Wild mammals are a major source of food in some parts of the world, and many different kinds, from fruit bats and armadillos to whales, are captured and eaten by various cultural groups.
In a few short years, dolphinaria appeared in every major country, with wild dolphins and later orcas, or killer whales, being captured by the hundred so they could perform tricks for tourists in their concrete tanks.
Between 1964 and 1976, 50 killer whales from the Pacific Northwest were captured for display in aquaria, and public interest in the animals grew.
One conclusion was that the imports would adversely affect the specific population of whales from which the belugas were captured.
During the first hunt of the season in Taiji in 2009, an estimated 50 Pilot Whales and 100 Bottlenose Dolphins were captured.
In 1996 (whale 1) and 2007 (whale 2), individual whales deviating from the genetic profile for B.a. acutorostrata were captured in the Northeast Atlantic.
More recently, in the 1960's and 70's, killer whales, including individuals from the southern resident population, were captured for aquariums.
In 1996, and 2007, two whales deviating from the typical genetic profile for B.a. acutorostrata were captured in the Northeast Atlantic (Fig. 1).
Although whales have been captured in the wild and placed in captivity, no one has captured a wild whale and reintroduced it into a pod.
One of the Orlando park's eight killer whales, Tilikum was captured at the age of about two in the waters of Iceland and has been in captivity for almost 30 years.
