Grade 3/4 students at Dundas Street Public School recently learned more about orcas and their habitats. They compared the life of an orca in the wild with the life of an orca in a marine park.
Their postcards on behalf of Corky show us some of the struggles that orcas face in captivity:
Orcas in marine parks are socially isolated from their family pod:
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| Picture by Xin |
They live in barren environments:
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| Picture by Declan |
They are confined to small pools and can't engage in natural behaviours like hunting:
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| Picture by Jessica |
They suffer high mortality rates:
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| Picture by Alex |
They have to perform circus tricks to earn food:
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| Picture by Maxwell |
In the wild, their lives are vastly different:
Orcas live their whole life with their family pod:
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| Picture by Razore |
They hunt in a vast and stimulating ocean environment using echolocation:
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| Picture by Helen |
They can swim for many kilometres each day:
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| Picture by Jierui |
They have freedom:
Thanks to all the students for their great artwork and comments. Their postcards will be sent to Seaworld, where Corky, who has been in captivity for more than 40 years, lives. Hopefully Corky gets a chance to reunite with her family pod, and swim in the ocean once again. She deserves her freedom after all these years.
