In the wild, killer whales exhibit surprisingly gentle behavior when encountering humans, but their demeanor can shift dramatically in captivity, where incidents of aggression are more common. An infamous incident dating back to 1911, recounted by Captain Robert Falcon Scott during an Antarctic expedition, describes a group of orcas disrupting a pack of expedition dogs tied to an ice floe. While the photographer escaped unscathed, this event contributed to the species’ fearsome reputation.

Despite numerous encounters with humans over centuries, documented attacks by wild orcas are exceptionally rare, with only one fatal incident reported in the 1950s involving an Inuit man in the Canadian Arctic. Experts believe such encounters are often a case of mistaken identity or misjudgment on the part of the orcas, who primarily exhibit hunting behavior towards marine prey. Conversely, captive orcas have been involved in numerous violent incidents, notably exemplified by Tilikum, responsible for the deaths of three individuals, including a SeaWorld trainer in 2010. While the precise triggers for aggression in captivity remain unclear, researchers suggest that the artificial environment and prolonged confinement may contribute to behavioral abnormalities, highlighting the stark contrast between the behavior of wild and captive orcas.