Orcas @ SeaWorld San Diego

Corky 2

MOTHER: A23? SEX: F ORIGIN: BC, CAN CAPT. /BORN: 1969/12/12 AQUARIUM: SeaWorld California

Eye Color: Unknown Age at Present: ~44

Orcas @ SeaWorld San Diego

Length: 2009 19.7ft to 6m Weights: 2009 -8,255lb to 3,752kg
Corky was about 3 years old when captured. She is a member of the Northern Resident killer whale population. Reportedly she is blind on one eye. She experienced 7 (seven!) unsuccessful pregnancies, with no calf surviving more than 46 days. Corky measures about 20.6 feet and weighs in at 8,200 pounds (February 2004).

Life at Marineland
Corky was placed in a small pool with an adult male, Orky (II), also caught in Pender Harbor the year before her own capture. The two Orcas remained together at the park for the next 17 years. During her time at Marineland, Corky became the first Orca to become pregnant and give birth in captivity. With her first calf, nobody even knew she was pregnant. On February 28, 1977, the first calf to be born alive in captivity was born at Marineland to Corky and Orky. The calf was a male and died after eighteen days. Corky went on to give birth six more times while at Marineland. Kiva, the longest surviving calf, lived only a total of 47 days. There are several reasons as to why Corky's calves did not survive. The first might be that she was captured too young to have learned how to properly take care of a calf. Though, even after she went through training to teach her how to nurse, the calves continued to die. Another reason the calves died so young could be attributed to the shape of Marineland's pools small circles. Corky had to continually push her calves away from the walls and could not properly present her mammaries to the calves so that they could nurse. Her time at Marineland ended in January 1987, after the park was sold to SeaWorld. Corky, then pregnant for the seventh time, was moved with Orky to the park in San Diego. There, at SeaWorld, Corky suffered a miscarriage.

Life at SeaWorld
Corky and Orky were placed with the other Orcas at SeaWorld, in a system of pools much larger than those they had lived in at Marineland. Orky was desired primarily for SeaWorld's new successful breeding program, and while at SeaWorld he sired two female calves, Orkid and Kayla, both of which are still alive today. Corky, on the other hand, never became pregnant again. Three days after the birth of his first daughter, Orky died. His daughter, Orkid, remains at the park today. In 1987, Orky 2 along with another female named Nootka 4 was involved in an accident that injured trainer John Sillick. During a show for the public, Sillick was riding on Nootka's back when Orky received a signal to breach. Sillick's back, leg, and pelvis were broken when Orky landed on top of him; the accident was attributed to another trainer not realizing that Sillick was riding Nootka in the same area that Orky was instructed to breach. He was permanently disabled as a result of the attack, but it cannot be considered a case of orca aggression, rather just a miscue on the part of trainers. In 1989, the dominant Orca at the park, Kandu V, attempted to rake Corky a way orcas show dominance by forcefully scratching at another with their teeth. Kandu charged at Corky, attempting to rake her, she missed and continued swimming into the back pool, where she ended up ramming the wall, rupturing an artery in her jaw. The people in the stadium were quickly ushered out, and after a 45 minute hemorrhage, Kandu V died, all the while she swam alongside her 11 month old calf Orkid for the last portion of her life. Orkid, orphaned at only 11 months

Orcas @ SeaWorld San Diego

old, was placed with Corky, and the two remain together at the park to this day. They hold a very strong bond considering the fact that Corky became Orkid's surrogate mother after the death of Kandu. To this day, Orkid is very protective of Corky. Today, Corky lives with five other Orcas: Kasatka, Ulises, Orkid, Nakai, and Kalia. Corky is one of the gentlest whales in captivity; when a trainer enters the water with a whale for the first time, the whale is always Corky. She loves to mother everyone and has adopted and partially raised quite a few whales since her move to SeaWorld: Orkid, of course, as well as Splash (now deceased, born: 1989/6/15 died: 2005/4/5, lived for 15.5 years), Sumar (deceased, born: 1998/5/14 died: 2010/9/7, lived for 12 years) and others. Corky gets along with all of the whales, except for Ulises, who for unknown reasons will try to rake her when they're together. Corky is easily identified thanks to her tall, straight dorsal fin, her pointed eye patches, and most distinguishing, her large size for a female. She also tends to swim upside down in the pools.

Transfers
December 11, 1969 December 28, 1969 Pender Harbor, BC December 28, 1969 January 21, 1987 Marineland of the Pacific January 21, 1987 Present SeaWorld San Diego

ID tips
Her tall dorsal fin is straight and neither bends nor flops, reaching around 4 ft. Gray saddle patch has a hook in the front. Her eye patches are oval shaped with a hook over her left eye. On the right side, it's the same, but with another scooping hook at the bottom as well. Her teeth are pretty much all worn down. The teeth of her lower jaw were filed down at MarineLand of the Pacific to prevent her from biting anyone. It's useful information as we can tell who she is when her mouth is open. A notch is missing from her left fluke. A chunk is missing from her left flank.

Orcas @ SeaWorld San Diego

Kasatka

MOTHER: Unknown SEX: F ORIGIN: Iceland CAPT. /BORN: 1978/10/26 AQUARIUM: SeaWorld California Eye Color: Brown Age at Present: ~33 Lengths: 2009 17.3ft to 5.3m Weights: 2009 4,860lb to 2,209kg
Kasatka was about 1 year old when captured. She became the first whale to be artificially inseminated in 2000, using Tilikum's semen. Kasatka measures about 17 feet and weighs in at 5,400 pounds (February 2004). Kasatka is the dominant orca at SWC. She has had 3 calves, Takara (1991), Nakai (2001) and Kalia (2004). She is 1 of the 4 living orca grandmothers in captivity. She is very close to her daughter Kalia, yet is not seen performing with her, since Kalia has started waterwork and is a great dry work performer. She was the first killer whale to be

Orcas @ SeaWorld San Diego

artificially inseminated and produce a healthy calf out of it. She can be very controlling over her daughter, even though she has a close bond with her. She was used for waterwork until she injured her trainer Ken Peters in 2006 and is now used for drywork. She was caught in October 1978 off the coast of Iceland. Kasatka is a female Orca who lives at SeaWorld San Diego and the mother of Takara, Nakai, and Kalia. She was captured off the coast of Iceland on October 26, 1978, at the age of one year. Her name probably comes from the Russian word Kasatka (Russian: a), a generic name for Orcas. She is 5 m (17 feet) long and weighs around 2.4 tones (5,400 pounds / 2,400 kilograms). Kasatka became a grandmother for the first time when her daughter Takara gave birth to her first calf, a female born May 3, 2002, named Kohana. Takara gave birth a second time, on November 23, 2005, to a male named Trua in SeaWorld Orlando. Takara gave birth to her third calf, a female born January 7, 2010, named Sakari. Kasatka was separated from Takara and Kohana on April 24, 2004, when they were moved to SeaWorld Orlando. Kasatka has shown aggression to humans. In 1993 Kasatka tried to bite a trainer during a show, and again in 1999. On November 30, 2006, Kasatka grabbed a trainer and dragged him underwater during their show. The trainer escaped with his life and was later in good condition despite being underwater for a "brief" amount of time.

Transfers
October 1978 October 1978 Saedyrasafnid Aquarium October 1978 April 1982 SeaWorld San Diego October 1982 April 1987 (Winter season) SeaWorld San Diego April 1982 October 1987 (Summer season) SeaWorld Aurora/Ohio October 1987 February 1988 SeaWorld Orlando February 1988 February 13, 1990 SeaWorld San Antonio February 13, 1990 Present SeaWorld San Diego

ID tips
She has a unique narrow face. Kasatka has three missing teeth on the right side and a black spot and light patch on the tip of her lower jaw. Crescent shaped dorsal leans slightly to the left. There is a notch about a third of the way down her dorsal fin. Her eye patches have a round, broad front with cloudy edges. Her right fluke has a notch it compared to Corky, who has one missing from her left fluke. She has a chunk missing from her right flank.

Orcas @ SeaWorld San Diego

Ulises

MOTHER: Unknown SEX: M ORIGIN: Iceland CAPT. /BORN: 1980/11/19 AQUARIUM: SeaWorld California Eye Color: Brown and Blue Age at Present: ~32 Length: 2009 19.5ft to 6m Weight: 2009 9,400lb to 4,273kg
Ulises, sometimes spelled Ulysses, was about 3 years old when captured. He spent a long time alone in Barcelona, Spain. Ulises measures about 20.3 feet and weighs in at 9,400 pounds (February 2004). Despite being the largest orca at SeaWorld California, Ulysses is the lowest ranked. He is given beatings by Kasatka and the two boys. He often spends time with Kalia and Orkid. He is a very good performer and often performs by himself or another orca. He is not used in waterwork at the moment.

Orcas @ SeaWorld San Diego

Transfers
November 19, 1980 December 1981 Saedyrasafnid Aquarium December 1981 1983 Rioleon Safari 1983 January 30, 1994 Barcelona Zoo January 30, 1994 Present SeaWorld San Diego

ID Tips
His 6 ft. dorsal fin is curled half way to the right, but as the years pass it has begun to flop more. His eye patches have a jagged look to them. The right is curved and scoop like with two prongs while the left only had one prong. He has a black spot, about 4 inches, on his tongue. There is a bump; it looks like a wart, on his chin, which can be seen well from an underwater view or from the side. Ulises has one blue eye and one brown eye. His flukes curl under and his pectoral fins are nearly 5 ft, long and quite wide, which is a normal trait in male orcas. Though Corky is taller than him, he is much more bulky and stronger.

Orcas @ SeaWorld San Diego

Orkid

MOTHER: Kandu 5 SEX: F ORIGIN: captivity CAPT. /BORN: 1988/9/23 AQUARIUM: SeaWorld California Eye Color: Unknown Age at Present: ~22 Length: 2009 18.8ft to 5.7m Weight: 2009 5,950lb to 2,704kg
Orkid is sometimes misspelled Orchid. Her mother Kandu 5 died in August 1989. Orkid measures about 19 feet and weighs in at 5,900 pounds (February 2004). Orkid has been artificially inseminated several times, but so far without success. Orkid was the first ever baby of SeaWorld California. She was orphaned at 11 months of age and was adopted by Corky, and still hangs out with her. She is the smartest orca next to Kasatka at SeaWorld California. She knows over

Orcas @ SeaWorld San Diego

300 signals. She performs waterwork only with experienced trainers. She has had no calves. She is mostly seen with Kasatka, Kalia, and Nakai. She has sometimes disrupted shows because of her moods. Orkid is rumored to be the most intelligent orca in captivity. But despite her intelligence she can be also rather aggressive. Orkid was born September 23, 1988 in SeaWorld San Diego, California. Orkids parents are Kandu V (her mother), and Orky II (her father). Orkid is a favorite among most of San Diego as she was the first killer whale born in the San Diego Sea World Park. Orky II passed away only three days after Orkid was born. She was named Orkid, in memory of her father (Orkid means Orkys Kid). In August 1989, there was a horrible accident where Kandu V charged the huge docile Corky II, during a live show. The blow broke Kandu V's jaw, and she began spouting blood with every breath she took. 45-minutes later Kandu V sank to the bottom of the pool and died. Her young baby daughter, Orkid, witnessed her mothers death. For weeks after the incident, baby Orkid would circle the tanks calling out and vocalizing for her mother, almost as if she was saying I am here, where are you? It was one of the saddest things to see. Corky II became Orkid's surrogate mother and they are now very close. Orkid has had other close relationships, one was a male orca named Splash, and the other was a young male named Sumar. Both now are deceased, and passed away at a young age. Orkid has been artificially inseminated many times, but (so far) has not gotten pregnant yet. Orkid is highly intelligent, and only the most senior trainers are to work with her. Orkid, in her life has seen a lot of her close friends and family die. In a video of Sumars body being hauled from the pool, Orkid was seen very close to him, not letting him out of her sight.

Transfers
Orkid hasnt been transferred as of yet.

ID Tips
Her crescent shaped dorsal is straight, but it wobbles a little when she speed swims or slides out. It is tall, about 2.7 ft. her body is lean and sleek. She has a rounded face, which only adds to her beauty. Eyes patches are oval and rounded and they sweep back into points.

Orcas @ SeaWorld San Diego

Nakai

MOTHER: Kasatka SEX: M ORIGIN: captivity CAPT. /BORN: 2001/9/1 AQUARIUM: SeaWorld California Eye Color: Blue Age at Present: 9 Length: 2006 14 ft to 4.3m Weight: 2008 3,800lb to 1,727kg
He is very gentle towards trainers and is used for all waterwork. Sometimes he will do what he wants in shows, but not being stubborn, he will perform whatever behaviors he wants to. He was the first killer whale to be conceived from artificial insemination. He is a playful young orca who enjoys watching the guests at the underwater viewing area.

Transfers

Orcas @ SeaWorld San Diego

Nakai hasnt been transferred as of yet

ID Tips
His dorsal fin leans to the right and has two nicks on the trailing edge. It is still in the typical crescent shape of a calf. His eye patches are slightly rounded and angle back to a point. Nakai's face is shaped like his mothers and his lower jaw seemed to resemble an hourglass instead of simply being round. The underside of his flukes has a patch of dark colored spots.

Orcas @ SeaWorld San Diego

Kalia

MOTHER: Kasatka SEX: F ORIGIN: captivity CAPT. /BORN: 2004/12/21 AQUARIUM: SeaWorld California Age at Present: 6 Eye Color: Blue Length: 2006 12ft to 3.7m Weight: 2007 - 1,800lb to 818kg
Kalia was born at Sea World San Diego on December 21, 2004. Her parents are Kasatka and Keet. She is also known as Great Grandbaby Shamu. Her siblings are Takara (1991) Nakai (2001) and Halyn (20052008). The name Kalia means "beauty" in Hawaiian. Kalia is the youngest whale at SeaWorld San Diego. She is a very sweet orca. She has a very strong bond with her mother but can sometimes be controlled by Kasatka. She is the first 4th generation orca to be born in captivity. She is being trained in waterworks, and is a very reliable dry work performer. She is very smart for a calf, and learns quickly. She loves to interact with guests.

Orcas @ SeaWorld San Diego

Transfers
Kalia hasnt been transferred as of yet

ID Tips
Kalia's eye patches are a perfect blend of her parents. Like Keet's they are angular and sharp. The right has two sharp points over her eye and the left has a few black spots near the bottom center. She also has a small black spot on her tongue. Her dorsal fin looks like Kasatka's and it leans in no definite direction.