People to Gather for Candlelit Vigil to Mourn Katina, the 46th Orca to Die on SeaWorld’s Watch

For Immediate Release:
December 22, 2025

Contact:
Moira Colley 202-483-7382

Following the death of Katina, who was snatched from her family’s pod at the age of two and was the last wild-captured orca at SeaWorld Orlando, PETA members will gather outside the facility for a vigil on Tuesday. Advocates will set up a graveyard with a giant tombstone, an orca, and signs saying, “RIP Katina, SeaWorld’s Latest Victim,” as they call on SeaWorld to immediately curb its greed and put a plan in place to release the surviving orcas it still imprisons to seaside sanctuaries—before they too die after a lifetime of deprivation, as Katina did.

Katina was torn away from her pod in the waters off Iceland in 1978 and was confined to small concrete cells for life. SeaWorld used her as a breeding machine and forced her to bear seven calves, four of whom are already dead. Now, only two wild-captured orcas remain in other SeaWorld parks—including Corky, the longest-held captive orca in the world, who was abducted from her ocean home 56 years ago this month.

“After nearly half a century of misery in SeaWorld’s tanks, Katina the orca has died without ever returning to the ocean she was stolen from,” says PETA President Tracy Reiman. “PETA is calling on SeaWorld to make a plan now for seaside sanctuaries, before it claims any more orca victims.”

Where: SeaWorld Main Entrance, 7007 Sea World Dr., Orlando

When: Tuesday, December 23, 3:30 pm

Corky is forced to perform at SeaWorld. Photo: PETA

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.