#52orcas

[52orcas]

36. Ulises

Ulises has lived in marine parks since his 1980 capture at age three. He is the oldest male orca currently living in captivity, and also represents the only male to have survived this long in confinement. Ulises was housed at three different marine parks before arriving at SeaWorld San Diego in the 1990s. As mentioned in many of our whale biographies, captive breeding programs are paramount to the future success of marine parks in the US. For breeding involving artificial insemination Ulises is the primary source of viable sperm in SeaWorld’s collection. Today, Ulises’ sperm has culminated in the birth of Moana in France, and has been used to impregnate 8-year-old Kalia. At SeaWorld, Ulises is dominant over some of the female orcas, especially the oldest female, Corky. In fact, trainers will not allow Corky and Ulises to be in the same pool unless Kasatka, the ultimate matriarch, is present to keep both whales calm. 

[52orcas]

35. Makaio

SeaWorld parks currently rely on captive breeding programs to maintain their collection of killer whales. This can involve artificially inseminating killer whales with manually collected semen. In the wild, the average female killer whale will give birth to about 5 calves during her entire reproductive lifecycle. By the age of 34, the Icelandic whale Katina had already given birth to 7 calves. Her most recent is Makaio, the youngest orca at SeaWorld Orlando, who was sired by another Icelandic whale, Tilikum. His birth came at a sad time for the Orlando population; less than a week after his oldest sister Kalina died (the original baby Shamu). Today, at only 4 years old, Makaio is showing some independence from his mom, swimming into different pools and spending time with other older females.

[52orcas]

34. Shouka

Shouka was the first orca born in captivity at Marineland of France. While living in France, Shouka’s captive pod grew, and by the age of nine she was swimming with her mother and three siblings (Valentin, Inouk, and Wikie). Orcas are highly evolved social animals who form tight bonds with their families, bonds that endure their entire lives. However, at nine years old, Shouka was moved from her family and relocated to Six Flags in Ohio to live without another orca companion. As highly social animals, holding an orca in solitary confinement is illegal. Shouka’s isolation outraged many activists including the organization Fins and Fluke, who fought hard to get Shouka moved.  After living without another orca for 10 years, Shouka was moved from the Six Flags in Northern CA to SeaWorld San Diego in 2012. It was here that she first met Corky, the oldest of SeaWorld's orcas, who welcomed Shouka to the San Diego group. Today, Shouka still lives in San Diego. She will never see her mother (now deceased) and likely her siblings again.  

[52orcas]

33. Lara

Lara is the second killer whale born in captivity in Japan, the first being her older sister Lovey. Being born to wild captures Bingo (father) and Stella (mother), Lara’s DNA is 100% Icelandic.  In captivity, Lara played a role very similar to that of a wild female orca. For example, Lara assisted her mother and sister during their pregnancies and while giving birth. Her caretakers at Sea World refer to Lara as an outstanding aunt to her niece, Luna, and nephew, Earth. In the wild, this pod of whales would live as a close family their entire lives. In captivity, however, Lara’s mother, father and two siblings were transported to a different marine park.    

[52orcas]

32. Ikaika

The very tight emotional bonds formed between orcas and their mothers persist for their entire lives. Decades of fieldwork have shown that the family bond is paramount to the health and well being of this species of whale. In spite of this knowledge, marine parks will often ship these animals in crates across the country to accommodate breeding loans. When he was but 4 years old, Ike, who was suffering from a bacterial infection, was taken from his siblings and his mother, Katina, and was shipped from SeaWorld Orlando to Marineland of Canada. Ike later became the center of a lawsuit between these two parks, with SeaWorld accusing Marineland of not taking proper care of their orca (Marineland is currently under fire for the mistreatment of their killer whale Kiska). Furthermore, during legal battles between the two marine parks, it became apparent that SeaWorld was routinely dosing Ike with valium to curb his aggressive and sexual behaviors. Today, Ike lives in SeaWorld San Diego and in all likelihood will never see his mother again.

[52orcas]

31. Unknown

In the fall of 2013, a young male orca was captured in the Oktosh Sea off the coast of Russia along with his mother and sister. The method of capture involves dragging the whale out of the water by his tail, loading him onto a truck, and shipping him a long distance. Reports indicate that upon arrival to the Seaside Dolphinarium, the orcas refused to eat the dead fish being offered to them despite the best efforts of the trainers. This all changed when another orca, who had been in the pen for over a year, brought them fish and somehow convinced them to eat. According to the Russian Orcas site, this orca has since been moved to a holding pen in Moscow. In addition to ethical concerns over this capture, there are major ecological concerns since it is unclear how these captures will affect the future generations of the wild population.  

[52orcas]

30. Bingo

Bingo swam for 30 years in captivity entertaining marine park visitors. He was born free in the oceans of Iceland but died in a tank in Japan. Bingo’s trainers knew him as a very calm orca who was highly reliable for waterwork shows. During his three decades of life as a captive orca, Bingo fathered five daughters and two grandchildren, making him the most successful breeder in Japan. Bingo lived at three different aquariums, spending the last three years of his life at Port of Nagoya Aquarium. At the time of his death, Bingo lived with his mate Stella and their two daughters Ran (eight) and Rin (one). This gentle orca will be greatly missed. 

[52orcas]

29. Keto

Few captive orcas have been relocated more than Keto, who has lived at all four SeaWorld parks. In the marine park business, it is routine to move orca whales from one venue to another. This happens for a variety of reasons: making room for a new baby; accommodating breeding loans; or adjusting social dynamics. Born at SeaWorld Orlando, at 4 years old Keto was taken from his mother Kalina and moved to San Diego, California. One year later, Keto was flown to Ohio, and then on to SeaWorld of Texas. A few years later, a now 10-year old Keto was flown to the Canary Islands where he lives and performs today. During transportation, he was routinely fit into a sling, raised by a crane into a tight fitting crate, driven by truck, and loaded onto an aircraft. Keto had a history of showing aggressive tendencies towards his trainers. On Christmas Eve of 2009, Keto’s aggression proved fatal. Keto killed his trainer Alexis Martinez.