Gerardo Camps announces that the Oceanographic Park will have two Orcas
The vice-president of Economy and president of the CACSA Administration Council, Gerardo Camps, announced during his visit to the Marineland park that the Oceanographic Park of the City of Arts and Sciences “will have two Orca specimens as of next year on its premises, one of the most modern in Europe”.
Gerardo Camps stated that this is “one of the biggest commitments to the future of the Oceanographic Park, a very important commitment as there are only 45 specimens of this species in aquariums in the whole world. So, the fact that two specimens will be in the Oceanographic Park is another demonstration of the good times that Valencia and the Valencian Community Region are going through, and the effort that is being made so that the best in the world is in our Community Region”.
As for the Oceanographic Park’s director, Pablo Areitio, he explained that “the Oceanographic Park’s capacity on the premises is sufficient to house these animals, although these will have to be complemented so that they can be handled with absolute safety for both the trainers and the animals”. He added that “they are animals that can easily use the equipment, they are very inquisitive and everything has to be very well designed so that they suffer no harm”.
Pablo Areitio assured that “the number of veterinarians that the Oceanographic Park can count on is sufficient to handle these animals”. “Moreover,” he continued, ”they normally need a higher number of trainers than a dolphin might need since it is more complicated to deal with them, and their intelligence means that one must keep more of an eye on them.”
Orcas are very large cetaceans. The males grow up to 9 metres in length and 7 tonnes in weight, while the females weigh about 5 tonnes and measure about 7 metres. They can be distinguished by their markings. These animals are known for their intelligence and hunting techniques, and move in groups usually led by a male. They feed fundamentally on fish, though there are Orcas specialized in capturing mammals. Those on controlled premises feed on fish.
