They were wild creatures destined to live out their lives, free, in the oceans of our world. Yet they suffered. The size of the Japanese Orca population is unknown but probably very small. Destroying these orcas will have a dramatic effect on their pods. Even the demise of one orca family could cause great harm to the population.
Orcas live long lives, reproduce slowly and endure high infant mortality.
Acoustic and cultural traditions exist within Orca families and find various forms of expression in orca populations around the world. Little is known of these traditions in orcas, but they certainly exist. It is now impossible for Japanese or international observers to get any information on the fate of the remaining three orcas. Their tiny tanks are barred from public view or access and no information is forthcoming from the aquarium or your government. The condition of the remaining three orcas as they suffer loss of their family group, starvation, sensory deprivation and paralysis caused by lack of movement must be dreadful.