As Jessica Radcliffe orca attack mystery unfolds, spotlight turns to 'Kiska', the world's loneliest killer whale

Economic Times

3 days ago

Synopsis
A viral AI-generated video falsely depicted a killer whale attacking a marine trainer named Jessica Radcliffe, sparking outrage online. Fact-checks confirmed the video's fabrication, revealing no evidence of the incident or Radcliffe's existence. Amid Jessica Radcliffe orca attack mystery, attention has turned to Kiska, also known as "the loneliest whale in the world".
Kiska, the last captive killer whale in Canada, was known as the loneliest whale in the world Social media has been flooded with dramatic videos of a killer whale, orca, supposedly attacking and killing marine trainer Jessica Radcliffe during a live show. The alleged incident, captured in the now viral video, triggered shock and outrage. However, later it turned out that the video was AI-generated. The video purportedly shows Jessica Radcliffe being fatally attacked by an orca, also known as the killer whale, during a live show and went viral on TikTok, Facebook and X. However, multiple fact-checking sources have confirmed that the footage is entirely fabricated and has no basis in fact.Despite being shared widely, there is no credible evidence to support the claim that a marine trainer named Jessica Radcliffe was attacked by a killer whale. Authorities, marine parks and established news outlets have found no record of her existence or the incident. According to a report in The Star, the footage is fictional; even the voices in the clip appear to be artificially generated.
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As the AI-generated video went viral online, people were quick to find out interesting facts about orcas and marine life and how these captivities led to real-life incidents. By now, many of us know the story or Orca or killer whales, the powerful apex predators. But many of us don't know about Kiska, the loneliest killer whale in the world.
Kiska, the last captive killer whale in Canada, was known as the loneliest whale in the world. She spent the past 12 years completely isolated from any other species and ultimately died in her concrete prison on the 10th of March 2023.
Kiska resided at Marineland, a zoo and amusement park in Niagara Falls, after being captured in Icelandic waters in 1979, according to CBC. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), said Kiska "spent her final years isolated in a cramped tank, swimming in endless circles or sometimes floating listlessly."ALSO READ: Jessica Radcliffe orca attack triggers massive buzz: Five astonishing facts about Orcas you never knew
Kiska's life of continued isolation led the Whale Sanctuary Project to describe her as "the loneliest whale in the world." Both animal rights groups reported that Kiska died of a bacterial infection.
According to Orca Legacy, Kiska was captured in the North Atlantic ocean near Iceland in 1979 and after a short stay in an Icelandic aquarium she was sold to MarineLand Canada.
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Between 1992 and 2004, Kiska gave birth to 5 calves; Kanuck, Nova, Hudson, Athena and her firstborn, who died too young to receive a name. Kiska underwent several hardships while residing at the amusement park, according to PETA as none of her calves lived longer than a few years, the report mentioned.The animal rights organisation claimed Kiska also lost its sole tankmate, Ikaika, in 2011. Footage of Kiska purportedly slamming her face against her tank multiple times also began circulating on social media in 2021. From 2011 until 2023, all Kiska could do was stare at the emptiness of the inside of her tank.In June 2019, the Canadian Parliament passed Bill S-203, known as the Ending the Captivity of Whales and Dolphins Act, officially making Kiska the final orca to ever live in captivity in Canada.