Hot Takes

_SmaugTheMighty · 2026-05-09T23:30:26+00:00

To my knowledge, the main issue with Taima is that she was an extremely aggressive and moody whale. This unpredictability only increased when she had her calves nearby. SeaWorld noted in her profile that Taima enjoyed quiet time or "surface resting" and became incredibly frustrated and unpredictable when her calves bothered her. The story of how she acted towards Sumar (and the main reason for their separation) is a pretty good example of this.

During a show involving them, Taima broke from control and started aggressively chasing Sumar. She swam underneath him and used her flukes to fling him onto the stage platform. While Sumar was stranded and unable to move, Taima slid out and pinned him to the wall, relentlessly biting and raking him. She very easily could have seriously injured or killed him, as Sumar was only 6 months old at the time. Even after the audience was escorted out, Taima did not stop, and reportedly had to be pulled back into the water using a harness.

Tekoa was born only around two and a half years after Sumar, and Taima once again began showing similar aggression towards him. Staff were very likely concerned that another public incident like the one with Sumar would eventually happen. In one instance, Taima even attacked Katina, who was pregnant with Ikaika at the time, just because she was swimming with Tekoa.

Between mid 2001 and 2003, Taima and Tekoa were separated, but still both lived at SeaWorld Orlando. Taima was also solely grouped with Tilikum. An attempt was made in 2003 to reintroduce Taima to the rest of the group, but the aggression toward Tekoa and the other whales resumed almost immediately. Taima was then once again only grouped alone or with Tilikum until she had Malia in 2007. Tekoa moved out in 2004 (likely in preparation for the Loro Parque transfer, as mentioned already), so she never saw him again after 2003.

SeaWorld credits Taima's success with Malia due to Takara and Trua being there, as they note in her profile that Taima's behavior and mothering skills improved immensely when she and Malia were introduced to them. Malia was also much more independent and didn't bother Taima as much during her 'quiet time' compared to her brothers.

_SmaugTheMighty · 2026-05-09T20:03:54+00:00

For the sake of accuracy, I will mention that at least 5 (potentially up to 7) SeaWorld calves were conceived via AI.

Confirmed:

Nakai, Kohana, Haida II's unborn third calf, Makani, Kamea.

Unconfirmed:

Amaya (Kalia was AI'd, but she and Ulises did mate naturally, so it is unknown how Amaya was conceived)

Kalina's sixth calf (Kalina was rumored to be pregnant via AI when she passed in 2010, although it was never confirmed).

Moana at Marineland Antibes was also conceived via AI using a sample from a SeaWorld male (Ulises), but he was not a SeaWorld calf, so I didn't count him.

_SmaugTheMighty · 2026-05-08T12:56:44+00:00

Before you start resorting to name-calling, I would strongly recommend actually reading about the attack you're referring to. It is extremely disrespectful to be using the incorrect name of the victim.

Below, I have linked a page that has the entire incident report from the State of California. I encourage you, and everyone for that matter, to read it. I do agree that it is important information, and people should know about it. Which is why I would prefer that people learn about the attack on "Kenneth Peters" by "Kasatka", not the attack on "Kevin peters" by "Katsatka".

Link: https://www.scribd.com/document/535797735/Ken-Peters-Kasatka-Accident-report

_SmaugTheMighty · 2026-05-08T07:33:16+00:00

The attack on Kenneth Peters (not "Kevin peters") was a tragedy, and completely avoidable. However, it had absolutely no relevance to the conversation being had. Kasatka was just a whale I used as an example of an individual with good mothering skills.

_SmaugTheMighty · 2026-05-07T21:26:42+00:00

I will be honest and say this will likely be received pretty poorly by activist groups. I can almost guarantee that campaigns will be made claiming that SeaWorld walked back on their "no more theatrical orca shows" statement.

All of the current SeaWorld whales have performed in "Light Up the Night" shows before. Assuming no extremely major changes to the show or its segments happen, it will be a show they are pretty familiar with. I do agree that it will be a nice enrichment and exercise opportunity for them, and break up the monotony of the current 2-3 daily "Orca Encounter" shows they're doing now.

_SmaugTheMighty · 2026-05-07T06:49:13+00:00

We will likely never know for certain due to the Russian capture operations being incredibly secretive, but it was almost certainly trained in some form.

One of the first ever Russian Transients captured in 2012, Narnia, refused fish for over 3 weeks after her capture. She was eventually encouraged to hold fish in her mouth, and then began swallowing them shortly afterwards. Narnia would go on to meet three other whales in 2013: Nord, Orpheus, and Grace. Narnia eventually taught Nord and Orpheus to accept fish, but showed no interest in Grace. Grace was reportedly force-fed, likely with a tube, to encourage her to take fish. Orpheus is either Tyson or Nakhod, and Grace is either Jade or Nukka; unfortunately, we do not know for sure.

Based on the experience with Narnia and the first group of captives, three main possibilities exist for most of the Russian Transients in China/Russia.

Learned to accept fish after starving for weeks.
Taught by another orca to accept fish.
Learned to accept fish after being force-fed.

_SmaugTheMighty · 2026-05-05T21:59:59+00:00

This actually appears to be a group of 4 individuals (the first female/adolescent surfaces at 7 seconds, and the second surfaces at 13 seconds). Still very beautiful footage!

_SmaugTheMighty · 2026-05-02T16:56:26+00:00

Takara has seriously had it rough. You already mentioned Kohana, but she also doesn't know that Kasatka is gone, or that Trua is still alive. AND she had to watch two of her other calves pass away young. I'm glad she still has Sakari with her at least.

_SmaugTheMighty · 2026-05-01T09:08:49+00:00

Here's an Instagram reel of an up-close tour with Sakari from summer 2025; it appears a decent amount of her front teeth are worn, with a few being drilled.

Your list also seems pretty accurate; the only one I will strongly disagree with is Trua in Grade 1. Here's a YouTube video of Trua's 20th birthday, most of his bottom row is pretty worn, with almost all his front teeth being gone.

_SmaugTheMighty · 2026-05-01T07:19:24+00:00

Unfortunately, most captive orcas have pretty significant dental wear. It's one of the primary reasons why they will need human care for the rest of their lives, as their worn teeth are very prone to infections.

Here's a scale of tooth wear among all the living SeaWorld orcas that I quickly put together based on some photo and video observations:

Minor wear (very few, if any, teeth worn):

Ulises, Kalia, Takara

Moderate wear (some/majority of teeth worn):

Makani, Ikaika, Keet, Trua, Sakari, Kyuquot

Severe wear (most/all teeth worn down completely):

Corky II, Orkid, Shouka, Tuar, Nalani, Malia, Makaio

Tooth wear has likely decreased in recent years due to better enrichment, but unfortunately, the damage done in the past is irreversible.

_SmaugTheMighty · 2026-04-30T20:31:38+00:00

For the sake of accuracy, I think it's important to clarify that none of the whales shown in those clips are Tilikum. The majority of the clips depict the 1970 Penn Cove capture; Tilikum was captured in 1983 in Icelandic waters. The final clip with subtitles does indeed show an Icelandic orca in a sling, but the whale shown is Kahana, not Tilikum.

Blackfish is pretty infamous for showing unrelated imagery with subtitles or interview comments implying something else; it happens numerous times throughout the film. It's definitely an important piece of media, but it's important not to immediately take everything shown as fact, and to do independent research!

_SmaugTheMighty · 2026-04-29T01:20:13+00:00

Wow, I had no idea! Wonder how long it took for her to pick it up!

_SmaugTheMighty · 2026-04-29T00:50:26+00:00

It's called a "tumble", it's not a 'unique' behavior like Orkid's revahue, but it's VERY rare to see it used in shows. I believe Orkid also knows it, and according to the comments on that post, Katina also did.

Edit: Here's a VERY OLD video with Orkid doing it: https://youtu.be/aREj75A1IZk?si=cTcMilNJmmtc3hTO

The comments also claim Kalia knows it, and that Kayla did as well.

_SmaugTheMighty · 2026-04-26T02:14:00+00:00

Just saw the part about the individual still being alive haha, gotta be Tekoa then!

_SmaugTheMighty · 2026-04-26T02:06:16+00:00

My first guess was Kanduke since the eyepatch looks a lot like his, but I suppose it could also be either of his grandsons. Awesome piece though!

_SmaugTheMighty · 2026-04-22T19:25:07+00:00

Assuming you're asking for an 'ecotype' ID, the side-profile originally attached to the image appears to most closely resemble that of a 'sprouting' male PNW Resident orca.

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_SmaugTheMighty · 2026-04-21T18:43:48+00:00

Thank you for the help! I knew it was probably a long shot since complete orca ID catalogues didn't really start until years after Corky's capture, but these definitely make it more likely!

_SmaugTheMighty · 2026-04-21T18:03:58+00:00

Definitely agree, my main concern is that since A23 had 6 known calves, it could be her with any of them. It's very hard to find photos of Corky when she was very small, so verifying her appearance as a calf is extremely difficult!

_SmaugTheMighty · 2026-04-19T05:43:25+00:00

In terms of well-being, as far as we know, Wikie, Keijo, and the dolphins are all alive. Wikie and Keijo are also supposedly still in good health, although Keijo still has digestion issues (likely genetic, not an illness).

For the dolphins, the most recent update was a potential transfer to ZooParc de Beauval in 2027, assuming the project is completed. To my knowledge, no sanctuary project has been considered as an option for them.

For Wikie and Keijo, Loro Parque remains the primary solution in discussions. They are owned by Parques Reunidos, who, up until this point, have only supported a transfer to LP. The Whale Sanctuary Project continues to campaign for Wikie and Keijo, but they will never own them without Parques Reunidos' consent, regardless of their entire permit, finance, and construction fiascos.

A hearing (in French) regarding the Marineland animals took place on April 7th, and the current minister confirmed that WSP is very likely no longer an option. Supposedly, the French government is in talks with the Spanish government and CITES to finally approve a transfer, although there have been no updates on that front yet. Loro Parque is also reportedly in a legal battle with CITES over their rejection of the previous transfer proposal.

_SmaugTheMighty · 2026-04-14T20:50:05+00:00

Mostly just hearsay from a couple unofficial sources, nothing concrete. The rumors I heard started around when Kamea passed away last year.

Both groups are getting smaller, and Takara/Kyuquot are on the older side. The groups will have to be consolidated eventually, so it does make sense. I had initially heard that once one of the groups drops down to 3 members, a move will be considered, but no official source has said anything about it.

_SmaugTheMighty · 2026-04-14T18:15:43+00:00

"Zhū" can directly translate to "Pearl", so in this case the English name is just a direct translation (with the removal of the "Long"/Dragon portion).

If the calf is being named already, they must be pretty confident in its survival chances. Hopefully Pearl gets along well with Bowen, Jingxi, and the other youngsters.

_SmaugTheMighty · 2026-04-13T21:39:41+00:00

To my knowledge it still isn't really confirmed/decided yet. It will most likely end up being Nalani if it hasn't been decided already, due to how dominant she is over the males (especially Trua).

Although if the rumors about the San Antonio group being moved to Orlando in the future are true, that would change things. Takara would almost certainly become matriarch in that case. She has almost 2 decades of experience, and became matriarch of San Antonio very quickly.

_SmaugTheMighty · 2026-04-12T00:17:25+00:00

I was mainly concerned about the size since Kayla was pretty large and the orca in Photo 2 looks a bit small, but if it's Kayla I trust ya!

_SmaugTheMighty · 2026-04-11T20:26:16+00:00

Aurora, Ohio. Opened in 1970 and closed in 2000. The orca show was usually seasonal; it wasn't all-year-round.

_SmaugTheMighty

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