Lovey

Lovey (pronounced LUV-ee), or ラビー, also known as Oyako (oy-YAH-ko), is a 26-year-old female Icelandic killer whale who currently lives at Kamogawa Sea World. She was born there tail-first on January 11th, 1998. Her mother is Stella and her father is Bingo. She is Stella's first calf. Lovey has given birth to three calves, Earth, Luna, and a currently unnamed calf.

Birth & Early Life[]

Lovey was born on January 11th, 1998, and was her mothers, Stella's, very first calf. She was the first ever killer whale to successfully be born in Japan. Throughout her childhood and adolescence, she witnessed her mother give birth and raise calves numerous times, often assisting her mother with or "babysitting" her younger sisters.

Life at Kamogawa Sea World & Motherhood[]

On October 13th, 2008, Lovey gave birth to her first calf at just under 11-years-old. The calf, a male, was given the name Earth. Earth was also Stella's very first grandchild. Because of the fact that she had observed the births of her own sisters, Lovey was already experienced in calf-rearing at that time and showed very good maternal instincts towards Earth.

In December of 2011, Stella, Bingo, and Ran II were transferred from Kamogawa Sea World to Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium as a part of a breeding loan. On December 7th, 2015, Earth was separated from Lovey and transferred to Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium at 7 years of age, switching places with Ran II, who moved back to Kamogawa Sea World. This was likely due to the lack of space for a growing male at the park.

In November of 2011, Kamogawa Sea World announced that Lovey was expecting her second calf. She gave birth to her first daughter on July 19th, 2012. Lovey's younger sister, Lara, assisted her throughout her labor. Lovey's daughter was named Luna.

In early July of 2023, a rumor began circulating claiming that Lovey was pregnant with her third calf through artificial insemination. The rumors proved to be true when Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium announced her pregnancy during one of their shows, stating that "Earth's mother is pregnant." An official announcement has not yet been made by Kamogawa Sea World themselves, but the park has confirmed the pregnancy to visitors during their night-time event at the park.^[1]

On March 16th, 2024, Kamogawa Sea World abruptly cancelled their killer whale show and ushered guests out of the stadium before closing it for the rest of the day. Park visitors noted that Lovey's behavior had suddenly changed during the show, leading many to believe that Lovey had gone into labor. A day later, a park regular revealed that a trainer had been taking notes on nursing intervals that day, confirming the fact that Lovey had given birth to a calf within the previous 24 hours. As of March 17th, 2024, Kamogawa Sea World has not released an official statement announcing the birth.

Transfer History[]

Lovey has never been transferred out of Kamogawa Sea World.

Galleries[]

• Photos of Lovey
• Videos of Lovey

References[]