Most of the orcas at SeaWorld (SW) could never be released into the wild because of the catastrophic dental problems captivity causes. SW personnel drill holes in their teeth which require a lifetime of daily teeth/gum cleaning in order to prevent deadly infection.
Regarding the drilling (an extremely painful process using a tool very similar to a dremel drill):
"Success is measured by blood spilling out of the hole, in which case it's apparent the bore is complete." -
Former SeaWorld Trainer
Pictures and more info regarding drilling and dental problems:
http://theorcaproject.wordpress.com...ptivity-oral-health-of-killer-whales-exposed/
As for Keiko, he was not a good candidate for release. Many of the stories/footage in the 12 minute video were scaled down and taken from a documentary called 'A Whale of a Business' available on youtube. Keiko's story is also covered in a book called
A Death at SeaWorld by David Kirby.
Keiko is used by many pro-caps to support their agenda. In reality it's not a black/white issue...it's not captivity--vs--dumping them in the scary dark ocean to fend for themselves. There is another option and that is a sea pen. There is a proposal for Lolita's sea pen if you're interested. orcanetwork.org/retirement/html
I'm not if sure you're referring to me with your comments in your post so I'll make my feelings clear.
Breeding should stop now. This horribly cruel experiment has gone on long enough. Animal cruelty in the name of entertainment and profit is not acceptable. The captive orcas should be allowed to live out their remaining years in a sea pen with human assistance. They should be in natural water (not a bunch of chemicals) where they can swim in a straight line. They should be free of blasting music, begging for food, separating mothers from babies, frequent antibiotics, frozen gelatin blocks, tagamet, and being shipped all over the place like furniture...it's disgusting. If at some point in the future (many years) some young healthy orcas can be set free safely, together, that's great. If not, they should be taken care of for life.
It's willful ignorance this day and age for anyone to believe orcas belong in a concrete bowl.