SeaWorld San Diego took custody over Shouka shortly after the incident in 2012, and she resides at SeaWorld to this day. After ten years without any orca companionship, Shouka can now be seen spending time with Corky, an orca who has lived in captivity longer than any other whale currently alive.
How old is Shouka the whale?
Shouka is a 28 year old female orca who lives at SeaWorld San Diego. She was the first orca to be born at Marineland France. Her mother is Sharkane and her father is Kim 2 .
How long did Shouka live with her mother?
(Just four years earlier, whale catchers had snatched Sharkane from open waters off the coast of Iceland.) Unlike many captive-born orcas, Shouka spent nine years with her mother. Shouka’s life at Marineland was far from idyllic. As a baby, she was drastically underfed.
What happened to Shouka from Marineland?
Shouka is shipped out of Marineland and off to Ohio. After years at Marineland, Shouka was shipped to SeaWorld’s now-defunct Ohio facility. There, she learned what it meant to be alone. As a gregarious species, orcas live their whole lives in close-knit family groups called pods.
What happened to Shouka the SeaWorld parrot?
Scientist Naomi Rose commented on Shouka’s behavior, saying: “It may be that being entirely solitary is in fact affecting her mood and she is now acting out of frustration over this untenable social situation.” SeaWorld San Diego took custody over Shouka shortly after the incident in 2012, and she resides at SeaWorld to this day.
How old is Shouka the killer whale?
29 year oldShouka is a 29 year old female orca who lives at SeaWorld San Diego. She was the first orca to be born at Marineland France.
What happened to the killer whale at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom?
Shouka lived with bottlenose dolphins for several years, but eventually aggression caused her to be separated from them. Because Shouka was now completely alone, Six Flags was forced to move her to a facility with other killer whales. On August 20th, 2012, Shouka moved to SeaWorld San Diego.
Is kasatka still alive?
Kasatka (1976 – August 15, 2017) was a wild caught female orca who lived at SeaWorld San Diego....KasatkaDiedAugust 15, 2017 (aged 40–41)Years active1978 - 2017Known forPerformer of the Shamu show.2 more rows
Where is Tilikum now?
Tilikum was sold to the United States' SeaWorld theme park chain for performance shows and breeding. The whale's semen was collected and used for artificial insemination to breed a number of captive orcas for SeaWorld's shows and also for its sister park, Loro Parque in Spain.
What happened to shouka in 2012?
A new video released on youtube captured Shouka, a 19 year old captive born orca, attacking her trainer during a public performance. The footage was uploaded on July 7th, 2012 by traviscorbin using an Android phone.
Where is Shamu the whale?
Shamu died that year at SeaWorld of pyometra (a uterine infection) and septicemia (blood poisoning). She was just 9 years old. In the wild, she could have lived to be older than 100.
Is Takara the orca still alive?
Takara is a 31 year old female orca who lives at SeaWorld San Antonio. She was born at SeaWorld San Diego on July 9, 1991.
Do sea life still have orcas?
129 of these orcas are now dead. In the wild, male orcas live to an average of 30 years (maximum 50-60 years) and 46 years for females (maximum 80-90 years). At least 171 orcas have died in captivity, not including 30 miscarried or still-born calves. SeaWorld holds 18 orcas in its three parks in the United States.
Is keto related to Tilikum?
Tekoa, Skyla, and Kohana share the same father (Tilikum). Skyla and Keto share the same mother (Kalina). Kohana's mother and Keto share the same father (Kotar). As a result of Loro Parque's captive orca breeding program, Kohana has mated with her own half-uncle, Keto, twice.
Is Tilikum related to Shamu?
Another “Shamu” (whose actual name was Tilikum) was kidnapped from his home waters off Iceland—abducted from his pod at just 2 years old. He was kept in small tanks with other suffering, frustrated, captive orcas—and the fights between them often left him injured and bloody.
How did SeaWorld dispose of Tilikum's body?
SeaWorld Spokeswoman Aimee Jeansonne Becka has stated that the orca's body was “disposed in accordance with Florida law.” Law allows for the body to be incinerated, buried, or “rendered” by a licensed company, converting the animals waste tissue into other materials.
Did Shamu eat his trainer?
The normally docile orca had killed twice before. Tourists eating poolside at a daily event called "Dining With Shamu" watched the whale drown 40-year-old Dawn Brancheau. Tourists in an underwater viewing area saw the whale swim by, flipping the bleeding trainer over and over in his mouth.
Does Discovery Kingdom have a whale?
Shouka, a 19-year-old, 5,000-pound orca, has been with Discovery Kingdom for about eight years, coming to Vallejo by way of a theme park in Ohio. Since late last year, she has been living alone, after she and her companion – a male Atlantic bottlenose dolphin – were separated for compatibility reasons, Chan said.
What amusement park has killer whales?
SeaWorld parks'Shamu' is now used as a stage name for killer whales in performances at SeaWorld parks. Currently, SeaWorld houses 19 killer whales in its three parks. Eight killer whales live at SeaWorld San Diego: Corky, Ulises, Orkid, Ikaika, Kalia, Keet, Shouka, and Makani.
Does marine world still have dolphins?
While dolphin shows and other animal acts remain in 2022, the killer whale show ended a decade ago, and rides rule. Roller coasters including Medusa and the Joker are the park's main draws. Back in Redwood Shores, Oracle took over the old Marine World space, and built shiny cylindrical office towers in its place.
When did marine world move to Vallejo?
Marine World/Africa U.S.A., an animal-themed amusement park planted on 66 acres now claimed by Oracle Corp. headquarters, seems like more of a mirage with each passing year. It opened in 1968 and moved to Vallejo in 1985, followed by a slow transformation into the current thrill ride-heavy Six Flags Discovery Kingdom.
How old is Shouka?
Killer whales, or orcas, are known to be one of the most social mammals on the planet. In 2002, when Shouka was 9 years of age, she was loaned to Six Flags Worlds of Adventure in Ohio. For the 10 years that followed, Shouka would live without another orca as a companion.
Where did Shouka live?
By 2004, Shouka had been living alone for two years when she was transported to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo, California. With no other killer whales living at Discovery Kingdom, Shouka had made the cross-country trip to once again be housed with no companionship.
Where was Shouka transported to?
This evidently had an impact, and on August 20, 2012, Shouka was transported from Six Flags Discovery Kingdom to SeaWorld in San Diego. She arrived safely and is to be introduced to the eight other orcas living at SeaWorld. This is clearly a victory for Shouka and for animal rights activists everywhere, but it was far too long coming, and other cases of this kind of illegal treatment continue to go un-prosecuted.
Where did Six Flags get Shouka?
Six Flags obtained Shouka under the assumption that they would soon be importing another killer whale named Kshamenk (pronounced “shah-menk”) from Mundo Marino in Argentina. Shouka was imported to Ohio while the Kshamenk deal was still pending approval from the Argentine government. When the legality of importing the animal came into question, Kshamenk was never relocated, leaving Six Flags with no suitable companion for an orca, and leaving Shouka utterly alone.
Is Shouka a single house?
But a 2008 inspection by the Animal and Plants Health Inspection Service reported Shouka as being “single housed” — meaning the park was keeping the animals separate though, reportedly, “next to each other a majority of the time.” Making matters worse, in November 2011 Six Flags separated the two animals completely citing “recent compatibility issues” and ensuring it would seek another “suitable companion” for Shouka. This didn’t happen.
How old is Shouka?
Shouka (pronounced SHOO-kah) is a 28 year old female killer whale who lives at SeaWorld San Diego in California. She was born tail-first at Marineland Antibes on February 25th, 1993. She is the daughter of Sharkane and Kim II. She was the first killer whale to successfully be born in France. Shouka is known for her unique vocalizations. Because she spent so long with bottlenose dolphins, Shouka learned how to imitate them. Following Kasatka's death in 2017, Shouka and Kalia became the dominant females at the park.
When was Shouka born?
Shouka was born at Marineland Antibes on February 25th, 1993. During labor, Shouka's mother Sharkane lobtailed and spun at the surface of the pool repeatedly. Another adult female at the park, Freya, was present for her birth. Her father and another male named Tanouk both lived at the park at the time of her birth.
Where was Shouka sent to?
Shouka was sent to Six Flags Worlds of Adventure in Cleveland, Ohio. Six Flags had purchased SeaWorld Ohio only a year prior, and kept many of the same facilities and exhibits. Shouka was moved into the killer whale stadium. Not long after her arrival, Six Flags announced that they were looking for a male companion for her. Six Flags hoped that Kshamenk, a male orca from Argentina, would soon be able to join her. They claimed that Kshamenk would be there to join her within a year. The transfer permit was denied, however. Although the US Fish and Wildlife Service approved the permit, the Argentinian government denied it, citing a law that prevents them from exporting native wildlife. Shouka would go without the companionship of another orca for over a decade.
Who is Shouka's brother?
In 1996, Shouka's half-brother Valentin was born to Freya. Shouka and Sharkane were both present for his birth. Only a few years later, in 1999, Sharkane gave birth to Shouka's brother, Inouk. Shouka stayed by her mother and little brother's side after he was born. In 2001, Shouka's first sister, Wikie, was born.
When was Shouka's last performance at Six Flags?
Shouka's final performance at Six Flags was on August 18th, 2012. Two days later Shouka was flown to San Diego. After landing, she was loaded onto a flatbed truck and taken to her new home. Shouka rode in a 38,000 pound foam-padded container for the entire trip. When she arrived at SeaWorld Shouka was moved to the medical pool and introduced to the parks oldest female, Corky II. Despite spending a decade alone, Shouka didn't seem to have any issue interacting with other killer whales and the two got along very well. The following day she was introduced to Orkid.
What is a Shouka whale?
Shouka is a very dominant and energetic whale , and is known for jumping incredibly high.
How old is Shouka?
Shouka. Shouka is a 28 year old female orca who lives at SeaWorld San Diego. She was the first orca to be born at Marineland France. Her mother is Sharkane and her father is Kim 2 . Shouka grew up under the care of her mother Sharkane and fellow pod mate Freya.
How long did Shouka live alone?
Shouka lived alone for almost 10 years with dolphins as companions. Though attempts were made to bring a male orca named Kshamenk in from Argentina, Shouka remained with dolphins until late 2011 when her tank mate Merlin was separated from her after aggression between the two occurred.
When did Shouka move to Six Flags?
When Shouka was 3, Freya gave birth to her half brother Valentin and the two became close. Her mother gave birth to 2 more calves, Inouk in 1999 and Wikie in 2001. As she grew older, the decision was made to move her to Six Flags Ohio in the United States in 2002. In 2004 she moved to Six Flags California.
Is Shouka a dominant orca?
Shouka is a dominant orca and has shown aggression to trainers in the past. The most recent was in July 2012 when she lunged at a trainer. This likely came as a result of having no tank mates to socialize with. Since being moved to SeaWorld, her aggression has decreased greatly and she gets along with her pod mates very well.
Where is Shouka from?
Born on February 25, 1993, in Antibes, France, to Sharkane and Kim 2, the female killer whale's first nine years were spent with her parents and siblings. In 2002, she was moved to Six Flags Worlds of Adventure (former SeaWorld Ohio) in Aurora, Ohio, near Cleveland. After Worlds of Adventure was sold, in 2004 Shouka was moved to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom (Marine World Africa USA) in Vallejo, California. She was the only orca at the park but had bottlenose dolphin companions named Merlin and Cupid for 7 years until they were relocated due to compatibility concerns. In July 2012, Shouka began to display aggressive behavior during one of her performances. She lifted a trainer into the air and knocked her trainer back into an open door area that leads to the back of the stage. Even after the trainer was gone, Shouka leaped two more times onto the stage. Six Flags moved Shouka to SeaWorld San Diego the next month in August 2012, where Corky immediately took her under her wing. She is currently fully integrated into the pod of ten killer whales and is a highly athletic animal who enjoys working with her trainers. Shouka is known for her bottlenose dolphin vocalizations and for her unique upward-curving tail flukes, which she has had since birth.
How old is Kasatka?
Kasatka was a 41-year-old female orca who lived at SeaWorld San Diego and the mother of Takara, Nakai, Kalia and Makani. She was the park's dominant orca and she could be seen putting the other whales in their places including her own offspring. She was captured off the coast of Iceland on October 26, 1978, about the age of two. Her name probably comes from the Russian word Kasatka (Russian: Кaсатка ), a generic name for orcas. She was 17.7 feet (5.4 m) long and weighs around 5,950 pounds (2,700 kg). 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 became a great grandmother on October 13, 2010, when Kohana gave birth to her first calf Adán. Kasatka gave birth to her fourth calf and second son on February 14, 2013, at 6:33 am after a one-hour labor. The calf was later named Makani.
How big is Nakai?
He was the first orca to be conceived through artificial insemination with a successful birth. As of August 2017, he weighed 7,000 pounds (3,200 kg) and was 19 feet (5.8 m) long. Currently, he lives at SeaWorld San Diego As a mature adolescent with nine other whales, including his half brother Makani, his half sister Kalia and his half brother Ikaika. He has lived there his entire life. In late September 2012, Nakai sustained a serious injury to his chin. SeaWorld stated that the injury occurred during "contact with the pool's environment". Nakai is one of the only captive males over the age of 10 to not have a collapsed dorsal fin, other males such as Ikaika and Trua are younger, have shorter fins, and have fully collapsed dorsal fins. Nakai's dorsal fin is nearly 5 feet (1.5 m) tall and is slightly leaning to the left. The right side of his tail fluke is curved under but the left side has yet to curve. His dorsal is currently the tallest of any captive killer whale only to be dwarfed by that of his father by a foot and a half.
What is an orca in San Diego?
Orca show at SeaWorld San Diego. Killer whales, or orcas, are large predatory cetaceans that were first captured live and displayed in exhibitions in the 1960s. They soon became popular attractions at public aquariums and aquatic theme parks due to their intelligence, trainability, striking appearance, playfulness in captivity and sheer size. ...
How old is Corky?
Corky is a 56-year-old female orca at SeaWorld San Diego. She is the longest-held captive orca in the world, the largest female orca in captivity, and the second oldest orca to ever be displayed to the public. She is now the only survivor from the Northern Resident captures. Around the age of four, Corky was captured in Pender Harbour off the coast of British Columbia on December 11, 1969. From there, she went to Marineland of the Pacific and lived with three other orcas. However, the two orcas who she was captured with died after three years and she spent most of her time at Marineland with an orca bull named Orky. Corky has been pregnant seven times, resulting in four live births from 1977 to 1985 (with two failures in 1986 and 1987), none of which survived the first two months of life.
How many orcas are there in Japan?
Six of the seven displayed in Japan are captive-born. An additional 13 orcas reported in China and Russia were captured in Russian waters. Kalina, born in September 1985, was the first captive-born orca calf to survive more than a few days.
Where is Kshamenk from?
Kshamenk (pronounced sha-MEN-k) is a male orca that was taken from the wild off the coast of Argentina in 1992. The population he comes from is unknown. He was approximately five years old at the time, making him roughly 30 years old. Initial reports said that Kshamenk, along with three members of his pod, had stranded and been "rescued" by Mundo Marino. However, it was later revealed that Mundo Marino had "force stranded" the whales by placing a large net between the whales and the shore. When the tide went out, the whales were left stranded on the beach. One was released, one died on the way to the aquarium, one beat himself to death on the walls of his enclosure, and one, Kshamenk, survived.
Where does Katina live?
Katina is a killer whale ( Orcinus orca) that currently lives at SeaWorld Orlando. She was captured off the coast of Iceland on October 17th, 1978. As of March 2016, she's about 17 feet long and weighs about 5,400 pounds
How much does Katina weigh?
She was captured off the coast of Iceland on October 17th, 1978. As of March 2016, she's about 17 feet long and weighs about 5,400 pounds. Katina was captured in October of 1978 and was transferred to a holding pen in Grindavik. She was purchased by Marineland Canada in early 1979, where she was named Kandu VI.
Birth and Early Life
- Shouka was born at Marineland Antibes on February 25th, 1993. During labor, Shouka's mother Sharkane lobtailed and spun at the surface of the pool repeatedly. Another adult female at the park, Freya, was present for her birth. Her father and another male named Tanoukboth lived at the park at the time of her birth. In 1996, Shouka's half-brother Valentin was born to Freya. Shouka a…
Move to America
- Growing up, Shouka spent a lot of time with her father. The two whales were very close. As she began to mature, trainers were worried that the two would mate. In order to prevent this, Shouka was given to Six Flags on a breeding loan. On May 20th, 2002, Shouka was loaded onto a plane and flown to America. This would be the last time that she ever saw her family. Shouka was sen…
Life at Seaworld
- Shouka's final performance at Six Flags was on August 18th, 2012. Two days later Shouka was flown to San Diego. After landing, she was loaded onto a flatbed truck and taken to her new home. Shouka rode in a 38,000 pound foam-padded container for the entire trip. At the time of her move, 8 other killer whales lived at the park: Kasatka and her calve...
Behavioral Incidents
- In the late 1990's, Shouka struck trainer Lindsay Rubincam, who had to be hospitalized for internal bleeding.
- In the 2000's, Shouka had multiple incidents with trainer John Hargrove. One involved ramming him in the back, pushing him underwater and against the tank wall. She swam to the bottom of the tank m...
- In the late 1990's, Shouka struck trainer Lindsay Rubincam, who had to be hospitalized for internal bleeding.
- In the 2000's, Shouka had multiple incidents with trainer John Hargrove. One involved ramming him in the back, pushing him underwater and against the tank wall. She swam to the bottom of the tank m...
- At Six Flags, Shouka repeatedly lunged at her trainer.
Personality
- Shouka is a very dominant, energetic whale and is known for jumping incredibly high. She is also considered to a very vocal, talkative animal.
Appearance
- Shouka herself is a bit small for a female killer whale. Her eyes are blue and her teeth are substantially worn. She has a prominent underbite, a triangular dorsal fin that tilts to her right, and a slight upturn to the tips of her flukes (it is theorized that this upturn is what gives her so much height on her bows). Her eyepatches are flat and a little narrow, with many freckles near the bott…
Galleries
- Photosof Shouka
- Videosof Shouka