Kyuquot (pronounced ky-YOO-kit) is a 32-year-old male Icelandic killer whale who currently lives at SeaWorld San Antonio. Kyuquot was born tail-first at 12:40 pm PST on December 24th, 1991 at the now defunct Sealand of the Pacific. His mother is Haida II and his father is Tilikum. Kyuquot has only one offspring, Kyara, the last killer whale calf born at any SeaWorld Park, though she died a few months after her birth in 2017.

Birth & Early Life[]

Kyuquot was born at 12:40 pm on December 24th, 1991, at Sealand of the Pacific, British Columbia. He was determined to be a male about a month after birth Initially, he and his mother, Haida II, were kept separated from the other two whales at the park, another adult female Nootka IV and his father Tilikum. He was eventually introduced to Nootka when she had a calf of her own a few months later. ^{[1] [2]}

Kyuquot's stay at Sealand was not meant to be long. Several months before he was born, the three adult whales living at the facility had been responsible for the drowning of part-time trainer Keltie Byrne after she somehow slipped and fell into the pool. The facility closed shortly afterwards, and SeaWorld ended up importing all four whales. Kyuquot and his mother Haida were transferred to SeaWorld San Antonio on January 8th, 1993.

A New Start in Texas[]

Kyuquot’s life improved drastically once he arrived at SeaWorld. The animal care at Sealand left much to be desired. Healthier, Ky began to grow. He remained very close with Haida until her death in 2001. Despite this, he continued to learn and mature. Eventually, SeaWorld began to train Kyuquot for waterworks. After several incidents involving Ky occurred, including repeatedly slamming a trainer during a show in July of 2004, he was banned from waterwork. These incidents were thought to have occured due to Kyuquot’s maturing, but his ban on waterwork was never lifted. Regardless, trainers continued to work with him very closely on land.

Present Day[]

Today, Kyuquot remains at SeaWorld San Antonio. He spends almost all of his time with Tuar, his half brother and closest companion. Occasionally, he will perform shows with Takara, Sakari, and Kamea. He is active, healthy, and continues to improve his training daily.

Kyara[]

Kyuquot became close with many other whales as he grew up in Texas. Taku, who passed away in 2007, Keet, who was moved to SeaWorld San Diego in 2012, and Tuar, who still resides at San Antonio today, are a few of the individuals he spent a lot of time with. Eventually, though, he became very close with Takara, a female who was transferred there in 2009. Takara had two calves in Texas, Sakari and Kamea, before she finally became pregnant again in 2016. The calf, born on April 19th, 2017, was the last killer whale to be born at any SeaWorld facility, as per the guidelines of the self-imposed breeding ban. The baby was named Kyara in honor of her parents, Kyuquot and Takara. When Kyuquot met his first and only calf, he was very gentle and seemed to understand how fragile she was. Although she had a promising start, Kyara fell ill in July of 2017. Her condition continued to deteriorate despite SeaWorld’s best efforts. On July 24th, 2017, Kyara passed away due to a respiratory infection.

Personality[]

Appearance[]

Kyuquot is fully grown. He is very long, reaching about 22 feet. His body is muscular and round. His pectoral flippers have reached full size. Kyuquot’s eyepatches are big, a trait he inherited from his mother. Much like both of his parents, they start off very full before tapering to a “V” shape, almost like a smudge. Neither of them possess any noticeable freckles or imperfections. His sub-ocular notches, by the corners of his mouth, taper off into two points on each side. His shoulder notches are rounded, almost nonexistent. The markings on his chest, where the white cuts into the black of the belly, have a similar pattern to his father’s. A large, grey saddlepatch sits under his dorsal, fully closed. Both sides of his flukes curl inwards, although the right side curls more. His dorsal fin is completely collapsed to his left, curling up very slightly at the tip. His eyes are a greyish blue and his teeth are slightly worn.

Trivia[]

• The name "Kyuquot" comes from a First Nations community located on Kyuquot Sound in British Columbia. "Kyuquot" translates to "people of Kayukw" in the Nuu-chah-nulth ("Nookta") language.^[3]
• On October 19th, 2024, a video of Kyuquot splashing an unsuspecting audience with feces during an Orca Encounter presentation went viral on multiple social media platforms and news networks, including TMZ.^[4] At the start of the clip, Kyuquot completes a side-breach near the glass and subsequently defecates. He was immediately sent to splash the audience in the same area, sending water and feces their way. ^[5] Staff members then cleaned the affected portion of the stadium and provided the drenched guests with towels, soap, bottled water, and fresh clothing.

Family Tree[]

Galleries[]

• Photos of Kyuquot
• Videos of Kyuquot

Transfer History[]

References[]