List of captive orcas

For capture of orcas, captivity locations and issues with captivity, see Captive orcas.

Orca show at Sea World San Diego

This article gives a partial list of captive orcas, or killer whales, large predatory marine mammals that were first captured live and displayed in exhibitions in the 1960s, or were subsequently born in captivity. They soon became popular attractions at public aquariums and aquatic theme parks due to their intelligence, trainability, striking appearance, playfulness in captivity and sheer size. As of March 2011, 42 orcas are held captive at facilities in North and South America, Europe and Japan, providing entertainment for the theme park visitors.

North Eastern Pacific captures

The first North Eastern Pacific orca was captured in November 1961 by a collecting crew from Marineland of the Pacific, and over the next 15 years, around 60 or 70 Killer Whales were taken from Pacific waters for this purpose.

Wanda

Wanda was captured by MarineLand California, now closed, in California on November 18, 1961. She survived for two days in captivity before dying. She was the first killer whale to be captured and displayed in captivity.

Corky

Corky II on a slideout, a trick wild orcas use to capture seals on ice floes.

Main article: Corky (killer whale)

Corky (II) is a female orca from the A5 pod in British Columbia, Canada. She currently lives at SeaWorld San Diego in California. Corky became the first orca to become pregnant and give birth in captivity. On February 28, 1977, the first calf to be born alive in captivity was born at Marineland to Corky and Orky. The calf was a male and died after eighteen days. Corky went on to give birth six more times, but the longest surviving calf lived only a total of 47 days. The calf, a female, was named Kiva.

In 1989, the dominant Orca at the park, Kandu V, attempted to "rake" Corky, showing dominance by forcefully scratching with her teeth. Kandu charged at Corky, attempting to rake her, she missed and continued swimming into the back pool, where she ended up ramming the wall, rupturing an artery in her jaw.

Corky is easily identified thanks to her tall, straight dorsal fin, her pointed eyepatches, and her large size for a female being 20 ft. long and weighing in at 8,000 LBs. She also tends to swim upside down in the pools. Corky is now approximately 43 years old, about middle age for an orca. She has lived in captivity for more than 40 years, the longest period of captivity of any orca. Calls to release her have been heard since the early 1990s.

K1/Taku

K1 was also named Taku. He was captured in August 1973 in Pedder Bay, British Columbia. While several other orcas he was caught with were sold to other marine parks K1 was too big to be sold. He was released on October 27, 1973 with a radio tag attached to his dorsal fin. Two nicks were cut into his dorsal fin to make it easy to identify and find him. He was given the adoption name of Taku. K1 reunited with his pod and was seen many times. One of the researchers who worked with him was the late Dr Michael Bigg who cut the nicks into K1's fin. K1 disappeared in 1997 and was presumed to have died at the age of 41, as his year of birth was believed to be 1955. K1 was a full blooded Southern Resident orca. He was 23 feet and 7 meters long.

Ramu III

Main article: Ramu III

Ramu III, later known as Winston, was captured near Coupeville, Washington in 1970 and lived in Windsor Safari park and SeaWorld San Diego. He died in 1986. He was the father of the original Baby Shamu, Kalina.

Kanduke

Kanduke (can duke) was captured from T pod in British Columbia, Canada, in August 1975. When captured, he was about 14 ft long (4.3 m) and weighed about 2,600 pounds (1,200 kg), which made him about 4–5 years old. His mother is thought to be T 7. He was sent to Sealand, Victoria, and then sold to Marineland, Canada. In January 1987, he was sold and moved to SeaWorld Orlando. While at Marineland, he did 'water work' with his trainers, but once at SeaWorld he was described as a "moody and unpredictable" whale and the 'water work' stopped. At SeaWorld Orlando, Kanduke often fought with a younger Icelandic male named Kotar. The aggression became increasingly serious. After an incident in which Kotar bit Kanduke's penis and caused an infection and show cancellations, the exhibitors decided to move the smaller whale to the newly opened SeaWorld San Antonio. On September 20, 1990 Kanduke died of unknown circumstances. He has since become a grandfather with the births of Sumar, Tekoa, and Malia.

Lolita

Main article: Lolita (orca)

Lolita (Low lita), originally known as Tokitae (Toki tay), is an orca at the Miami Seaquarium. She was a member of the L pod. When she was about four years old she was captured on August 8, 1970 at Penn Cove, Puget Sound, off the coast of Washington, and is now the oldest captive orca. The Penn Cove Capture became controversial due to the large number of wild orcas that were taken (seven) and the number of deaths that resulted: four juveniles died, as well as one adult female who drowned when she became tangled in a net while attempting to reach her calf.

When she first arrived at Miami Seaquarium, Lolita was put in the 'Whale Bowl'. Miami Seaquarium had another orca, Hugo, who lived in a different tank, called the 'Celebrity Bowl', which now houses manatees. The two orcas would vocalize to each other, and Hugo was later moved into the Whale Bowl with Lolita. At first, they were aggressive with each other, but then became more compatible with each other and more aggressive towards their trainers. Lolita and Hugo mated several times, and it was reported that Lolita was pregnant from this. However, she never delivered a live offspring. In 1980, during a show, Hugo slammed his head into a tank wall, causing a brain anyeurysm, breaking the glass on the side of the tank (which ripped off his 'nose', or rostrum), and had to have his rostrum sewn back on. Later, he died and Lolita was left all alone. Hugo's body was put in the Miami Dade dump. Lolita does not live with any other orcas currently. She vocalizes in captivity, in the unique calls used only by her pod. She is still apparently healthy. She is a large orca, measuring 22 feet (6.7 m) long and weighing 7,800 pounds (3,500 kg). This makes her one of the largest female orcas in captivity. Since Lolita arrived at the Miami Seaquarium, she has lived in their Whale and Dolphin Stadium, where she performs 1–2 shows daily. Lolita is the subject of the documentary Lolita: Slave to Entertainment released in 2008. Various groups consider that Lolita should be released into the wild.

Whale activists have proceeded to sue the U.S. government in federal court in Seattle, claiming that Lolita, captured from Puget Sound waters in 1970, should be accorded the same protection status granted to other Southern Resident orcas in 2005, as members of an endangered species.

Shamu

Main article: Shamu

Captured by Ted Griffin in Puget Sound in 1965, Shamu was intended to be a companion for the orca Namu in Griffin's Seattle aquarium. Shamu was however quickly leased and eventually sold to SeaWorld in San Diego. She performed in several SeaWorld shows and eventually died on August 23, 1971. The name Shamu has since been used for many different orcas in SeaWorld shows.

Namu

Main article: Namu (orca)

Namu was only the third orca captured and displayed in an aquarium exhibit, and was the subject of a film that changed some people's attitudes toward orcas. In June 1965, William Lechkobit found a 22 foot (6.7m) male orca in his floating salmon net that had drifted close to shore near Namu, British Columbia. The orca was sold for $8,000 to Ted Griffin, a Seattle public aquarium owner. Griffin swam and performed with Namu in the Seattle exhibit and Namu survived one year in captivity before dying in his pen on July 9, 1966.

Nepo

Nepo was captured with several other orcas on December 11, 1969. He and a capture mate Yaka* were sold to a place called Marineworld Africa in California. The two orcas joined another female Kianu* who had been at the park since 1968. Kianu wanted Nepo all to herself and she would attack Yaka whenever the other female was with Nepo. Nepo who was very close to Yaka protected her from Kianu's attacks. It got so bad that Kianu was transferred to a park in Japan. Nepo and Yaka continued to bond and even starred in the 1977 horror film Orca. Nepo died from pneumonia on July 10, 1980. Yaka stayed by his side as he took his final breaths. Even when trainers arrived to take Nepo's body away Yaka refused to leave him, and it took the trainers a while to separate the whales. Nepo was about 15 years old.

Moby Doll

Main article: Moby Doll

Moby Doll was the second captive orca displayed in a public aquarium exhibit. The 15 foot (4.6m) long, 1-ton male was captured in 1964 near East Point, Saturna Island in British Columbia after being harpooned and shot. He was towed to Vancouver and displayed publicly until he died three months after his capture. Moby Doll was popular locally and abroad and scientists took advantage of this first opportunity to study an orca and orca sounds up close.

Icelandic captures

An adult male Orca with its characteristic tall dorsal fin swims in the waters near Tysfjord, Norway.

When the US Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 effectively stopped the capture of Pacific orcas, most subsequent captures were made in Icelandic waters.

Kiska

Kiska is an Icelandic female who currently resides at Marineland of Canada and is the oldest at 35. She was captured in 1979 along with King, Caren and a no name female. Kiska and the female were sold to Marineland of Canada while King and Caren went to Kamogawa Sea World. The female soon died after her next transfer to Kamogawa. Kiska stayed at Marineland in King Waldorf Theatre and soon NootkaV, KanduVII and Junior arrived. Junior died in 1994. Kiska gave birth to 3 healthy calves sired by KanduVII in King Waldorf Theatre. MLC-OO-B9202 in 1992, died on October 25, 1992 (lived for 62 days) of drowning, Kanuck in 1994 died 1998 of Traumatic Shock, and Nova born 1996 died 2001 of pneumonia and starvation. In 1998, a larger habitat was built for the orcas and they were transferred there, it was called Friendship Cove. Kiska gave birth to Hudson in Friendship Cove in 1998, he died in 2004 of meningitis. Her last calf with KanduVII, Athena; who was her 1st daughter was born in 2004. KanduVII died the next year on Christmas Eve. NootkaV was sent to be with Kiska and Athena, she tried to steal Athena from Kiska since all her calves are deceased. Ikaika was sent to MLC in 2006 and he and Athena got along very well despite being 2 years apart. Kiska was separated from Athena until NootkaV's death in 2008. During the time Kiska, Ike and Athena spent together, trainers were thinking of resuming waterworks, however not in King Waldorf Theatre. Athena died in 2009 and was left with Ike. There was hope that Kiska could be impregnated by Ikaika. Kiska is fully retired from Splash Sessions now, being in Friendship Cove's back pool during the MLC on-season. Ikaika moved to SeaWorld San Diego on November 13, 2011. Kiska is the only orca now living at Marineland.

Gudrun

Gudrun (Goo drun) was an Icelandic female Orca who lived at Dolfinarium Harderwijk in the Netherlands and at Sea World Orlando in Florida. Gudrun was caught close to the coast of Iceland on 25 October 1976. She was kept in captivity in the Dolfinarium Harderwijk in the Netherlands, where she was the main attraction. In 1987, Gudrun was moved to SeaWorld Orlando in Florida, United States. Gudrun gave birth to Taima on 11 July 1989 at 16:45 EST during a thunderstorm. Gudrun gave birth to Nyar on 31 December 1993. Nyar suffered with illness often. She was so both mentally and physically ill, it was reported that Gudrun tried to drown her during several shows. Nyar died at two years old in April 1996. On 21 February 1996 Gudrun went into labour with her last calf. After 20 hours of labor, Gudrun was unable to deliver the calf. She died four days later on 25 February.

In 1982, Gudrun was the subject of an experiment in two-communications, designed to see if she could learn new words and incorporate them into her vocabulary.

Kandu V

Kandu V was a dominant female Icelandic Orca, caught in 1977 and kept at SeaWorld San Diego in California. In August 1989, she attempted to rake a newcomer Orca, Corky II, with her mouth during a live show. Instead she missed and ended up slamming into a wall. The blow severed an artery near Kandu V's jaw, and she began spouting blood. The crowd was quickly ushered out, and after a 45-minute hemorrhage, Kandu V died. Her daughter, Orkid, was 11 months old at the time of the accident.

Kasatka at SeaWorld San Diego lifting a trainer out of the water

Kasatka

Kasatka is a female Orca who lives at SeaWorld San Diego and the mother of Takara, Nakai, and Kalia. She is currently the park's dominant orca and she can be seen putting the other whales in their places including her own offspring. She was captured off the coast of Iceland on October 26, 1978, at the age of one year. Her name probably comes from the Russian word Kasatka (Russian: Кaсатка), a generic name for orcas. She is 17 feet long and weighs around 2.4 tonnes (5,600 pounds (2,500 kg)). Kasatka became a grandmother for the first time when her daughter Takara gave birth to her first calf, a female born May 3, 2002, named Kohana. Takara gave birth a second time, on November 23, 2005, to a male named Trua in SeaWorld Orlando. Takara gave birth to her third calf, a female born January 7, 2010, named Sakari. Kasatka was separated from Takara and Kohana on April 24, 2004, when they were moved to SeaWorld Orlando. Kasatka became a great grandmother on October 13, 2010 when Kohana gave birth to her first calf Adán.

Kasatka has shown aggression to humans. In 1993 Kasatka tried to bite a trainer during a show, and again in 1999. On November 30, 2006, Kasatka grabbed a trainer and dragged him underwater during their show. The trainer escaped with his life and was later in good condition despite being underwater for a "brief" amount of time. Since this incident, Kasatka has been barred from performing waterworks with trainers and might not ever be reintroduced to them. She is pregnant again with Kshamenk's semen and is due in January 2013.

Katina

Main article: Katina (orca)

From Left: Ikaika, Katina, and Taku perform in Sea World Orlando

Katina is a female who lives in SeaWorld Orlando. She was captured near Iceland at about two years of age on October 26, 1978. She is healthy and the most successful breeding female orca in captivity. At 16 feet 4 inches (4.98 m) and about 5,600 pounds (2,500 kg), Katina is small compared to other females, but she is rather bulky.

Upon her capture, Katina was purchased by Marineland (Ontario). In 1979, Katina was bought by SeaWorld and was sent to their park in San Diego. In 1982, Katina was moved to Sea World Ohio in Aurora, Ohio with another female named Kasatka, with whom she was captured in 1978. For two years, the two would perform in the Ohio park during the summer months and then be moved back to San Diego for the winter. Finally, in 1984, Katina was transferred to the SeaWorld in Orlando.

Katina became pregnant in early spring of 1984 at SeaWorld San Diego from a male named Winston. Soon after, she was moved back to Sea World Ohio for the summer. The trainers soon realized she was pregnant, so she was moved to Orlando at the end of the summer season, where she gave birth on September 26, 1985 to a female who was named Kalina. Although ten orca calves had been born in captivity prior to Kalina, none had survived past a few weeks. Kalina was the first orca calf to be successfully born and raised in captivity. Kalina was taken from her mother at 4 years 5 months and conducted on a trip around all four SeaWorld parks.

In early 1987, an adult male named Kanduke arrived in Orlando. He and Katina soon mated. Katina bore her second calf on November 4, 1988, a female named Katerina. In early 1991 at a very early age Katerina was transferred out of Orlando. Katerina died on May 5, 1999 at SeaWorld San Antonio at 10.5 years of age. A male named Tilikum came to SeaWorld in January 1992. It wasn't long before Katina was pregnant again. She gave birth to her first son on September 9, 1993, named Taku. Katina's next calf came on December 27, 1996, a female named Unna. Her fifth calf was a male born on August 25, 2002 named Ikaika. Katina gave birth to her sixth calf, a female named Nalani, on September 18, 2006. She gave birth to her seventh calf, a male named Makaio on October 9, 2010 at 7:28 p.m. The great-grandmother went into labor at 6:47 p.m. and delivered a 7-foot (2.1 m)-long, 350-pound male calf. He swam to the surface moments later for his first breath. She has six grandchildren, Keet, Keto, Tuar, Skyla, Trua and Nalani, as well as three great grandchildren, Kalia, Halyn and Adán.

Katina only lives with two of her seven calves (Nalani and Makaio) and two of her grandchildren (Trua and Nalani). She is always with her calf, but is also with Nalani and Kayla quite often. She is grouped with her son Makaio, Trua, Malia, Nalani and Kayla.

Katina appeared on a That's My Baby episode, where she gave birth to Ikaika.

Keiko

Keiko is weighed as he is loaded into his specially made transport tank at the Oregon Coast Aquarium, on September 9, 1998.

Main article: Keiko (orca)

Keiko (1977 – December 12, 2003) was an orca who starred in the first of three Free Willy movies. Keiko died on December 12, 2003 after beaching himself during the night, pneumonia was later determined as the probable cause of death. Keiko was captured near Iceland in 1979 and sold to the Icelandic aquarium in Hafnarfjörður. Three years later, he was sold to Marineland Canada, where he first started performing for the public and developed skin lesions indicative of poor health. He was then sold to Reino Aventura (now named Six Flags Mexico), an amusement park in Mexico City, in 1985. He was the star of the movie Free Willy in 1993.

The publicity from his role in Free Willy led to an effort by Warner Brothers Studio to find him a better home. Donations from the studio and Craig McCaw led to the establishment of the Free Willy Keiko Foundation in February 1995. With donations from the foundation and millions of school children, the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport, Oregon spent over US $7 million to construct facilities to return him to health with the hope of returning him to the wild. He was airlifted by UPS to his new home on January 7, 1996, weighing 3,500 kilograms (7,700 lb). During his years in Oregon, he gained over a ton in weight.

On September 9, 1998, he was flown to Klettsvik Bay in Vestmannaeyjar in Iceland, and gradually reintroduced to the wild, returning to the open sea in July 2002. Keiko died on December 13, 2003, at the age of 27 years. Following requests from fans of the orca and Free Willy, the Oregon Coast Aquarium held a memorial service for him on February 20, 2004. 700 people attended the service, at which the aquarium's veterinary chaplain said, "Keiko was not one of our kind, but nonetheless was still one of us." There is a memorial site for Keiko set up by the locals in Halsa, Norway, where the famous orca spent the last year of his life.

Tilikum

Main article: Tilikum (orca)

Tilikum performing during Believe at Seaworld Orlando

Tilikum, sometimes misspelled Tillikum, is a bull Orca who lives at SeaWorld Orlando. He has been involved in three human deaths and is known for siring whales. He was captured near Iceland in November 1983 at about two years of age. Tilikum measures 22 feet 6 inches (6.86 m) long and weighs in at 12,000 pounds (5,400 kg) (as of 2007). His pectoral fins are 6 feet 6 inches (1.98 m) long, his massive flukes curl under, and his 6-foot-tall dorsal fin (1.8 m) is flopped completely to his left side, and weighs close to 200 pounds (91 kg). He is the largest Orca in captivity and also the most successful sire in captivity, with 14 offspring, 11 of which are still alive. His name means friend in Chinook Jargon, usually spelled Tillicum and also meaning "people/tribe" or "kin".

Tillikum was first sent to live at Sealand of the Pacific near Victoria, British Columbia. While living in British Columbia, Tilikum sired his first calf when he was about eight or nine years old. His first son, Kyuquot, was born to Haida II on December 24, 1991. Just a few months prior to the birth of Kyuquot, Tilikum was involved in an incident which resulted in the death of a female trainer. Because of his huge size, Seaworld requested an emergency transfer to their facility. Tilikum was moved to his current location at SeaWorld Orlando, Florida on January 9, 1992. Sealand of the Pacific closed soon thereafter.

Since his arrival at SeaWorld, Tilikum has sired many calves with many different females. His first calf, born in Orlando, was to Katina. Katina gave birth to Taku on September 9, 1993. Taku died on October 17, 2007. Tilikum's other calves are: Nyar (born 1993, died 1996), Unna (1996), Sumar (1998–2010), Tuar (1999), Tekoa (2000), Nakai (2001), Kohana (2002), Ikaika (2002), Skyla (2004), Malia (2007), Sakari (2010) and Makaio (2010). In 1999, Tillikum began training for artificial insemination (AI). In early 2000, Kasatka who resides at SeaWorld San Diego was artificially inseminated using his sperm. She gave birth to Tilikum's son, Nakai, on September 1, 2001. On May 3, 2002, another female in San Diego, named Takara, bore Tilikum's calf through artificial insemination. Tilikum is also the first successful, surviving grandfather orca in captivity with the births of Trua (2005), Nalani (2006) and Adán (2010).

Tilikum was at the scene of a death on July 6, 1999. A 27-year-old male intruder was found floating naked in Tilikum’s pool, apparently killed by a combination of hypothermia and drowning. He had visited SeaWorld the previous day, stayed after the park closed, and evaded security to enter the Orca tank. Investigators determined that the man had been bitten by Tilikum either before or after death. This however, can't necessarily be classified either way, as Orcas generally use their teeth to inspect foreign objects in the same way a human would use their hands.

On February 24, 2010 Tilikum was involved in a third incident, when he killed a 40-year-old experienced trainer. The trainer was drowned following a popular Dine with Shamu show as at least two dozen tourists looked on from above a whale tank and from an underwater viewing area. Employees used nets and threw food at the whale in an attempt to distract him but one worker said it only made the animal more agitated.

Moving from pool to pool in the complex, they eventually captured Tilikum and released Ms Brancheau's body. A SeaWorld executive confirmed what witnesses saw, that the trainer was pulled into the water by Tilikum. At present, Tillikum remains at SeaWorld Orlando, and has returned to performing; just in time for the parks new killer whale show "One Ocean". Contrary to numerous claims that he is kept alone and separated from the remaining whales, he has in fact been kept with his grandson Trua on numerous occasions, and can often be seen performing alongside of him during the show finales. Tillikum is kept separate from Katina and Kayla because they have been known to rake him.

Ulises

Main article: Ulisses

Ulises is a male orca at SeaWorld in San Diego,California.He was moved to SWC from a marine park in Spain called Aquarama Barcelona. His tank was too small for him and he also acted aggressive toward the park's dolphins. He is the 2nd largest orca in captivity next to Tillikum. He is 21 feet long and weighs in at 10,000 LBs. He has only sired 1 calf named Moana. Moana was born to Wikie from Marineland France in March 2011. He used to do waterworks but it stopped due to his size and he kept bumping his trainers in 2004. He has also bit a trainer's leg back in 1997. Today, Ulises is the oldest male orca in captivity at 35 years of age. Ulises gets along well with every orca exept Corky. He is mostly seen with Orkid or Nakai

Orcas born in captivity

A growing number of theme-park orcas have been born in captivity. Nakai, the first orca conceived through artificial insemination was born to Kasatka, at the SeaWorld park in San Diego in September, 2001. This technique lets park owner maintain a more healthy genetic mix in the small groups of orcas at each park, while avoiding the stress of moving orcas for breeding purposes.

Baby Shamu II

Baby Shamu II was born at SeaWorld San Diego in California on January 5, 1986. Her parents were Kenau* the mother and Winston* the father. Because she was the second orca born at a SeaWorld park she was nicknamed Baby Shamu II. Ironically the original Baby Shamu aka Kalina* was her older half sister though Kalina had a different mother. Baby Shamu II never got a real name as she died on January 16, 1986 just 12 days after she was born. The cause of death was a heart defect. Baby Shamu II was half Icelandic orca and half Southern Resident orca. She was 7feet (2.1m) long and she weighed 135 kg (297 lb). Her only living relative is her half sister Kayla, who had the same mother.

Ikaika

Ikaika swimming along in a tank at Marineland located in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada on June 11, 2007

Ikaika (pronounced ee-KY-ka which means "strong" in Hawaiian) is a male Orca born at SeaWorld Orlando in Florida on August 25, 2002. He is the offspring of Tilikum (father) and Katina (mother), making him Katina's fifth calf. To decide the name of the newborn whale a poll was taken. The following names were chosen to be on the poll: Ikaika (Hawaiian for "strong"), Mottaka (Icelandic for "reception"), Ramu (in honor of the late whale by that name), Tsunami (Japanese) and Ramius (after the Captain in "The Hunt for Red October").

Ikaika no longer lives at Seaworld Orlando, Florida but was transferred to Marineland (Ontario) Ontario, Canada on a breeding loan. His move was on November 18, 2006 in exchange for three male beluga whales — Juno, Aurek, and Klondike — who joined Spooky within the Wild Arctic area. Ikaika is a growing male, his flukes have started to curl under, he is around 17 feet (5.2 m) long. In late September, it was confirmed that Ikaika would be returning to a SeaWorld facility, an obvious sign that his breeding loan has indeed been terminated with no signs of success.

On November 13, 2011, Ikaika was transported to his new home at SeaWorld San Diego, where he joins six other whales; Ulises, Corky, Orkid, Kasatka, Nakai, and Kalia.

Kalia

Kalia was born at Sea World San Diego on December 21, 2004 at 9:22 a.m. in Shamu Stadium's main show pool following a little more than two hours of labor and was estimated to weigh between 300 pounds and 500 pounds and measure 6 to 7 feet. Her parents are Kasatka and Keet. She is also known as GreatGrandbaby Shamu. Her siblings are Takara (1991) Nakai (2001) and Halyn (2005–2008). The name Kalia means "beauty" in Hawaiian. Kalia met her father for the first time when he returned to San Diego in February 2012.

Kalina

Kalina (September 26, 1985 – October 4, 2010) was the first captive-born Orca calf to survive more than a few days. Kalina's mother is an Icelandic female named Katina, and her father, Winston (also known as Ramu III) was a Pacific Southern Resident, making Kalina an Atlantic/Pacific hybrid — a unique situation that would not have occurred in the wild. Kalina measures 17 feet 9 inches (5.41 m) and weighs approximately 6,300 pounds (2,900 kg).

Kalina first appeared in shows at SeaWorld Orlando in 1987, billed as "Baby Shamu", performing with her mother. On February 12, 1990, Kalina was transferred to SeaWorld Ohio. She was moved again in October of that year to SeaWorld San Diego, and again on May 30, 1991 to SeaWorld San Antonio. In October 1994, Kalina was moved back to SeaWorld Orlando, where she lived with eight other killer whales, including her mother and a half sister.

Kalina gave birth to her first calf, a male named Keet, on February 2, 1993 at Sea World Texas. Kalina was only seven and a half years old at the time of Keet's birth — an extremely young age for an Orca to become a mother. Kalina became pregnant again shortly after Keet's birth, and was moved back to SeaWorld Orlando in October 1994, where she gave birth to her second calf, another male, Keto on June 17, 1995. She gave birth to another male, Tuar, on June 22, 1999. Kalina bore her fourth calf and first daughter, on February 9, 2004, named Skyla. Skyla is now at Loro Parque. Kalina was a gentle whale, learned quickly, and was used a lot in shows. She was used as a "starter whale" for new trainers. On Monday October 4, 2010, less than four months after Taima's death, Kalina died of Preacute Bacteremia Septicemia at the age of 25.

Kayla

Sequence of trainer demonstrating a nose stand on top of Kayla during the Believe show at SeaWorld, Orlando, Florida.

Kayla is a female born on November 26, 1988 at SeaWorld San Antonio. Her parents were Kenau and Orky II, both now deceased. Kayla is about 20-foot (6.1 m) long and weighs about 6,200 pounds (2,800 kg). Kayla only lived with her mother for the first two and a half years of her life. Kenau was moved to SeaWorld Orlando in January 1991, and Kayla was moved to SeaWorld Ohio in April 1991. Kayla lived there for the next eight years with another young female, named Katerina, who was just three weeks older than she was. After Katerina was moved out, another much older female named Winnie was moved in.

In November 1999, Kayla and Winnie were both transferred to SeaWorld San Antonio. Kayla and Winnie joined a female named Haida II and her son Kyuquot. A young male named Keto arrived in March 2001. Haida II died on August 1 of that year, making Winnie the new dominant female. Winnie died on April 11, 2002. Kayla became the new dominant Orca in the stadium and was until her relocation to Orlando in 2006. After the death of Winnie, only three whales were left in the park: Kayla, Kyuquot, and Keto. A young female by the name of Unna was moved to the park in December 2002 to settle down Kyuquot and Keto, because the two maturing males were constantly fighting over Kayla. In November 2006, Kayla was transferred to Sea World Orlando leaving behind a mate Keet, and their daughter Halyn was raised by Unna immediately after Kayla's transfer. Once Kayla arrived, she immediately gave up her dominant role to Katina, who has been the dominant female there since 1988.

Kayla gave birth to her first calf on October 9, 2005, a female named Halyn. Halyn was moved to a special animal care facility to be hand raised. Kayla likely rejected her calf because she had never been exposed to a young calf before and did not know how to deal with one. Halyn lived in Animal Care in a different part of the park, and in May joined her SeaWorld Orca family at Shamu Stadium. Halyn's father is Keet. On June 15, 2008, Halyn died unexpectedly.

Kayla appears to "hover" over water after launching a trainer into the air. The new "Believe" stage is seen in the background. (June 2007)

Keet

Keet is a bull Orca who was born on February 2, 1993 in SeaWorld San Antonio. The word "Keet" means orca in the Tlingit language. His parents are Kalina and Kotar. Keet currently measures about 19 feet (5.8 m) and weighs 7,000 pounds (3,200 kg). Keet is also known as Grandbaby Shamu because his mother is the first Orca to be born and raised under human care successfully.

When he was 1 year and 8 months of age, his mother was moved to SeaWorld Orlando in Florida to support her next pregnancy, Keet's brother Keto in 1995. Katerina, his aunt, was moved in from SeaWorld Ohio. In 1995, his father, Kotar, died. On May 5, 1999, Katerina died. Five months later, two females named Kayla and Winnie were moved in. In November 1999, he was moved to SeaWorld San Diego in California. There, he met his brother, Keto, and his playmate, Sumar. All three whales were moved to SeaWorld Ohio in February 2000. On February 15, 2001, Keet was returned to California; Sumar followed three days later, while Keto was relocated to SeaWorld San Antonio in Texas. Keet's best friends were the bull Ulises and a maturing male named Splash. On April 24, 2004, Keet was moved to his birth place, meeting Kyuquot, Unna, Kayla, Keto, Tuar, and Tekoa.

Keet is a gentle and agile performer. On December 21, 2004, he became a father for the first time when Kalia, his daughter, was born at Sea World San Diego. On October 9, 2005, his mate Kayla gave birth to his second daughter Halyn, at SeaWorld San Antonio. Keet is the lowest ranking adult orca in the dominance chain at Seaworld Texas. He is very sweet and is often used as a "starter whale" for new trainers along with a younger male named Tuar. On June 15, 2008, SeaWorld announced Halyn died unexpectedly; a necropsy was performed and the test results have been announced.

Keet moved back to Seaworld San Diego on February 27, 2012 and he has been reunited with 3 of his old friends Corky, Ulises and Orkid. He met his first daughter Kalia at the age of 7 when he returned.

Kohana

Kohana is a female born at SeaWorld San Diego on May 3, 2002. She was the second orca to be conceived through artificial insemination. Her parents are Takara and Tillikum. On April 25, 2004, Kohana and her mother were moved to SeaWorld Orlando. On February 13, 2006, Kohana was moved to Loro Parque in Spain with three other Orcas: Tekoa, Keto, and Skyla. Kohana is a vibrant and playful whale. She often floats at the acrylic glass to interact with visitors. She is intelligent and eager, and learns quickly.

On October 13, 2010, Kohana gave birth to her first calf (a male) named Adán, in the parks "Orca Ocean" killer whale exhibit, after a four hour labor. The calf weighed around 150 kilograms (330 lb), and was two meters long (6.5 ft). Kohana's calf is the first killer whale born in Loro Parque.

Nyar

Nyar was born at SeaWorld Orlando Florida on New Year's Eve (31 December) 1993. She was born to parents Gudrun* and Tilikum. Nyar suffered from many health problems. Sometimes trainers would have to separate Gudrun and Nyar because the mother would try to drown her daughter. They had some bonding moments togther. Nyar was not able to perform in shows as she was a very slow learner. She was even put with her father Tilikum sometimes. He was very gentle with her. Nyar died on April 1, 1996. She was 2 years 4 months and 1 day old. The cause of death was Immune System Failure. Nyar's name meant "Summer" in Hungarian.

Orkid

Orkid was born September 23, 1988 in SeaWorld San Diego, California. Orkid’s parents are Kandu V (her mother), and Orky II (her father). Orkid is a favorite among most of San Diego as she was the first killer whale born in the San Diego Sea World Park. Orky II died only three days after Orkid was born. She was named Orkid, in memory of her father (Orkid means Orky’s Kid). In August 1989, e Kandu V charged Corky II, during a live show. The blow broke Kandu V's jaw, and she began spouting blood with every breath she took. 45-minutes later Kandu V sank to the bottom of the pool and died. Orkid witnessed her mother’s death. For weeks after the incident, she would circle the tanks calling out and vocalizing. Orkid has been artificially inseminated many times, but (so far) has not gotten pregnant yet. Orkid was said to have been scheduled to be artificially inseminated in late June 2011. She was later seen having an ultrasound performed in mid August 2011. Orkid is highly intelligent (having been affectionately nicknamed by trainers 'The Rocket Scientist'), and knows hundreds of behaviors. Only the most senior trainers are to work with her, as she has shown aggression toward trainers in the past. After an incident in 2006 where she dragged a trainer to the bottom of the show pool, Orkid has been barred from performing waterworks with trainers.

Sakari

Sakari was born on January 7, 2010, at Sea World San Antonio. Her mother is Takara and her father is Tillikum. Siblings on mother's side include Kohana and Trua. "Sakari" means " sweet " in the Inuit language.

Sumar

Sumar (May 14, 1998 — September 7, 2010) was a male Orca born at SeaWorld Orlando in Florida. His mother was Taima and he was her first calf. Just six months after birth, an incident happened when, during a show, his mother attacked him, pushing him against the glass, trying to make him fall. The crowd was evacuated and the show canceled. The trainers tried to move Taima to another tank and finally separated her from her son. Since then, the two of them have been always separated and Kalina and Katina became his surrogate mothers until he was transferred to SeaWorld San Diego in California on March 8, 1999. Afterwards, he spent a few months at now-closed SeaWorld Ohio before being transferred back to the San Diego park.

He was considered very gentle with other Orcas and trainers. At the time of his death he was one of three males at the park, and was seen as a possible breeding male in the future; Nakai, the younger male, is still too young to breed, and the older male Ulises seems to have a low sperm count. Sumar was approaching full size for a typical bull orca when he died: his dorsal fin was more and more leaning to its left and his flukes were beginning to curl under. He was about 4.6 m (17 feet) long and weighed around 5,300 pounds (2,400 kg). He was often used for shows in the park. The theme of a June 2010 episode of Cupcake Wars was Sumar's twelfth birthday.

Sumar died at SeaWorld in San Diego, California, on Tuesday, September 7, 2010, at the age of 12. Trainers noticed that the whale was not feeling well on Monday, September 6, 2010 which resulted in veterinarians being notified, blood samples drawn, and antibiotics administered. Despite measures taken by Sumar's veterinarian team, Sumar became increasingly ill by Tuesday. He died shortly before 1:45 PM (Pacific time). Sumar's death prompted the canceling of the park's Orca shows for the day. His death was determined to be as a result of a twisted intestinal tract (intestinal volvulus). He was set to be the next captive breeding bull orca, after his father Tilikum.

Taima

Taima (pronounced Ty EE Ma) (July 11, 1989 – June 6, 2010) was a transient/Icelandic hybrid female Orca who lived at Sea World Orlando in Florida. According to SeaWorld, her name means crash of thunder in the Icelandic language. She was born tail-first around 16:45 EST during a thunderstorm.

Taima was born to mother Gudrun and father Kanduke. In 1990, Kanduke died at the age of 20 from a stomach ailment; Gudrun gave birth to Taima's half-sister Nyar in 1993. Nyar suffered frequent illness and it was reported that Gudrun tried to drown her during several shows. Trainers believe that this confused Taima, as she witnessed this and thought this was how to raise a calf. She was later reported to have performed this on her own calves, Sumar, Tekoa, and Malia. Gudrun died in 1996 from stillbirth complications, and Nyar died from an illness a few months later in April.

On May 14, 1998, Taima gave birth to a male calf named Sumar. They were separated when he was about eight months old because of the aggression between them. On one occasion while performing, Taima started biting Sumar, and throwing him out of the pool, onto the trainer’s platform. She then slid out herself and started biting him. The show was stopped, and Taima was pulled to the other swimming pool. A few months later Sumar was transferred to SeaWorld San Diego in California.

On November 8, 2000, at 3:47 pm, Taima gave birth to a male named Tekoa. He began feeding overnight and was estimated to be 7 feet (2.2 m) long and weigh 350 pounds (160 kg). During the birth, Kalina assisted Taima and helped the calf to the surface for its first breath. Tekoa was sent to SeaWorld San Antonio in 2005, and was later sent to Loro Parque in Tenerife in February 2006, where he remains today. After Tekoa's attack, Taima was separated from all other whales except Tilikum, until she gave birth again to her first daughter Malia in 2007. Seaworld announced on May 18, 2010 that Taima was pregnant again and should give birth in late May or early June.

Taima died from complications to a stillborn calf on June 6, 2010. Preliminary indications suggested that her death was caused by placenta previa, a condition in which the placenta is delivered before the calf.

Taku

Taku (September 9, 1993 – October 17, 2007) was a male Orca, who was born at SeaWorld Orlando in Florida. After birth, Taku spent most of his time with his mother Katina or Nyar, his half-sister. Three years later, Katina gave birth again to a female, Unna. On August 25, 2002, Katina gave birth to her fifth calf: a male, Ikaika. Unna was later moved to SeaWorld San Antonio in December 2002. Afterwards, Ikaika and Taku bonded to the point where Ikaika swam in mother-calf-position with Taku. On November 18, 2006 Taku was moved to SeaWorld San Antonio whereas Ikaika was moved to Marineland Canada in Ontario.

Takara soon became pregnant. On November 23, 2005 around 21:50 EST (4:50 PM), Takara went into labor with her second calf. Her daughter Kohana was at her side. An hour later around 22:22, Takara gave birth to a male calf (Taku's son/first calf) who was later to be named Trua.

Taku died unexpectedly on October 17, 2007, at the age of 14 and weighing over 7,000 pounds (3,200 kg) and at 22 feet (6.7 m) long. Trainers were notified that Taku had been acting differently the Wednesday before his death. A necropsy was performed, and after a long awaited report, it was determined that Taku had died from a sudden case of pneumonia, a common illness among captive orcas.

Takara

Takara (Japanese for "treasure") was born on July 9, 1991, at SWC to Kasatka and Kotar, who lived out in SeaWorld San Antonio, Texas up to his death in 1995. She was the second "Baby Shamu" born at SWC, after Orkid in 1988. She gave birth to her first calf, a female named Kohana on May 3, 2002. She was conceived via artificial insemination, the father being Tilikum, a bull orca living on the other side of the country at SeaWorld Orlando. Takara is an average sized female measuring 17.3-foot (5.3 m), and weighs 5,100 LBs.

Takara and Kohana were transferred to SeaWorld Orlando in 2004. A year later, Takara gave birth to her second calf, a male named Trua, fathered by Taku. Kohana was later transferred out of SWF to Loro Parque, a Spanish amusement park in the Canary Islands.

Takara was transferred to SeaWorld San Antonio in February 2009 in a supposed effort to improve space at SeaWorld Orlando. Her move caused people to get mad because most people thought her son Trua should have moved to SWF along with her but some other SeaWorld visitors and workers said she would often act aggressively toward Trua. It was later confirmed she was pregnant at the time (again from Tilikum). On January 7, 2010, Takara gave birth to another female calf in the main tank of SWT's "Shamu Theatre". On March 16, 2010 she was named Sakari which is an Inuit word for "sweet". Takara became a grandmother on October 13, 2010 when her calf Kohana gave birth to her first calf Adán. She is pregnant with Kshamenk's semen and she is due in December 2012

Trua

Trua is a 6 year old orca who lives at Seaworld Orlando

Trua is a male Orca born at SeaWorld Orlando on November 23, 2005. His parents are Takara and Taku. Takara and Kohana had just been moved to SeaWorld Orlando when she and Taku met. At the time of Trua's birth, Kohana was by Takara's side and thus acted as the midwife. Trua currently lives at Sea World Orlando with six other orcas: Katina (matriarch), Tilikum, Kayla, Nalani, Malia and Makaio. Trua had been learning waterworks before they were stopped in 2010. Trua's mother Takara was moved to SeaWorld San Antonio on February 5, 2009. Trua is easily identified because of his two dots and belly freckles. Trua has a dot in his eyepatch, and a dot on his neck. Trua has a chip on the left side of his tail fluke.

Spooky

Spooky was born to parents Corky II and Orky II* at Marineland of the Pacific on the 31st of October 1978. He was the second calf conceived between the pair. He was named Spooky because he was born on Halloween. Spooky was in good health. But it wasn't to last. Due to the circular tank the orcas were kept in Corky had trouble nursing her son. Trainers took over and bottle fed Spooky hoping to help him survive. Spooky died 11 days later on November 10, 1978 from pneumonia and colitis. Spooky's breed was 100% Northern Resident orca.

Unna

Unna is a female Orca. She was born on December 27, 1996 at SeaWorld Orlando. Her parents are Katina (mother) and Tilikum. She is Katina's fourth calf and also Tilikum's, and was the second calf to be born to the pair. Unna lived with her mother, father, siblings, and other whales at her birthplace in Orlando for the first six years of her life. In August 2002, Katina gave birth to her fifth calf, a male named Ikaika. Unna was there to assist her mother during the labor. In December 2002, Unna was transferred to SeaWorld San Antonio because the park only had three whales at the time: two males who were fighting over one female. In late April 2006, Unna gave birth to a stillborn calf. Unna recovered well from her stillbirth. She currently lives with four other whales, Kyuqout (Ky), Sakari, Takara, and Tuar.

Nalani

Nalani performing with Trua in the all new show at Seaworld Orlando One Ocean

Nalani is a young female Orca who currently resides to SeaWorld Orlando, where she was born on September 18, 2006. Her parents are Katina and Taku (who is, due to inbreeding, also her brother). She is Katina's sixth calf, and was Taku's second. She is a very loving and curious youngster, but was very dependent on her mother in the first few years. She is learning fast, as she is used in shows regularly alongside Trua, Malia, Kayla, and Katina. An easy way to identify Nalani is how plump she is. She's chubby, like her mom and dad/brother, has round eyepatches, has a straight dorsal fin, and is the longest baby at SWF.

Malia

Kayla and Malia performing in One Ocean at Seaworld Orlando in the side by side segment:

Malia was born to Taima and Tilikum at SeaWorld Orlando on March 12, 2007. She was Taima's third calf and her name means "calm and peaceful" in Hawaiian. She is a very independent and playful whale and loves to interact with the crowds. She is learning new behaviors all the time and is used in shows daily along-side the other young Orcas at SeaWorld Orlando. Malia's mother Taima died in June 2010 after a difficult labor that resulted in a stillborn calf. Her eyepatches are long and skinny, and she has no marks, rakes, or chips in her tail fluke.

Makaio

Katina and her calf Makaio

Katina delivered her 7th calf on October 9, 2010 after a short 45 minute labour. The father is Tilikum. It was announced on November 3, 2010 that the calf was a healthy boy. The calf has interacted with all the other members of the pod except Tilikum, and plays well with them. His name was decided by a poll with three names to vote for on SeaWorld Orlando's official Facebook page. The names were Nico, Greek for "Victory," Makaio, Hawaiian for "Gift of God," or Haruki, Japanese for "Shining Brightly." Makaio was the name chosen. He can be seen in SeaWorld's new killer whale show One Ocean.

Adán

Adán (Spanish variation of "Adam") measured about 6.6 feet (2.0 m) and weighed in at 330 pounds at birth. He was born on October 13, 2010, at Loro Parque. His mother, nine-year-old Kohana, showed no maternal interest in him at birth. As a result Adán had to be bottle fed by staff until May 2011 when he was permanently moved onto fish.

Adán is a result of inbreeding between Kohana and Keto (Keto and Kohana's mother, Takara, share the same father). He has been introduced to all 5 orcas living in Loro Parque.

Lovey

Lovey was born on January 11, 1998, at Kamogawa Sea World, to mother Stella and father Bingo/Thor. She was the first orca calf born successfully in Japan (there had been five calves born before her, but none lived for more than ten days). The only other orca at KSW at the time of her birth was Oscar, who would mate with her later on, once she was older. Her first calf was a male born on October 13, 2008 named Earth. Lovey is currently pregnant with her second calf and should be due in August 2012. Lovey's stage name is Oyako, meaning "parent and child" in Japanese.

Earth

Earth was born at Kamogawa Sea World Japan on October 13, 2008. His mother is Lovey and his father is Oscar. Earth is growing up fast and does show with his parents and other park orcas. His name was decided by a poll. He is also known as Asu. Like many calves Earth is very curious and playful.

He has two aunts: Lara and Ran II.

Moana

On March 16, 2011, Wikie gave birth to Moana, her first calf in Marineland Antibes. Initially, it was stated that the calf was a girl so they had a naming contest on Facebook and Moana won which means "ocean", but a report in July confirmed that she was in fact a he. Marineland confirmed that his name will not be changed. It is also confirmed that Ulises of Sea World San Diego is the father. The calf was conceived via artificial insemenation.

See also

• Category:Individual killer whales
• Captive_killer_whales#Issues_with_captivity
• Keiko, the star of the 1993 movie Free Willy
• SeaWorld
• Shamu

External links

• Orca Spirit: Site dedicated to Orcas
• SeaWorld Florida Family
• Pictures of Kayla