Orcas were living hopelessly in the enclosure, but when they saw the drone they started to perform vigorously

[popsune1]

The video, captured by activist and artist Seph Lawless, shows two orcas, a mother named Wikie and her son Keijo, initially floating listlessly in murky, algae-infested water in a defunct marine park in France (Marineland of Antibes).

The claim is that the orcas started to "perform vigorously" after seeing the drone overhead. According to Lawless, the whales looked up in a "curious, gentle" manner after hearing the drone's gentle hum and then began to move "as if they recognized me—as if hope itself had come back to visit". The footage showed them moving and jumping in the water, reminiscent of their performance routines when the park was open and crowds were present, though this time there was no audience.

Animal activists and others online described the moment as a tragic display, highlighting how the highly intelligent animals, trapped in grim conditions, seemed to remember their performance behaviors in response to a novel stimulus (the drone), underscoring the unnatural and "hopeless" conditions of their confinement.

Scientific studies using drones for research in the wild generally note minimal disturbance to orcas, with most whales ignoring the drones when flown at appropriate altitudes. The behavior in the video is specifically linked to the unique, captive environment and the orcas' prior training and social conditioning.

 

[popsune1]

 

[Hypernova]

Maybe like artistes conditioned until see camera must start to act.

 

[SaintPeachie]

Is like sinkies wear no4 or see rank will only know how to say, “Yes Sir! Yes Sir!”

 

[eggie011]

In the past, they were rewarded with food. That's what they're hoping for.

 

[halocast]

Hope they can "retire" somewhere safe

 

[kleong]