Kasatka

Kasatka was captured off the coast of Iceland on October 26, 1978, at the age of approximately two.[1] She was estimated to be born around late 1976. Her name probably comes from the Russian word Kasatka (Russian: Косатка), a generic name for orcas.

Kasatka was captured with her pod-mate Katina. Katina was sent to San Diego, and Kasatka was sent to Ohio. They briefly reunited when Katina was sent to Ohio for the summer season in 1982. For four years the family members spent their time in captivity together, until Katina was sold to SeaWorld Orlando in 1984.[2]

After living in all four SeaWorld parks open at the time, she finally ended up in SeaWorld San Diego where she lived the rest of her life.[3] Performing tasks for tourists, she went on to have four calves there. Kasatka was the matriarch and dominant orca in her park.[4]

After Kasatka gave birth to her first child, she proved to be a fiercely protective mother and aggressive acts and incidents started to increase. According to David Kirby’s Death at SeaWorld, “Sometimes when Takara called for her mother, Kasatka would split from the trainer’s control to spend time with her calf at the gate, or swim in angry circles around the pool until finally responding to a call-back signal to the stage. Kasatka grew more aggressive with trainers in the water after Takara was born.”[5] These signs of aggression continued.

In June 1993, Kasatka tried to bite her trainer Ken Peters.

In June 1999, Kasatka again attempted to attack Peters, she circled him at high speeds and charged before they got him out of the water safe.[6]

In November 2006, Kasatka finally got a hold of Ken Peters. In the middle of a performance with thousands in attendance, Kasatka grabbed hold of Peters foot. She pulled the trainer down to the bottom of the tank numerous times.[7] Held onto the trainer for a prolonged amount of time. People argue his relationship with Kasatka was the reason she finally let go of the trainer. He was able to get out of the tank, with injuries sustained to both feet. OSHA took notice and Kasatka was never allowed to perform in shows again. [8]

On August 1, 2016, SeaWorld announced publicly that Kasatka had been receiving treatment for bacterial respiratory infection. [9]They first reported it was because of her age and weak immune system. In a statement on its website, SeaWorld wrote, "as her immune system aged, it became more difficult for her to fend off the illness and her medication took longer to have an effect."[10] Reports say that the infection started in 2008. Which means Kasatka had given birth while being treated for this infection.

John Hargrove was a former seaworld trainer. Hargrove told Dolphin Project that “captive orcas are regularly treated for persistent fungal infections. The severity of this fungal infection (Kasatkas) demonstrates the diminished capacity of Kasatka’s own immune system … Sadly, when I look at this photo, all I see is a diseased whale. Historically, when a necropsy is performed on an animal with this level of fungal infection, the fungal lesions are far worse internally than they are externally. It is also an incredibly painful way to die.”[11]

She was 17.7 ft (5.4 m) long and weighed 4,850 lb (2,200 kg) at time of death.[12]

Kasatka was euthanized at age 40 on August 15, 2017.[13]

Kasatka was the matriarch of the San Diego Orca Seaworld group.[13] She was the first captive cetacean to successively receive artificial insemination, according to John Hargrove, a trainer there.[14][15]

According to the Times of San Diego, Kasatka has been bred numerous times. She’s given birth to four calves and is a grandmother or great-grandmother to eight other orcas.[16]

She bore two daughters and two sons, resulting in 6 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren by the time of her death:

• Takara (born 1991), female (SeaWorld San Antonio)[17]. Takara was the first born, they only lived together for 12 years before Takara was sold away.[18]
• Nakai (born September 1, 2001), male (Seaworld San Diego); first orca conceived by artificial insemination[19]. Naki was her first son and second child. He was separated from his mother, sold away where he was attacked by other orcas forcing him to lose most of his jaw. [20]
• Kalia[21] (born December 21, 2004), female (SeaWorld San Diego)[22]. Kalia was the third child of Kasatka.
• Makani (born February 14, 2013), male (SeaWorld San Diego)[23]. Makani was the fourth child.
• Kohana (born May 3, 2002), female (Loro Parque),[24] grandchild.
• Adán (born October 13, 2010), male (Loro Parque). Grandchild.
• Victoria ("Vicky") (August 3, 2012 – June 16, 2013), female (Loro Parque). Granchild
• Trua (November 23, 2005), male (SeaWorld Orlando)[25][24]
• Sakari (January 7, 2010), female (SeaWorld San Antonio)[26]
• Kamea (December 6, 2013), female (SeaWorld San Antonio)[27]
• Kyara (April 19, 2017 – July 24, 2017), female (SeaWorld San Antonio)[28]
• Amaya (born December 2, 2014), female (SeaWorld San Diego)[29][21]

• List of individual cetaceans
• List of captive orcas
• Captive killer whales
• Killer whale attacks on humans
• Keiko, the star of the 1993 movie Free Willy

• SeaWorld
• video of the incident involving Kasatka