breaching, spy-hopping, and swimming freely in their natural habitats. I think it's such a gross misrepresentation that attempts to distract the viewer from what these poor captive whales are really experiencing.

One of the other things that bothered me is that these "researchers" are acting like orcas didn't already have a diverse and extensive communication system, more complex than humans. Orcas and other cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises) have always had advanced languages as well as distinct dialects. Orcas have always had the ability to mimic sounds from other species so the fact that Wikie can make creaking door noises or repeat patterns of sounds isn’t that surprising. They are able to use a unique form of communication that includes whistles, echolocation clicks, pulsed calls, low-frequency pops, and jaw claps. They make these sounds by moving air between nasal sacs in the blowhole region. Humans are just always trying to find a way to relate everything back to us and not even appreciating the skills these amazing animals possess.

This video also just reminded me of how incredibly sad it is that some these magnificent and beautiful creatures spend their lives in glorified swimming pools when they could be living in wild in their natural habitat. The documentary “Blackfish” is probably my most watched movie on Netflix and it’s what started my whale obsession and sparked my interest in their captivity issues. These animals shouldn’t be held in tanks and forced to perform and mimic human sounds. They deserve to be free, swimming hundreds of miles a day with their original family pods, and doing whatever they want. These captive orcas aren’t thriving; they’re chewing on concrete, swimming in circles out of boredom, chipping paint off the walls of their pool, raking their teeth on each other, getting sunburnt from not being able to dive, getting respiratory problems from living in chlorinated water, and the list could go on.

It isn’t fair to be promoting these false claims of ‘talking whales’ because it just isn’t true and perpetuates the captivity narrative. These ‘researchers’ should be studying the communication between wild orcas in a non-disruptive way rather than forcing animals, like Wikie, to participate in activities like the ones shown in this video. Hopefully, someday videos of captive orcas will be a thing of the past and these incredible animals will finally be given the respect they deserve.