Sunday 9 March 2014

Icelandic Orca In Captivity

Information Resource by Orca Aware


Orca Currently Alive

Stella
Stella was around the age of one when she was captured in 1987 and is on display at the Port of Nagoya Aquarium in Japan. Up until 02 August 2014, Stella resided with another wild-caught Icelandic orca, Bingo (also known as Thor). Stella and Bingo produced four surviving calves: Lovey (born 1998), Lara (born 2001), Ran 2 (born 2006) and Rin (also known as Lynn, born 2012). Their third calf, Sarah, lived from May 2003 until April 2006. 

Kiska
Kiska was captured in 1979 at the age of three and is currently the only orca kept at Marineland Ontario in Canada. Kiska has produced five calves, all of which are dead. The longest-living calf died at age six and the shortest-living calf only survived for 62 days. 

Ulises
Ulises was around three years-old when captured from Icelandic waters. Ulises was captured in 1980 and is now held at SeaWorld in California. He suffers from flaccid fin syndrome & prior to SeaWorld's breeding ban, was used as a breeding bull, including to impregnate a captive orca at Marineland Antibes in France. Ulises has sired two calves (although it is unconfirmed whether he is the father of the first calf in France).

Katina
Katina (also known as Kandu 6) is contained at SeaWorld in Florida. Katina was captured in 1978 at the age of two. Katina has four surviving calves, of which only two are at SeaWorld Florida with her. Three more of her captive-born offspring have died. 

A further 49 orca were captured from Icelandic waters (that we know of). Of these, 48 individuals have died in captivity, with only one female surviving past the age of 30 in the captive environment. The majority of these Icelandic orca have survived in captivity for considerably less time, with several having died after only a few months.  

Name, Age at Capture, Time in Captivity: 

Kim, 5 years, 1976 - 1982
Kenau, 1 year, 1976 - 1991
Gudrun, <1 year, 1976 - 1996
Magnus, 1 year, 10/1977 - 12/1977
Canuck 2, 2 years, 1977 - 1981
Koana 2, 2 years, 1977 - 1987
Kandu 5, 3 years, 1977 - 1989
Suzie Wong, <1 year, 1977 - 1997
Winnie, <1 year, 1977 - 2002
No name, 1 year, 10/1978 - 02/1979
Shawn, 1 year, 1978 - 1979
Betty, 3 years, 1978 - 1987
Kahana, 1 year, 1978 - 1991
Kotar, <1 year, 1978 - 1995
No name, 1 year, 11/1978 - 02/1979
Kasatka, 1 year, 1978 - 2017
Shamu, 1 year, 1979 - 1983
No name, 3 years, 11/1979 - 01/1980
King, <1 year, 1979 - 1983
Caren, 2 years, 1979 - 1987
Benkei 2, <1 year, 1980 - 1983
Finna, 3 years, 1980 - 1997
Vigga, 1 year, 1980 - 2000
Bjossa, 3 years, 1980 - 2001
No name, 4 years, 10/1981 - 1982? 
No name, <1 year, 10/1981 - 12/1981
Neptune, 4 years, 1981 - 1983
Nemo, <1 year, 1981 - 1986
Ruka, 2 years, 1981 - 2000
Nootka 5, 2 years, 1981 - 2008
No name, 1 year, 10/1982 - 05/1983
Nootka 4, 3 years, 1982 - 1994
Haida 2, <1 year, 1982 - 2001
Kim 2, <1 year, 1982 - 2005
Freya, 1 year, 1982 - 2015
Nandu, 2 years, 1983 - 1988
Samoa, 3 years, 1983 - 1992
Tilikum, 2 years, 1983 - 2017
No name, 4 years, 11/1984 - 01/1985
Bingo, 2 years, 1984 - 2014
Freyja, 2 years, 1984 - 1987
Junior, 2 years, 1984 - 1994
Kandu 7, 6 years, 1984 - 2005
Prince, 3 years, 1987 - 1991
Maggie, 3 years, 1987 - 1997
Oscar, 1 year, 1987 - 2012
Ai, 1-2 years, 1989 - 1995
Tanouk, 3 years, 1989 - 2000
Ran, 1-2 years, 1989 - 2004
Sharkan, 4 years, 1989, 1989 - 2009

Keiko, 2 years, 1979 - Keiko died in 2003 after being returned to his natural habitat. 

For more information, visit: ORCA HOME (www.orcahome.de)

3 comments:

  1. During their first 1 to 2 years of captivity, park visitors had free access to Canuck 2, Kotar, Katina, and Kasatka. They became friends to some of these visitors. If you would like to know what becoming friends with an orca is like, please visit: www.KinToCetaceans.org

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  2. I should have added that this is actually a serious look into orca sociology based on human-orca interactions. It is being done in conjunction with Orca Network

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  3. Please visit the website of The Whale Museum on San Juan Island, you can adopt an orca and keep track of its life in the wild. This adoption supports orca education and research. Learn more about adopting a wild orca at: http://whalemuseum.org/collections/meet-the-whales

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