Kayla a 30 year Old Orca Died in Florida

The female orca, known as Kayla, died on January 28 after becoming sick two days earlier in Sea World s Orlando park in Florida. Sea World said in a statement a post-mortem in the coming weeks would reveal the cause of death.

"Although animal care specialists and veterinarians devoted around the clock attention to Kayla, she did not survive," the company said. Kayla began showing signs of discomfort on Saturday, and worsened on Sunday and she was given around-the-clock care until her death.

Kayla was the first killer whale born in captivity at Sea World in San Antonio, Texas, in 1988, and was the second-oldest orca born in captivity. Kayla s calf, Halyn, died when she was just three years old. The news of Kayla s death has saddened the park but angered animal rights groups, who argue the animals have a far shorter life expectancy when kept in captivity.

The US government estimates that female orca s will live around 50 years but can live to be as old as 80 or 90 in the wild. According to Many doctors Kayla died at a very young age. That s like literally being a 30-year-old woman. Dying at 30 is not normal

Sea World stopped its Orca breeding program in 2016 amidst intense pressure from animals rights activists after the release of the documentary Black-fish in 2013. Animal Rights group PETA has hit out at the company over Kayla s death.

In a tweet PETA said: "Kayla was forced to move around the country from park to park & heart-breakingly lost babies over the years". After being hauled from park to park, performing tricks in chemically treated waters for a reward of dead fish, miscarrying a calf and losing another, and enduring forced artificial insemination, Kayla s suffering has come to an end.