Captive killer whales

Captive killer whales are large predatory marine mammals that were first captured live and displayed in exhibitions in the 1960s, and soon became popular attractions at public aquariums and aquatic theme parks due to their intelligence, trainability, striking appearance, playfulness in captivity, and sheer size. As of December, 2014, there are 57 orcas in captivity worldwide, 35 of which are captive-born. The practice of keeping killer whales in captivity has become controversial.