Wild-caught orca, Bingo, dies in Japan

Bingo, a male orca who was captured in 1984 on the west coast of Iceland, has died at the Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium in Japan, where he had been held since 2011. In April 2014, the aquarium reported that Bingo was in poor health, suffering from inflammation of the lungs.

Bingo was the only male orca held at the facility which now holds three orcas: Stella, who was also caught in Iceland and is believed to be approximately 27 years old and her two female offspring Ran II and Rin, born in 2006 and 2012. Bingo was the father of both of Stella’s calves.

47 orcas, including Bingo, who were captured in Iceland between 1976 and 1989 have died in captivity, only seven are still alive.