Junior was an approximately 12 year old male orca who lived at Marineland Canada, in their infamous "animal warehouse".
In November of 1984, Junior was captured in Berufjörður, Iceland at approximately 2 years old. He spent his first two years in captivity at the Hafnarfjörður aquarium, before being purchased by marineland Canada and sent to Ontario by the end of 1986 alongside Kandu VII, a tankmate of his back in Hafnarfjörður.
And it was at marineland where the torture would begin. In 1989, Junior would be moved to Marineland's infamous "Warehouse", a small indoor building behind the king Waldorf stadium meant to host the excess animals. It was dimly-lit, and the small size of the building accompanied by the low ceiling didn't even allow the animals inside to jump out of their tanks. As it hosted various animals, including sea lions, the barking of the pinnipeds along with the loud music coming from the king Waldorf stadium was described as "deafening". Orcas are animals with incredibly sensitive hearing, and Junior was subjected to constant loud noise every. Single. Day.
After a few months of living at the warehouse, he would be placed into a larger pool where he reunited with Kandu VII, along with joining two other females, Kiska and Nootka V. However, his time with other orcas didn't last long, as soon in 1990 marineland would decide to place Junior back in the warehouse due to "poor Training ability", having been described as "too slow for training".
He was put up for sale, but no marine park was interested in purchasing him, most likely due to his lack of training. So instead, he'd simply be left in the warehouse for the remainder of his life, abandoned to rot in the small, dirty tank, accompanied only by a few dolphins. And with a gate blocking half of the pool, forced to swim in a tiny circle each day, left with nothing but his own trauma.
And the longer Junior stayed there, the more his condition deteriorated. Over the years, the tank has been covered in rust—being described as horribly worn down. In all the photos taken at the warehouse, the water appeared green and murky. Former marineland staff reported that the chemicals they used to clean the water were so incredibly strong that animals would beach themselves on the slideout to get away from them.
Marineland had various strange "policies", including one seemingly going against basic enrichment. Therefore, Junior was provided with absolutely no mental stimulation other than his dolphin companions and the daily trainer visits. No training sessions, no toys, absolutely nothing other than the yelling of the sea lions, the loud music from the shows and the pitying caretakers.
At some point, I believe even his dolphin companions were taken away from him, either by death or being moved to god knows where. He was left alone, and by the end of his life appeared lethargic and uninterested in the little stimulation he was occasionally provided by trainers.
In June of 1994, Junior would pass away due to brain damage after having spent nearly all his life in the tiny pool, being provided with no sunshine or fresh air, his entire world reduced to the dirty water and the ceiling of the building he'd wake up to every day.
He was only 12 years old when he passed, enduring unimaginable torture throughout the 10 years of his short life.
This is Makani, a 12 year old captive-born male orca who currently lives at SeaWorld San Diego. He's the same age Junior was when he passed.
Makani's life is filled with friends and family, he's accompanied by his pod 24/7. He's fed a selected diet of restaurant quality food, and is provided with mental stimulation every single day. When opening his eyes, he can gaze at the sun and feel the wind on his skin. He's surrounded by love and care at a world class facility, despite being a captive orca.
Meanwhile, all that Junior has known for almost his entire life was the screams of other animals at the indoor building, the rust on the walls of his tank, the lack of any stimulation and food that could barely be classified as "edible". The last time he saw another orca was 4 years before his death.
This is all that his life was.
