Kohana
female orca
Born on May 3, 2002 at SWC.
Kohana is Japanese for "little flower."
mother: Takara (SWF, b: 7/9/91)
father: Tilikum (SWF, captured: 11/1983)
grandmother: Kasatka (SWC, captured: 10/1978)
grandfather: Kotar (deceased, captured: 10/1978, d: 4/1/1995)

Kohana is Takara's first calf, she has no full siblings.

half-sisters by Tilikum: Unna (SWF, b:12/27/1996, mother: Katina, SWF), Nyar (deceased, b: 12/31/1993 d:4/1996, mother: Gudrun, who is also deceased), Skyla (Loro Parque in Tenerife, Canary Islands, b:2/9/04 mother Kalina, SWF)

half-brothers by Tilikum: Kyuquot (SWT, b:12/24/1991, mother: Haida II, now deceased), Taku (SWF, b: 9/9/1993, mother Katina, SWF), Sumar (SWC, b: 5/14/1998, mother Taima, SWF), Tuar (SWF, b: 6/22/1999, mother Kalina, SWF), Tekoa (Loro Parque in Tenerife, Canary Islands b: 11/8/2000, mother Taima, SWF), Nakai (SWC, b: 9/1/2001, mother Kasatka, SWC, making Nakai not only Kohana's brother but her uncle as well.), Ikaika (SWF, b: 8/25/02, mother Katina, SWF)

half-brother by Takara: Trua (SWF, b:11/23/05, father Taku, SWF)

aunt: Kalia (SWC, b:12/21/04)


Kohana was born tail first at 8:30 P.M. on Friday May 3, 2003. She was the second killer whale to be artificially inseminated. There have been a few grandbaby Shamus before, but none have ever been born at SWC, so this is SWC's first grandbaby Shamu. While Takara was giving birth she was with her mother and Nakai. Kohana is a dependent calf and when she was younger she would stay with her mother most of the time, only brave enough to go off to play with Nakai, but she always found her way back to mom. She is getting more independent, playing with the other youngsters, her favorite one is still Nakai, but she still needs her mother there. It took her a little longer to come up to glass in close up. Nakai was up at the glass interacting within a few months. She now comes up almost just as much as Nakai

The easiest way to ID Kohana is her size. Her left eye patch has a black spot in it as well. Her dorsal fin is small and has a very slight lean to the left.


The public was able to vote on her name at Shamu close up. The choices were:
Nyoko: Japanese for gem
Aiko: Japanese for beloved
Miyoko: Japanese for beautiful generation child
Tsunami: Japanese for harbor wave
Kuni: Proto-world for "queen"
and of course Kohana, which is Japanese for little flower.


Kohana was moved for the first time on April 24, 2004 from SWC to SWF.
She was moved for the second time on Feb. 14, 2006 from SWF to Loro Parque. This time it was without Takara. She was joined by Skyla (SWF) and Tekoa and Keto (SWT).

Pictures of Kohana
Page 1  Page 2  Page 3  Page 4
Group pictures



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