Wednesday, April 19, 2017

Katina, Kasatka, Corky, Ulises & Lolita: The Last of the First Generation

The last of the first generation: the last of the wild-caught orcas. These five orcas, Katina, Kasatka, Corky, Ulises and Lolita, represent how the business of the display of cetaceans began, and also how far it has come and how much the quality of care has improved. All five were captured between 1969 and 1980, and have seen the industry evolve from keeping killer whales in small tanks, to massive multi-million gallon habitats. They have participated in groundbreaking scientific studies that will help ensure the survival of their species. For better or for worse, these five whales helped us better understand their species, and helped shape the future for cetaceans in the care of man.














To understand the lives of these five orcas, you must go back to the origins of orca captivity. The first whale to be publically displayed was Namu, who was accidentally caught in a fishing net, before being brought back to the Seattle Aquarium. The general public was fascinated by seeing such a creature up close, and as result, a booming business followed in suit, of the display of orcas (and other cetaceans like dolphins, etc.). Marine parks starting popping up all over the place, with a crowd eager to see killer whales.


The first of the five remaining orcas was Corky II, commonly referred to as simply “Corky.” She was captured on December 24, 1969 near Pender Harbor, BC at the age of about three. It was common practice among the companies capturing orcas to try to collect juvenile whales, on the account that they would be smaller, and thus, easier to transport and also would have their entire lives ahead of them. It was a logical decision from a financial standpoint. Corky was brought to Marineland of the Pacific, where she lived from 1969 until 1987, when she was purchased by SeaWorld and was transferred to SeaWorld San Diego. Over the years, Corky gave birth to five calves, along with two miscarriages, but never had a successful calf: her longest surviving calf survived just 47 days. Six of her seven failed pregnancies occurred while she lived at Marineland, and her last miscarriage while at SeaWorld in 1987. Following her last miscarriage, Corky, mysteriously, stopped cycling at the age of just 21-an unusually young age for a female orca. To this day, it remains a mystery why Corky was never able to be a successful mother, and why she stopped cycling at such a young age.

Nevertheless, almost everyone who has ever worked with or been around Corky would agree that she is the sweetest and most gentle whale. She was one of the whales most frequently used in waterwork (in the days prior to 2010), and was commonly the first animal a new whale would be introduced to when transferred to SeaWorld San Diego. When Shouka arrived in 2012, for example, Corky was the first whale she met upon arrival at SeaWorld. Corky is the oldest whale in captivity at the estimated age of 52 (average killer whale lifespan is 25-30 years).

The next oldest of the “last of the first generation” group is Lolita, who is one of the most controversial orcas in the world (especially after Tilikum’s death in early 2017). She was captured off the coast of Penn Cove, Washington on August 8, 1970, along with six other orcas, most notably Ramu 4 and Winston (the father of the first successful calf born in captivity). Because of the pod she was born to, in 2015, NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) extended the the protection of the Endangered Species Act to Lolita, despite her living in captivity. She remains the first and only captive orca ever to have been granted the same level of conservation status as her wild relatives of the southern resident killer whales of Puget Sound, Washington. Lolita has lived at Miami Seaquarium since her capture in 1970, where she initially lived with another orca named Hugo. The two may have mated several times, but no pregnancies ever resulted from it. Hugo passed away in 1980, and Lolita has lived without the company of another of her species since. She has been kept with several other cetaceans since, most notably bottlenose dolphins and currently, pacific white sided dolphins. 

Lolita lives in the smallest orca habitat in the world, however, and much criticism has been made about her quality of life at Miami Seaquarium. In my opinion, places like Miami Seaquarium are what gives cetacean a bad name. Places like SeaWorld have 30+ feet deep pools that are 10 million gallons, while Lolita lives in a tank that barely meets the minimum legal requirement for cetaceans set by the NOAA. Unlike SeaWorld, Miami Seaquarium is not AZA accredited, and is often viewed as the “estranged cousin” of the marine park industry, if you will. It is incredible that Lolita has lived for almost 50 years in a tank that looks like it belongs in the 1970s, not the 2010s, without major health issues. 

Kasatka, on the other hand, has lived a very different life than Lolita has. Captured off the coast of Iceland on October 26, 1978 at approximately one year old, she was immediately flown to SeaWorld San Diego. She is one of just two killer whales, along with Kalina, to have lived at all four SeaWorld parks (San Diego, Orlando, San Antonio, and the now closed Ohio park). Despite not being either the oldest or largest female at SeaWorld San Diego, she is the matriarch of the San Diego pod, and has mothered four calves. In 2001, Kasatka made history, by giving birth to Nakai, the first successful orca calf to have been born through artificial insemination (AI), with Tilikum, who lived in Orlando, being the father of the calf. In addition to her four calves, Kasatka has been a grandmother five times and been a great grandmother twice, and is about to become a grandmother again, with the imminent birth of Takara’s calf. She has been one of the most sucessful mothers, as all but one of her descendants are still alive today (the only exception, Victoria, who was born in Loro Parque in 2013, died at less than a year old). 

As Kasatka ages, like other orcas who have far-surpassed the normal life expectancy of a killer whale, she has encountered some health problems. The common trend, especially among the wild-caught population of SeaWorld’s orcas, is respiratory infections. In January 2017, one of SeaWorld’s oldest wild-caught orcas, Tilikum, passed away from bacterial pneumonia-a respiratory infection-at the age of 36. Kasatka has been fighting a bacterial respiratory infection, similar to but not the same as Tilikum’s infection, for several years. The reason SeaWorld’s older killer whales contract illnesses commonly, especially respiratory infections is simple: it’s an “old age” disease. In the wild, their counterparts would not survive these illnesses, if they even get to the age where it would affect them. In captivity, they receive medical treatment for said illnesses, which can drastically prolong their life expectancy. Tilikum had been battling his infection on-and-off since about 2014, and due to the treatments he received at SeaWorld, he got to live another three years, while he would have likely died almost immediately upon contracting the disease if he were in the wild. 

Katina, was captured on the same day as Kasatka, on October 26, 1978 off the coast of Iceland at the approximate age of two. While the two were not likely captured at the exact same location, they were likely kept at the same at the same holding facility prior to being purchased. For two years after he capture, Katina lived at Marineland of Canada in Niagara Falls, prior to being acquired by SeaWorld, and moved to their Orlando park. On September 26, 1985, Katina made history, by giving birth to the first ever successful calf born in the care of man, Kalina. Katina would go one to mother six more calves, most recently Nalani and Makaio, whom she is very close with. Both of those calves have a very interesting story as well.

Nalani is, in some ways, a miracle baby. She was born after Taku, her father, impregnated his own mother (Katina), creating a rare inbreed. Miraculously, Nalani was born with no genetic mutations or troubles of any kind, that one might expect from an inbred calf. Due to SeaWorld’s announcement that they are ending orca breeding, unless an “accident” occurs, Makaio will be the last orca calf born at SeaWorld Orlando. Katina and her calves have single handedly shaped our knowledge on killer whale breeding, pregnancies, labor, and post-nadal living. Katina is also the only great great grandmother in captivity, with Amaya being born to her great granddaughter, Kalia, back on December 2, 2014. 

Ulises is the youngest wild-caught orca still living in captivity today (with the exception of the Russian-caught orcas in 2014, and late 2016. Russia insists on still participating in the outdated practice of capturing cetaceans, rather than employing breeding programs, like almost everywhere else in the world today). He was captured off the coast of Iceland on November 19, 1980 at approximately three years old. For 14 years after his capture, he lived without the company of another killer whale, but rather residing with other cetaceans like bottlenose dolphins. He moved around marine parks throughout Europe until 1994, when he was purchased by SeaWorld, and moved to their San Diego park, where he has lived ever since. With the death of Tilikum in January of 2017, Ulises has since become the largest killer whale in captivity. In addition, he is the oldest male orca living in captivity at 39 years old (with fellow San Diego pod-mate Corky taking the cake at 52 years old). 

Ulises has only fathered two calves, one of which was through AI. Winky, who lives at Marineland of France, was artificially inseminated through a breeding agreement with SeaWorld. Moana was born to Winky on March 16, 2011, and still lives with her mother in France. Ulises’ other calf is Amaya, the great great granddaughter of Katina. 

Regardless of one’s personal view of cetacean captivity, specifically orcas in captivity, these five orcas have played a monumental role in helping us better understand their species. Katina and Kasatka especially, have helped scientists learn an unfathomable amount of data about killer whale pregnancies and calves. Prior to SeaWorld’s first calf in 1985, scientists were not sure exactly how long a killer whale’s gestation period was. Because of the close contact and easy observation that having an animal in captivity provides, scientists have gather information that is literally impossible to get in the wild. For example, SeaWorld and their orcas have participated in studies about a killer whale’s milk, their respiratory systems and many other things as well. 

Scientists have been able to get exact measurements of calves from almost the minute they are born, throughout literally their entire lives. It is just not possible to gather that type of up-close data in the wild, and this is why it is important to keep orcas in the care of man. Their mission is to educate and inspire, and they do that every single day: especially the four at SeaWorld parks. The entire world has benefited from our greater understanding of the top predator in the ocean, and these five orcas have played a key role in that mission.

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