FACTS

- Nootka (NOOT-kah) means "little Anna" in Inuit.
- She was likely born in the year 1979.
- She's had one successful offspring; none are alive.

HISTORY

Nootka IV was captured in October 1982, off the northeast coast of Iceland near Héradsflói. Along with her was a female named Haida II* and an unnamed male. They were sent to Sædyrasafnid in Iceland before being sent to Sealand of the Pacific in Canada. The park had been closed since the death of their main attraction, a male orca named Haida*, but when they reopened in April 1983, they had three new orcas to take his place. In June 1983, the male orca died, so Sealand sought out another male orca. A young male named Tilikum arrived at the park in November 1984.

On April 1, 1989, Henriette Huber, one of the trainers at Sealand, was petting Nootka's tongue when she bit down on her hand and dragged her into the pool. Another employee managed to pull Huber out of the water. That same year, Steve Huxter, Sealand's head whale trainer, was pulled into the water by his leg when he tried to retreive a tourist's camera from Nootka's mouth. Nootka was also involved in an aggressive act with one of the other orcas that ended with her hitting her head against a wall.

On February 20, 1991, Keltie Lee Byrne, a trainer at Sealand, had just finished a public show with the orcas. Byrne fell into the water as she walked beside the whale pool. As she was being helped out, one of the orcas grabbed her foot and pulled her back into the pool. Onlookers watched in horror as the orcas dragged her around the pool, often times holding her underwater. Employees used a life-ring and a hook-poll to reach Byrne to pull her out, while others tried to divert the whales' attention away from her by throwing fish into the water, hitting the water with steel buckets, and giving hand and voice commands. After 10 minutes, Byrne had drowned. It took officals several hours to recover her body from the water. Sealand trainers suspected that the orcas were just playing with her since no one ever entered the water with them. After the incident, new barriers were put up, and no one was allowed to touch the whales.

After the incident, the park's ratings dropped. Six months later, it was decided that orcas at Sealand would be phased out after 22 years. SeaWorld, who was in need of more breeding orcas, purchased the three orcas and the females' expected offspring for an estimated $3 million to $5 million. In December 1991, Haida gave birth to her first calf, Kyuquot. Nootka and Tilikum were placed in a seperate pool for the time being. After a few days, they were allowed back in with Haida and her son, but the two females apparently kept Tilikum away by backing him into the medical pool which was just barely bigger that him. SeaWorld feared for Tilikum's health, so he was moved in early January 1992 to SeaWorld Orlando.

On February 4, 1992, Nootka went into labor with her first calf. After 55 minutes, she delivered a baby boy* at 5:05 PST. It took three days before the calf began to nurse. After 36 days, the calf died on March 10, 1992 from an infection that may have been present before birth. In November 1992, Sealand closed its doors to the public for the last time.

On January 7, 1993, Nootka was moved to SeaWorld Orlando. Haida and Kyuquot were sent to SeaWorld San Antonio. After her arrival in Orlando, Nootka was reintroduced with Tilikum. Beacuse of the 1991 incident, trainers didn't use them for waterwork.

On August 18, 1994, Nootka went into labor with her second calf that ended with a stillborn. After the loss, Nootka appeared to be fine, but staff kept a close eye on her. In mid September, she became sluggish and stopped eating. Veterinarians treated her and placed other orcas with her in hopes to boost her health. Nootka passed away on September 13, 1994 of pneumonia at 19:15 EST. Nootka was about 15-years-old.

TRANSFERS

October 1982 - ? (Sædyrasafnid, Iceland)
? - January 7, 1993 (Sealand of the Pacific, Canada)
January 7, 1993 - September 13, 1994 (SeaWorld Orlando, USA)

HOW TO IDENTIFY

KNOWN FAMILY

Sons: 1992 calf*
Undetermined offspring: 1994 stillborn*
Possible relatives: Haida II* and unnamed male*

* = Deceased