A peer-reviewed study has unveiled that whales at SeaWorld live as long as whales in the wild. The Journal of Mammalogy-published research has stated that a SeaWorld killer whale's life expectancy is 41.6 years in comparison to 42.3 for whales in a northern community and 29 years for the ones living in southern community.

The study titled, 'Comparisons of life-history parameters between free-ranging and captive killer whale (Orcinus orca) populations for application toward species management' has compared the data of survival and reproduction of Pacific Northwest killer whales with the killer whales in SeaWorld's care. The data has been observed since 1975.

"The results demonstrate unequivocally that killer whales in captivity have similar life expectancies to those in the wild and provide invaluable knowledge concerning normal reproductive patterns of the species", stated Todd Robeck, Vice-President of theriogenology at SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment.

The research has also unveiled that the average survival rate of calf from months of age to age 2 in the Southern Resident killer whale population is quite less when compared to be SeaWorld's average calf survival rate.

Study's lead researcher Kevin Willis, Vice President for Biological Programs for the Minnesota Zoo said that on the basis of available data, it has become clear that it can be argued that killer whales cannot be kept in captivity as they have reduced life span in comparison to their wild counterparts.