Two orcas swim at SeaWorld San Antonio. Credit: Courtesy of Seaworld

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) on Friday called on SeaWorld San Antonio to spread the ashes of an orca that died in its captivity this week in the ocean where they belong.

The animal-rights group also called on SeaWorld to release all orcas under its care.

On Thursday, SeaWorld San Antonio said in a public statement that 11-year-old orca Kamea died at the park due to an unspecified “illness.” The animal’s death came after it received “around-the-clock tireless” healthcare, officials also said.

“Kamea brought joy and inspiration to millions of guests over the years,” SeaWorld San Antonio wrote in a Facebook post. “Her playful spirit and unique personality touched the hearts of all who knew her.”

SeaWorld San Antonio officials had no immediate comment on PETA’s demand.

Although it’s unclear what SeaWorld does with the bodies of deceased orcas, PETA President Ingrid Newkirk is demanding that Kamea be cremated and her ashes be spread in her native ocean.

“In nature, Kamea could have lived to 80 years old, surrounded by her friends and family in the vast, open ocean, but SeaWorld condemned her to a miserable life and early death in a concrete prison cell,” Newkirk said in a statement. “PETA is calling on SeaWorld to acknowledge that it deprived Kema of the freedom she deserved by scattering her shares in the ocean and to release the remaining orcas to seaside sanctuaries — before it’s too late.”

In a statement, PETA also alleges Kamea is the 45th orca to die in SeaWorld’s care since the parks’ founding. She is the second aquatic mammal to die in SeaWorld San Antonio’s care since 2024.

In 2016, SeaWorld officials said all orcas then living in its parks would be the last generation bred in its facilities. It also said the current whales would remain at SeaWorld for the rest of their lives.

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This article appears in Jun 12-25, 2025.

Michael Karlis is a multimedia journalist at the San Antonio Current, whose coverage in print and on social media focuses on local and state politics. He is a graduate of American University in Washington,...