Question:
Has their ever been a blue wale, grey whale or sperm whale in captivity?
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Answer:
Yes, there have been. Off the top of my head, I don't know for sure about
the blue whale, but J.J. was a gray whale calf that was kept in captivity
for quite sometime at Sea World. You should be able to find some good
information on line; there was even a special issue of the journal Aquatic
Mammals that was dedicated to information collected on J.J. while in
captivity. Once J.J. was too big to be held in captivity, he was released
off the California coastline during gray whale migration season. As for
sperm whales, I'm aware of sperm whale calves that were held in captivity
after stranding (for rehabilitation) but I don't think any have survived for
re-release into the wild. Certainly, all three of the species you questioned
are too large to be held long-term in captivity.
Hope that helps.
Dagmar Fertl
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