Captive orcas could retire in Northwest, but some worry about harm to endangered whales

KNKX, By BELLAMY PAILTHORP • DEC 4, 2019

Now, a new nonprofit group is making the case that no cetaceans should be held captive and forced to perform for food. It’s called The Whale Sanctuary Project. It would be a $15 million facility where roughly a half dozen captive orcas could safely retire. The group’s extensive roster includes dozens of scientists and trainers — some who once worked in the captive industry. They want to put their first facility in the Pacific Northwest.

“We’re attached to the Southern Residents. We want to do whatever we can to help them,” said the group’s founder and president Lori Marino, as she toured the Northwest this summer.

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