Corky preforms infront of a crowd at Sea World, CA.
On December the 11th, 1969, six orcas where taken off the coast of Washington for display in Marine Parks. Thirty years later one Female orca still survives in a tank at Sea World CA. Her name is Corky, and she is the oldest orca to ever survive in captivity. Corky would still be young and in her prime in the wild- but in captivity her time is close to running out....
Corky preforms
"The fishermen corralled 4 of the 12 whales after an all-night battle in galforce winds and driving rain, a storm that they believed had drivem the whales close to shore. When daylight came the next morning, they saw that the rest of the pod had remained with their captured mates, just outside the net. So the fishermen bagged them, too, herding the whales into a separate fishnet corral 100 yards away. The harbour was crisscrossed with herring nets strung inside salmon nets; everywhere, there where nets, and all of them where full of whales...."
Quote from Orca: The whale Called Killer page 70, by Erich Hoyt
Corky was purchessed, along with Orky II, from Marineland of CA. Sea World was actually after Orky for their breeding program, while Corky would replace another dead whale.
At Marineland Corky was pregnant seven times and no calf lived longer then 46 days. These conditions of her pregnancy are often brought on by the shape of Marineland's tanks. They are circuler and orcas can only nurse while swimming in a straight line.
All through Corky's life she has lived through things only captive orcas can live through. In 1987 the resident male, Orky II, landed on trainer John Sillick. Sea World says it was simply a of crossed signals.
It was in August of 1989 when disaster struck Sea World, CA. Corky's stage compainon Kandu attacked Corky durring a routine show. The attack cost Kandu her life.
Can orca's remember their past in the wild? A local TV program brought a recording to Corky's tank of her family calls. They watched as Corky trembled and quivered, swimming directly infront of the recorder. She does remember.
Sea World was quoted on the subject of the recording being played as it being a "unproving experiment". They refused to think that Corky may actually miss her family.
While Corky preforms in captivity, her mother and the rest of her pod still swim the waters off the coast of Washington and B.C. Determined to release Corky to the wild the Free Corky Foundation was formed, and has started a campagin in hopes to return Corky to the wild.
Corky's family, free and wild in the ocean.
The plan is to return Corky back to her wild pod. Using tecniques, much like the ones being used on Keiko, they would train Corky back to being a wild orca. They have proposed to create a sea pen or a netted off cove near the area of her family. The idea could save Corky's life.
On September 9th, 1998, Keiko began his journey to Iceland. Hopping that he to can be returned to his wild pod, his pod is unknown and has yet to be found. Corky's pod is right under their noses. The chances of Corky being safely rturned to the wild is very high.
GET INVOLVED TO FREE CORKY!
Corky has been preforming in captivity for 30 years of her life. Isn't it time she is allowed to retire?
Write to August Busch the III, head of Anheuser Busch and is incharge of Sea World, tell them to FREE CORKY!
