Corky the Orca’s Babies: Honoring the Seven Calves She Lost at Marine Parks
It’s one of the greatest tragedies when a parent outlives their child. Corky the orca, who has been trapped in marine park tanks for more than five decades, has experienced this pain seven times. Today, she remains imprisoned at SeaWorld San Diego. Every day the company doesn’t release her to a seaside sanctuary is another day she suffers in a concrete prison, far from her home waters and family.
THIS is how long Corky has been imprisoned:
[corky-counter]
It’s widely known that orcas are deeply devoted mothers who stay by their babies’ sides for years, teaching them how to find food, communicate, and navigate the ocean using knowledge passed down through generations. Just like humans, we’ve seen evidence that mother orcas experience profound grief when they lose their babies. In one remarkable instance, a mother orca carried her dead baby through the ocean for 17 consecutive days.
Corky never got the chance to raise her calves. Almost her entire life has consisted of exploitation, abuse, and grief. For Boycott SeaWorld Day—and every day—honor Corky’s babies by taking action.
Remembering the Victims of Exploitation
The marine park industry took everything from Corky. In 1969, humans violently tore her from her family and ocean home in the waters off British Columbia. She lost her freedom when humans sold her into captivity. And during her imprisonment, she lost every one of her seven babies, all within an agonizing decade of her life.
Corky’s Calves
From 1977 to 1986, the now-defunct Marineland of the Pacific in California used Corky as a breeding machine. She was bred with her own cousin six times. Then, after she was sent to SeaWorld San Diego in 1987, she suffered a miscarriage. She’s been at SeaWorld San Diego ever since.
Here’s the story behind every baby she had.
- February 28, 1977: Corky gave birth to the first live calf born in captivity. The male calf failed to nurse, and he died of pneumonia in about two weeks.
- October 31, 1978: Corky’s second calf, named Spooky because he was born on Halloween, was born. He also failed to nurse and died of pneumonia. It’s believed that the formula he’d been fed was contaminated.
- April 1, 1980: Corky gave birth to an eight-week premature stillborn calf.
- June 18, 1982: Corky’s longest surviving baby was born. She lived for just 46 days and also failed to nurse. After about a month, Marineland of The Pacific reportedly feared for the calf’s safety as Corky became increasingly rough with her, so the calf was put in a separate tank. She died a couple of days later.
- July 22, 1985: Corky gave birth to a female calf who survived for about a month.
- July 27, 1986: Corky’s last pregnancy at Marineland of The Pacific ended in a miscarriage.
- August 1987: Corky miscarried her last baby, who was found dead at the bottom of her tank at SeaWorld. After suffering this miscarriage, Corky stopped ovulating and was unable to have any more children.
Corky Likely Remembers Her Calves—We Should, Too
After she went through her devastating series of pregnancies, Corky spent a lot of time close to a young female orca named Orkid when they shared a tank at SeaWorld. Orkid’s presence may have filled an aching hole in Corky’s heart, but that peace didn’t last.
One day, Orkid’s mother, Kandu, attacked Corky. While forcefully charging at her, Kandu broke her own jaw, severing arteries in her head. It took 45 minutes for Kandu to die, as her own calf watched.
Never Again
If she had been left in her ocean home, Corky might have had grandchildren of her own.
If she had stayed with her family, she’d likely be with her brother and sister, Fife and Ripple, who are still swimming freely. We mourn not only her babies who died but also the life she could have had, dashed by violent, selfish humans.
Grandmother orcas, too, play a significant role in caring for the pods’ calves. Research suggests that they undergo menopause to help raise their grandchildren.
Her calves may be dead, but Corky lives on and needs your help. Please urge SeaWorld to send her to a seaside sanctuary, where she could live out her days in peace and experience some semblance of the life that she has been denied for so long.
If released to a sanctuary, Corky could feel flowing currents, dive deep into the water, and possibly even communicate with her family. But for that to happen, SeaWorld needs to act now. Please urge the company to finally do right by Corky:
