Since he was forced to strand at about 4 - 6 years of age in 09/19/1992 at the coast of Argentina, Kshamenk, a now adult male orca whale has been kept in Mundo Marino, Buenos Aires.
For 10 years now, he's been alone after his tank mate Belen passed away in 2000. Currently, his only companions are some bottlenose dolphins.
He doesn't have strong bonds with humans and he uses to show aggressive behavior against his trainers, fortunately without serious consequences yet. He also has attacked a bottlenose dolphin that was seriously injured and keeps the marks of Kshamenk's teeth all along his body. This attack was an irrefutable proof that he keeps his predator instinct intact.
http://www.liberemosalaorca.com.ar/ (only available in Spanish)
Here's a video on kshamenk: http://vimeo.com/5288896
Annotation: Please don't forget Lolita, Corky II and Tilikum, either.
Thank you very much for your help!
Dear Secretary Homero Bibiloni,
We the undersigned would like to demand the release of the captive orca whale Kshamenk. Now, in the 21. Century, more and more people worldwide are to sensitized to the living conditions of captive animals, especially orcas. These large, intelligent, highly sensitive and social marine mammals suffer very much from living in bare concrete tanks which can be proven by their reduced life span and increased risk of dying: "Various analytical approaches have demonstrated that the overall mortality rate of captive orcas is at least two and a half times as high as that of wild orcas, and age- and sex-specific annual mortality rates range from two to six times as high. (...) Captive orcas continue to experience a greatly and significantly increased risk of dying at any given time in life than do wild orcas. Their size and complex physical and social requirements clearly cause them to suffer serious negative consequences when they are confined in tanks."*
Kshamenk is an adult male orca kept in Mundo Marino, Buenos Aires and was illegally acquired in 1992 for public amusement. After ten years spent alone in his tank, Kshamenk is known as uncooperative, sexually frustrated, angry and depressed. In interactions with trainers he uses to show hostile behaviour which makes him a very suitable candidate for release for he is not likely to seek human contact if he is given the possibility of living in freedom. Furthermore, he was captured at about four to six years of age. So, he had more time to acquire cultural knowledge of his population than many other wild-caught orcas.
We really appreciate you taking the time to read our letter and hope you can help this whale.
* taken from the report "The Case Against Marine Mammals in Captivity: The Fourth Revised Edition (2009)" by the WSPA and the Human Society US
