Fascinating video footage has surfaced from the 1971 Penn Cove capture that ended live in freedom for young killer whales Kandu 2, Kandu 3 and Kona. Four more orcas drowned during the capture. All in all the Southern Resident killer whale community lost a total of 45 members through these kind of captures, a loss that is still hurting the current endangered population. Warning: some images and expressions are not for the faint hearted!

There might be a second chance for young female Morgan to regain her freedom after all. The Orka Coalitie is trying to prove that the Dutch Ministry is legally obliged, by international law, to do her very best to release this orca back into the wild, and that in Morgan's case this has not been done.

Sources: Orka Coalitie

A federal judge has dismissed a Lolita lawsuit over timing technicalities. ALDF, PETA and a couple individuals had sued the US Government for not protecting Lolita as it (at least theoratically) protects other members of the Southern Resident killer whale community.

Source: The Daily Herald

As was to be exptected, Morgan is having problems after her controversial transfer to Loro Parque in Spain. She keeps getting abused by her tankmates and shows deep laceration wounds.

Sources: DutchNews and WDCS.

Note: This sad development doesn't come as a surprise to anyone familiar with orcas. The patchwork group at Loro Parque lacks stability because there is no adult female, which is the core of every killer whale community. Unfortunately Morgan is now paying the price for the Dutch authorities' misjudgement.

As advertised earlier, Keet has now been moved from San Antonio, Texas, to SeaWorld California in San Diego:

"Keet, a killer whale who has been moved multiple times, re-joined SeaWorld San Diego on Monday from sister theme park SeaWorld San Antonio. The killer whale was flown in a tank from Texas to Lindbergh Field aboard a C-130 cargo plane, according to a SeaWorld representative. The whale and a team of logistics personnel, animal care specialists and veterinarians arrived between 5:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. After arriving, Keet was transferred from the airport to SeaWorld on the back of a large flat-bed semitruck. It took about two hours to drive slowly to SeaWorld and to transfer him to a large tank. Another killer whale, a 40-year-old female named Corky, watched the entire process. She was determined to find out more about her new tankmate being lowered in -- a tank that Keet has been in before. The 7,000-pound, 19-year-old whale, was born at SeaWorld San Antonio and transferred to San Diego in 1999. In early 2000, he was sent to SeaWorld Ohio. The next year he was sent back to San Diego, where he stayed until he was transferred to San Antonio in 2004. Now, he is back in San Diego."

Source: 10 News San Diego(incl. short video)

picture of Keet and Corky 2 (right) by Julie Scardina.

Note: That's already the fifth major transfer for poor Keet in 13 years. I really wish SeaWorld would keep the shipping of orcas at a minimum, social stability is of the utmost importance for killer whales.

Judge dismisses PETA 'slavery' suit over SeaWorld orcas.

Source: USA Today

Note: not much of a surprise here, extending constitutional protection to animals was very unlikely to happen.

SeaWorld has notifed the National Marine Fisheries Service sometime before Nov. 2, 2011 of its intention to move young male Keet from Texas to SeaWorld California in San Diego. No further details known.

Sources: Tim Zimmermann, Candace Calloway Whiting