Katina's Gruesome Dorsal Fin Injury is no April Fool's Joke by SeaWorld

SeaWorld's most valuable matriarch suffers gaping laceration at the base of her dorsal fin 

Thanks to Heather Murphy @oceanadvocatefl for obtaining the first outside photographs of Katina, a key which broke the story; one that SeaWorld had been hiding for two weeks. Per SeaWorld's announcement, below, Katina was injured on 17 March, but the secretive captivity-corp only put out a response when Heather's images caught the attention of both mainstream & social media

------------------------------  SeaWorld's Vague Response below ---------------------------

NOTE: SeaWorld uses a deceptive camera angle to minimize the perceived damage to Katina's dorsal fin 

  

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Background: Captured near Iceland in 1978 at the age of two, Katina is arguably SeaWorld's most valuable killer whale. Not only has she provided matriarchal leadership and stability at the Orlando park for decades, she's trained dozens of young trainers and has been a prolific mother. In SeaWorld terms, she has produced many "assets" over the years, and has doubled the typical lifespan of a captive at SeaWorld. 

"KAT" is known as The Cadillac to those who've worked with her due to her steady personality & ability to consistently deliver "hot dog" segments for crowds at Shamu Stadium. Waterwork was banished at SeaWorld, per Judge Ken Welsch's ruling, here, after the tragic death of Dawn Brancheau in 2010. Note the (lesser) degree of dorsal fin collapse from 1995.  


A top mom, KAT was the first female killer whale to successfully give birth in captivity; in part due to larger pool sizes constructed in the mid 1980's. These bigger pools gave calves enough room to nurse. KAT's first "Baby Shamu" was Kalina, half Icelandic and half Southern Resident, like her father, Winston.  

Photos: Orca whale at SeaWorld Orlando suffers split to her dorsal fin https://t.co/darvrqX1yE pic.twitter.com/ExOYUEtdSq

— News 6 WKMG (@news6wkmg) April 1, 2018

Note that Winston impregnated KAT in San Diego when she was only 7 years old. A pregnant Katina was stretchered & transported to Orlando, where she gave birth to Kalina on 9/26/1985 at the age of 9

Katina is also known for having a son, Taku, whom would later impregnate her, producing the inbred whale, Nalani, who was born 9/18/2006. For this, Taku was shipped to Texas, where he would die a year later from neuroinvasive West Nile Virus transmitted by a mosquito. 

Orca (Orcinus orca) captivity and vulnerability to mosquito-transmittedviruses, Jett, Ventre, 2012

Nice reporting from @BriannaVolz about #Blackfish Katina's injurieshttps://t.co/VKhm5MldWZ

— Ocean Advocate News (@oceanadvocatefl) April 1, 2018

As you can see, Katina has had a tragic life at SeaWorld over the past 40 years, outliving 3 of her offspring Taku, Kalina & Unna, where her circular swimming pattern and time at the surface have both contributed to her collapsed dorsal fin. 

That fin, now badly damaged, may have to be partially amputated, depending on how much blood flow can be preserved above the lesion. We will be looking for evidence of tissue necrosis over the next several weeks. 

Photo of Katina's dorsal fin injury by Heather Murphy 

Former SeaWorld Killer Whale Trainers Chime in via Social Media 

Katina has been on antibiotics her entire captive life because of broken teeth and other captivity-related problems. Antibiotic resistance may make this injury difficult to treat once infection begins. https://t.co/vG1jGSfn75

— John Jett (@John_Jett_Phd) April 1, 2018

My belief is that the fin was lying between the bars in her cell, possibly at a gate or other structure. She forcibly rotated counter-clockwise (against the bend) & tore the base of the dorsal fin right at the spot where you'd think it would tear

— Jeffrey Ventre (@jeffrey_ventre) March 31, 2018

This horrific gash in Katina’s dorsal is too deep for the tissue to reconnect. It can also become infected which can cause her to lose her dorsal which would kill her. This to me looks absolutely like she hit the glass. You have to know how the pools & gates have corners

— John Hargrove (@johnjhargrove) April 1, 2018

This injury is not closing up. The best we can hope for is that it scars down and becomes stable. And also that she can fight off infection(s). Depending on blood flow, she may or may not develop tissue necrosis in her dorsal fin https://t.co/H9eny6sJsC

— Voice of the Orcas (@Voice_OT_Orcas) April 1, 2018

What can we determine from SeaWorld's Public Relations Response? 

With the recent change in leadership, from former CEO Joel Manby, to current CEO John Reilly, we now know that the misinformation campaign at SeaWorld will continue. Reilly, a long time insider, seems to be turning back the hands of time.  This translates into less transparency & more misinformation. As pointed out already, the company has been hiding this injury from the public for two full weeks; only fessing up after Healther Murphy published her own photographs. 

Katina, one of the orcas held at SeaWorld Orlando sustains serious injury. SeaWorld in their blog commented that the injury is due to 'interactions' with the other orcas. Images: SeaWorld/Ocean Advocate News pic.twitter.com/et1VoiFpW7

— Marine Connection (@MC_org) April 1, 2018

SeaWorld's actual response to this injury, here, is both vague and delusional. This injury is a DIRECT CONSEQUENCE of captivity itself, for two reasons. 1) In the open ocean whales that are being chased or displaced can simply get out of the way 2) It was the concrete & steel enclosure at Shamu Stadium that caused the laceration itself, whether it was bars on a gate or her impacting the glass, as former trainer John Hargrove has postulated.  

SeaWorld's delusional corporate response

Seaworld has elected to ignore reality entirely, hoping no one notices.

— Delphinidae.info (@d_delphinidae) April 1, 2018

Author: Jeffrey Ventre MD is a medical doctor practicing in Washington state. He's a former SeaWorld trainer, 1987-1995, & Blackfish cast member