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The Ontario provincial government announced Friday that Kiska, Canada’s last captive killer whale, had died. This information was obtained from the amusement park where Kiska lived.

“The ministry has informed MarineLand that the whale named Kiska died in MarineLand on March 9, 2023. The necropsy was performed by professionals who still work for MarineLand,” said Brent Ross, spokesperson for the Ministry of the Provincial Solicitor General of Canada, in a press release.

MarineLand is an amusement park located in Niagara Falls, Ontario. Kiska, captured in Icelandic waters in 1979, was approximately 47 years old.

MarineLand said Kiska’s health had deteriorated in recent weeks.

“The marine mammal care team and experts did everything possible to keep Kiska comfortable and will mourn her loss,” local media quoted the theme park as saying.

Canadian non-profit animal rights group Animal Justice has called for an investigation into MarineLand’s treatment of the killer whale.

Animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) described Kiska as “the world’s loneliest orca.” Her life was marked by “tragedy after tragedy” after her five children died before the age of seven.

“Animal Protective Services is on site to determine compliance with standards of care,” Ross said. MarineLand has been inspected 160 times since January 2020 as part of the Animal Protection Service’s work to ensure standards of care were met under the law, Ross added. [ah/ft]