Kiska, Canada’s Last Captive Orca Has Died

Kiska, Canada’s last captive orca, died this week at Marineland after twelve years of isolation. Find out why animals rights groups want Marineland prosecuted, and how Kiska’s story reflects changing attitudes toward our treatment of animals.

There’s a jingle playing in my head today. It comes from my childhood, and the lyrics go “Marineland and Game Faaaaarm!” There was another one that went, “Everyone loves Marineland!”

Part aquarium, part zoo, part amusement park, Marineland is a tourist attraction on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls. Back in the 1970s, Marineland was Niagara Falls’ biggest attraction, apart from the falls of course, but lately it’s been struggling.

John Holer, an immigrant from what’s now Slovenia started Marineland back in 1961. He had escaped from the former Yugoslavia and made his way to Germany, where he learned to be an animal trainer with Circus Krone.

John Holer Built Up Attraction Housing 4,000 Animals

He moved on to Canada in 1957, and bought a parcel of land from the estate of gold-mining millionaire Harry Oaks. Starting with three sea lions, Holer eventually built up an attraction housing over 4,000 marine and land animals.