00:00Why are captive orcas forced to eat ice? This is not animal abuse. On the contrary,
00:05it's actually saving their lives. In the wild, these ocean giants do not drink water.
00:10Orcas live in the ocean, and although they are surrounded by water, they cannot directly drink
00:16seawater. The salt content in seawater is too high, and if consumed in large quantities,
00:21it can lead to dehydration and organ damage. In the natural environment, orcas obtain the
00:27water they need, mainly from the moisture in their food. When they hunt fish, squid, or seals,
00:33these prey contain a high amount of water, which is more than enough to meet their physiological
00:37needs. However, in artificial captive environments like aquariums, things are quite different. The
00:43food provided to captive orcas is usually frozen fish. During the thawing and storage process,
00:49the metabolic water inside the fish is greatly reduced, resulting in insufficient moisture
00:54content. To make up for this shortage, zookeepers often feed them ice cubes, so that orcas can
01:00supplement water by eating ice. That's why we often see captive orcas being forced to eat ice.
