Whilst looking for a Bridgette Pirtle interview for another article, I came across this one, which paints a horrible picture of the way Unna was treated at Seaworld. Even though she had miscarried on the slide out, the trainers had seen it, yet the show continued, with the trainers having to dive in after the show to pick up the pieces of calf fetus!! There is no excuse for treating an orca like that. Unna was one of the orcas who was taken from her mother Katina. Although Seaworld deny separating any of them, the evidence is there as both are still alive in different tanks. Unna was born on December 27, 1996 at SeaWorld Orlando. Her parents are Katina (mother) and Tilikum. She is Katina's fourth calf and also Tilikum's, and was the second calf to be born to the pair. Unna lived with her mother, father, siblings, and other whales at her birthplace in Orlando for the first six years of her life. In August 2002, Katina gave birth to her fifth calf, a male named Ikaika. Unna was there to assist her mother during the labor. In December 2002, Unna was transferred to SeaWorld San Antonio because the park only had three whales at the time: two males who were fighting over one female. Kayla, Keto and Kyuquot. She was half sister to Kyuquot and Aunt to Keto. In late April 2006, Unna gave birth to a stillborn calf, unless she was Ai'd that would have been another inbred calf. Her animal profile states Her health was compromised after this event and she has been on medication since. Were there 2 other pregnancies as Pirtle says or was the one that came out during the show the pregnancy referred to? She is only allowed to work with the most experienced trainers after showing discrimination between trainers and aggression towards other whales especially to the older males in the group. Separation can be a challenge for Unna, especially after the med pool for injections, endoscope etc. She needs to be reinforced effectively to gain her trust. John Hargrove also witnessed some frightful behaviour with Unna. Unna used to destroy her face picking at the paint in the show pool. The trainers lobbied Seaworld for years to have the floor repainted but it never was. It made the shows difficult for them and it obviously wasn't good for Unna, but again Seaworld did nothing!! The stereotypical behaviour was not just limited to Unna. Hargrove in particular remembers Sakari, a young calf at SeaWorld Texas. “She would go down and hit her head on the bottom of the pool, over and over to the point where her jaw would be bloody and bruised,” Hargrove says. Once, according to Hargrove, the damage was so bad that Sakari stopped eating for a few days because it was painful for her to open her jaw. “Once they got to the point where the jaw was bloody and badly bruised you would think they would stop,” Hargrove notes. “But they wouldn’t stop.” We all know the outcome of Keto's behaviour when he was moved on to Loro Parque. As for Kyuquot he expressed his frustration in the only way he could. Will Seaworld answer to this? - Probably not Should Seaworld answer to this? - they definately should as these were Seaworld staff describing incidents whilst they worked at Seaworld. Claims like these cannot go without some explaination as to why the trainers were ignored when reporting the pool bottom. Why the other 2 pregnancies are not recorded anywhere at all yet Bridgette Pirtle said they did happen? Lastly why would a show continue when an orca has just miscarried a calf?? Shame on you Seaworld.
The death of a third whale at a SeaWorld park in six months brings even more scrutiny.
Unna, an 18 year old killer whale, died Monday at SeaWorld San Antonio as a result of a...
Thank you to @Mendette for pointing us to the Merck Veterinary Manual. The entry in it regarding mycotic infections in marine mammals provides insights for all of us that explain why SeaWorld's captive orca Unna is sick; very seriously & hopefully not terminally. Image from Center for Whale Research shows genital slit in a wild female. Unna is now on powerful medications "This common mycotic disease in captive cetaceans occurs secondary to stress, unbalanced water disinfection with chlorines, or indiscriminate antibiotic therapy. Candidiasis is also reported in pinnipeds. " Merck Manual Excerpt ________________________ The reason Unna's immune system is compromised is from captivity itself. And The Manual explicitly connects captivity with fungal infections due to stress. [The Merck Manual is a medical textbook of diagnosis and therapy] The serious nature of her illness is the reason SeaWorld has announced it (proactive damage control) in case the company faces a public relations nightmare prior to the upcoming California Coastal Commission Hearing in Long Beach, on October 8th. _______________________________________________________________________ At SeaWorld, Unna's stress is caused by many factors including social strife from miniaturized & crowded movement boundaries, social & genetic incompatibility, abnormal diet, deconditioning, & chronic dehydration (the reason for gelatin supplementation). She suffers teeth damage, from sunburn & and also chronic noise pollution. Mendette told us: I'm so worried about Unna. And also took action: I searched all day and all I could find on Mycotic Diseases is here (The Merck Manual on Veterinary Medicine). Below is SeaWorld's Press Release, first; followed by a description of mycotic infections in cetaceans from The Merck Manual. We hope you'll read both. The pathogen isolated in Unna's bladder is Candida. Bold accents have been added to certain key words. _______________________________________ UNNA THE KILLER WHALE UNDER TREATMENT AT SEAWORLD SAN ANTONIO Killer whale veterinarians and trainers at SeaWorld San Antonio are giving around-the-clock attention and medical care to Unna, a female killer whale with suspected cystitis caused by a fungal infection. Preliminary tests show that the fungus is Candida, an organism that is pervasive in the environment and found in many different animals including whales and dolphins. Experts are still determining the species of Candida and its susceptibility to specific medications, as this particular fungus does not appear to be acting like normal Candida. It appears to be resistant to commonly used medications, and we are working aggressively to overcome this challenge. --- END SeaWorld Press Annoucement --------------------------- Below is the Entry from the Merck Manual of Veterinary Medicine on Fungal Infections in Captives ------------------ Mycotic Diseases of Marine Mammals Captive marine mammals seem particularly prone to fungal infections (see Fungal Infections). Most appear to be secondary to stress, environmental compromise, or other infectious disease. Some systemic mycoses have distinct geographic distributions. Diagnosis is based on clinical signs and confirmed by identification of the organism in biopsy or, preferably, culture. Wet mounts in lactophenol or cotton blue may render an immediate diagnosis with some of the morphologically distinct fungi. Tissue smears cleared in warm 10% potassium hydroxide can be examined to identify characteristic fruiting bodies or hyphae. Candidiasis This common mycotic disease in captive cetaceans occurs secondary to stress, unbalanced water disinfection with chlorines, or indiscriminate antibiotic therapy. Candidiasis is also reported in pinnipeds. In cetaceans, the lesions usually are found around body orifices. At necropsy, esophageal ulcers are often found, particularly in the area of the gastroesophageal junction... Diagnosis is based on identification of the yeast in cultures or biopsy. [NOTE: These are Unna's medical options] Candidiasis generally responds well to ketoconazole (6 mg/kg, PO, sid) along with correction of any environmental deficits. Supplementation with prednisolone (0.01 mg/kg) may be appropriate to compensate for ketoconazole inhibition of glucocorticoid production. Fluconazole (2 mg/kg, bid) has also been used successfully. One anecdotal report suggests a possible toxic reaction to ketoconazole in a northern elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris). Early detection and treatment is usually successful. Another opportunistic yeast, Cryptococcus neoformans, has been diagnosed in fatal advanced pulmonary disease in a bottlenose dolphin. Prolonged treatment with itraconazole (120 days) at routine mammalian doses was ineffective despite serum drug levels above the suggested therapeutic range. _____________________________________________________ For those studying cetacean confinement & exploitation, this condition with Unna is a hallmark manifestation of the physiological stresses associated with captivity at SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment.
The following pictures are owned by SeaWorld and credits listed.
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Decorate laptops, Hydro Flasks, cars and more with removable kiss-cut, vinyl decal stickers. Glossy, matte, and transparent options in various sizes. Super durable and water-resistant. A design of UNNA the killer whale with her name attached- there is a version with no name
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Sad news. Unna, one of the killer whales at SeaWorld San Antonio, has passed away.
WDC is saddened to hear the news that Unna, a female orca held at SeaWorld’s park in San Antonio, Texas, has died. She was just 18 years old. For the past few months Unna had been fighting a chronic fungal infection but failed to respond to treatment. She died on December 21st and SeaWorld announced that all orca shows would be cancelled at the park for the remainder of the day. Unna is the third whale to die at the Texas park in the past 6 months. In November, a two year old beluga died of intestinal problems and in
These orca killer whale stickers featuring a PNW mountain night scene within the silhouette of the body measure 3x2.5" each and are printed on durable glossy vinyl! This was a digital illustration I created in Procreate inspired by the orca whales I see in my home town in Kitsap County, WA.
The following pictures are owned by SeaWorld and credits listed.
Contact with orca, ICD-10: W56.2. Symptoms, Chapter, Cases. Contact with Orca: A Unique Experience For those seeking an unforgettable wildlife encounter, a contact with orca whales is an experience like no other. Orcas, also known as killer whales, are...
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