the Orchive

Breeding females in human care, outcomes

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Corky 1965-alive, Marineland of the Pacific (since 1987 at SeaWorld)

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1. Unnamed male, 1977, lived 15 days (Orky 2 sired all calves)

2. Spooky, 1978, lived 10 days

3. Stillbirth, 1980

4. Kiva, 1982, lived 1½ months

5. Unnamed female, 1985, lived ~1 month

6. Miscarriage, 1986

7. Miscarriage, 1987

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All of Corky's four live calves failed to nurse. Theories range from the small pool, brain damage in the calves (they tried to nurse from her eyepatches, and/or seemed oblivious to their mother's presence), or Corky's genetics. She never got pregnant after 1987 and stopped cycling at only 22 years old, half the normal age.

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Katina 1975-alive, SeaWorld

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1. Kalina, 1985, lived 25 years (Winston)

2. Katerina, 1988, lived 10.5 years (Kanduke)

3. Taku, 1993, lived 14 years (Tilikum)

4. Unna, 1996, lived 19 years (Tilikum)

5. Ikaika, 2002, alive (Tilikum)

6. Nalani, 2006, alive (Taku)

7. Makaio, 2010, alive (Tilikum)

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No known miscarriages, no stillbirths.

Notably, Kalina was born head first, while cetaceans

are typically born tail first.

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Kenau 1975-1991, SeaWorld

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1. Baby Shamu 2, 1986, lived 11 days (Winston)

2. Kayla, 1988, lived 30 years (Orky)

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Kandu 5 1974-1989, SeaWorld

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1. Stillbirth, 1986 (Winston)

2. Orkid, 1988- (Orky)

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Bjossa 1977-2001, Vancouver Aquarium

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1. Unnamed female, 1988, lived for 3 weeks (Hyak)

2. K'yosha, 1991, lived for 3 months (Hyak)

3. Unnamed female, 1995, died immediately after birth (Finna)

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Bjossa was unable to produce enough milk for her first two calves, and they had to be hand-raised in a time when this was very much trial and error (rescued orphan dolphins in those days often had to be euthanized on the spot in those days because the care at the time just couldn't save them). This could be genetic, it happens to humans as well as all other mammals, or it could be because of insufficient care/diet for Bjossa. The third calf died because of a ruptured umbilical cord, something nothing could have prevented.

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Gudrun 1976-1996, SeaWorld

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1. Taima, 1989, lived for ~21 years (Kanduke)

2. Nyar, 1993, lived for 2.5 years (Tilikum)

3. Stillbirth, 1996 (Tilikum)

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Nyar was born sick and had many troubles. Gudrun thus tried to drown her as animals sometimes do with sick offspring, and they were separated. Gudrun passed away four days after suffering her stillbirth.

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Haida 2, 1981-2001, Sealand of the Pacific and SeaWorld

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1. Kyuquot, 1991-alive (Tilikum)

2. Unnamed female, 1995, lived for 5 weeks (Kotar)

3. Died in womb, 2001 (Tilikum, AI)

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Haida died pregnant from a brain abcess, so her last calf died with her. Her second calf was one of only three calves at SeaWorld (3/31) to die in infancy.

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Nootka 4 1979-1994, Sealand of the Pacific and SeaWorld

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1. Unnamed male, 1991, lived for 5 weeks (both calves sired by Tilikum)

2. Stillbirth, 1992

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Nootka died just under four weeks after her stillbirth.

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Nootka 5 1979-2008, Marineland Canada

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1. Splash, 1989, lived for 15.5 years (Kandu 7 sired all calves)

2. Neocia, 1992, lived for ~12 years

3. Malik, 1993, lived for ~4 years

4. Unnamed female, 1998, lived for 11 days

5. Algonquin, 1999, lived for 2.5 years

6. Miscarriage, 2001

7. April, 2004, lived for 11 days

8. Miscarriage, 2006

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Nootka 5 has the highest number of known pregnancies in human care (but not live births). All had poor outcomes and died before adulthood except for Splash, who was born sick, had epileptic seizures and was moved to SeaWorld at the age of 2.5 years. Out of all calves born at MLC, only Splash and Neocia lived to adulthood, so poor care was likely the cause in many, most or all of these deaths. (Neocia also had a miscarriage herself one month before her death, sired by her father.)

 

Kandu 7 died in December 2005, so this prevented more pregnancies.

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Kiska 1976-2023, Marineland Canada

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1. Unnamed calf, 1992, lived for 2 months (Kandu 7 sired all calves)

2. Kanuck, 1994, lived for ~4 years (unknown month of death)

3. Nova, 1996, lived for 4.5 years

4. Hudson, 1998, lived for 6 years

5. Athena, 2004, lived for 4.5 years

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As with Nootka 5, all of these had poor outcomes. No miscarriages or stillbirths are known, but no calf lived to adulthood. As with Nootka's calf and the large number of wild-caught whales that passed through MLC, this facility had among the worst outcomes in the world.

Kandu 7 died in December 2005, so this prevented more pregnancies.

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Freya 1980-2015, Marineland Antibes

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1. Stillbirth, 1991 (Kim 2 sired all calves)

2. Stillbirth, 1993

3. Valentin, 1996, lived for 19.5 years

4. Stillbirth, 2001

5. Stillbirth, 2005

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Freya is unique in having had so many stillbirths. She had a tumor on her side in her youth which was removed in the 90s - it is rumored this removal is what allowed her to give birth to Valentin successfully, but since the date of the surgery has not been confirmed, this is just a rumor, and she went on to have more stillbirths after him. It is unusual since the other two breeding females at MLA (not related to Freya) had very good outcomes, so it likely had to do with her genetics.

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Sharkane 1984-2009, Marineland Antibes

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1. Shouka, 1993-alive (Kim 2 sired all calves)

2. Inouk, 1999-alive

3. Wikie, 2001-alive

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Stella 1986-alive, Kamogawa Sea World and Nagoya Aquarium

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1. Lovey, 1990-alive (Bingo sired all calves)

2. Lara, 2001-alive

3. Sarah, 2003-2006

4. Ran, 2006-alive

5. Lynn, 2012-alive

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While her third calf Sarah died as a juvenile (aged two years, eleven months), all of Stella's calves have survived infancy and to adulthood, with no known miscarriages and no stillbirths. Both Ran and Lynn were born head first.

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Kalina 1985-2010, SeaWorld San Antonio and Orlando

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1. Keet, 1993-alive (Kotar)

2. Keto, 1995-alive (Kotar)

3. Stillborn, 1997 (Tilikum)
4. Tuar, 1999-alive (Tilikum)

5. Skyla, 2004-2021 (Tilikum)

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Kalina is the youngest of all mothers in human care, being only just six years old when she got pregnant with Keet, and 7½ when he was born. She's also said to have been unusual in teaching her calves independence and weaning them sooner than other mothers. However, she was a good mother with a close relationship to her calves and no known issues in feeding or caring for them.

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Taima 1989-2010, SeaWorld Orlando

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1. Sumar, 1998-2010 (Tilikum sired all calves)

2. Tekoa, 2000-alive

3. Miscarriage, 2005

5. Malia, 2007-alive

6. Stillbirth, 2010

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Taima was aggressive to both of her sons, trying to drown them a few months after birth, so they had to be separated. This is thought to be because of her mother Gudrun's behavior towards Taima's little sister, who was born sick and weak and Gudrun tried to kill. Later, Taima was put in with Takara and Trua a lot, and so finally became a good mother to Malia. She died while giving birth to her fifth calf. While word was that she passed the placenta first and bled out, images later surfaced of her having prolapsed her entire uterus, with the calf still inside. As she was a whale and emergency surgery was not possible, there was nothing that could be done to save her.

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Takara 1991-alive, SeaWorld San Diego, Orlando and San Antonio

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1. Kohana, 2002-2022 (Tilikum, AI)

2. Trua, 2005-alive (Taku)

3. Sakari, 2010-alive (Tilikum)

4. Miscarriage, 2012 (Kshamenk, AI)

5. Kamea, 2013-alive (Kshamenk, AI)

6. Kyara, 2017, lived for 3 months (Kyuquot)

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Takara has had a good record, with the exception of a single miscarriage,

and Kyara passing away in infancy from respiratory conditions.

Kyara was the third calf at SeaWorld to die as an infant, out of 31

live-born calves. This makes for a mortality rate of 9%, compared

to the generally agreed 37-50% in the wild.

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Kayla 1988-2019, SeaWorld San Antonio and Orlando

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1. Halyn, 2005-2008 (Keet)

2. Miscarriage, 2007

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Kayla was well above average age when she gave birth to Halyn shortly before she turned seventeen, but she had never seen a mother and calf before, and reacted towards her newborn daughter with aggression, trying to throw her out of the pool. Thus, Halyn had to be bottle-raised. She died at 2 years, 8 months, after she was weaned, due to encephalitis. She was one of three of SeaWorld's 31 live-born calves dying as a juvenile.

Kayla got pregnant again, and was moved to SeaWorld Orlando to be with mothers and calves. Sadly, she miscarried. It was another ten years between this miscarriage and the end of the breeding program, and it's not known publicly why Kayla was not bred again.

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Kohana 2002-2022, Loro Parque

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1. Adán, 2010-alive (Keto sired both calves)

2. Vicky, 2012-2013

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Kohana was a mere 8½ years old when she gave birth, and the second youngest mother after Kalina. She had however witnessed her mother raise Trua for a couple of months before she was transferred to Loro Parque, but it was seemingly not enough lessons in mothering for her, or she was too young to learn, being only 3½ when her little brother was born.

She rejected both calves, not making any effort to help them take their first breath, and they had to be bottle-raised.

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Wikie 2001-alive, Marineland Antibes

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1. Moana, 2011-2023 (Ulises, AI)

2. Keijo, 2013-alive (Valentin)

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Lovey 1998-alive, Kamogawa Sea World

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1. Earth, 2008-alive (Oscar)

2. Luna, 2012- alive (Oscar)

3. Pregnant as of writing this (unknown father, AI)

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Kalia 2004-alive, SeaWorld San Diego

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1. Amaya, 2014-2021 (Ulises)

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Kalia was observed mating with Ulises many times, and was artificially inseminated with his sperm only once, because he had never (in his then nearly twenty years at SeaWorld) sired a calf naturally. Kalia became pregnant, but it can't be known if this was from AI or naturally.

Amaya survived infancy but passed away at the age of six and a half, from septicemia.

Since SeaWorld leadership put a stop to killer whale breeding in early 2017, it is impossible to know how many more calves Kalia could have had.

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Morgan 2008-alive, Loro Parque

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1. Ula, 2018-2021 (Keto)

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Morgan was a good mother to her daughter, but could not produce enough milk, so Ula had to be hand-raised with formula in addition to Morgan's milk. They were not separated. Ula passed away shortly before her third birthday, from intestinal problems due to a one-sided diet for the last several months of her life (all cetaceans at Loro Parque was fed like this during 2021, for unknown reasons).

Loro Parque has not stopped breeding killer whales, and Morgan may yet have more calves.

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Katenka 2006-alive, Chimelong Spaceship

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1. Yīlóng, 2019-alive (Tyson)

2. Katniss, 2022-alive (Tyson)

3. Wǔlóng, 2023-alive (unknown)