A look at failed killer whale pregnancies in marine parks and aquariums


Current number of known unsuccessful pregnancies in captivity: 33

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To view photos of a certain orca simply click on the orca’s name!

NameMotherFatherSexPlace of DeathDate of DeathCause of Death
No nameBonnieWild orcaFMarine World Africa, California, USA1968/7/14Stillbirth (cause unknown but transportation in a sling when Bonnie was heavily pregnant may have contributed to the loss of her unborn calf)
No nameKianuWild orca?Marine World Africa, California, USA1968/8/22Stillbirth (cause unknown but transportation in a sling when Kianu was heavily pregnant may have contributed to the loss of her unborn calf)
No nameShamuUnknown (likely Ramu)?SeaWorld San Diego, California, USA1971/8/23Shamu passed away during her pregnancy. The only source of this information is a personal communication between Dr. D. Kenney and Sam H. Ridgway (see Ridgway 1979, p. 101); pregnancy may have gone unnoticed until necropsy.
No nameUnnamed female
(captured 1979/2/26)
Wild orca?Nanki Shirahama Adventure World, Japan1979/3Stillbirth (cause unknown but transportation in a sling when she was heavily pregnant may have contributed to the loss of her unborn calf)
No nameCorky 2Orky 2?Marineland of the Pacific, California, USA1980/4/1Premature Stillbirth
SWC-OO-8627Kandu 5WinstonFSeaWorld San Diego, California, USA1986/1/31Stillbirth
No nameCorky 2Orky 2?Marineland of the Pacific, California, USA1986/7/27Miscarriage
No nameCorky 2Orky 2?SeaWorld San Diego, California, USA1987/8Miscarriage
No nameKona 2Kanduke?SeaWorld Orlando, Florida, USA1987/10/15Kona 2 passed away during the 9th month of her pregnancy - fetus found at the necropsy of mother
No nameKahanaKotar?SeaWorld San Antonio, Texas, USA1990/11/6Miscarriage
No nameFreyaKim 2?Marineland Antibes, France1991/3/3Stillbirth
No nameKenauKotarMSeaWorld Orlando, Florida, USA1991/8/6Kenau passed away during the 12th month of her pregnancy.
No nameSamoaKotarFSeaWorld San Antonio, Texas, USA1992/3/14Stillbirth. Samoa went into premature labour due to a fungal infection that had spread to her brain. After two hours both she and her unborn calf passed away.
No nameFreyaKim 2?Marineland Antibes, France1993/3Stillbirth
No nameNootka 4Tilikum?SeaWorld Orlando, Florida, USA1994/8/18Stillbirth
No nameGudrunTilikum?SeaWorld Orlando, Florida, USA1996/2/21Stillbirth
No nameKalinaTilikumFSeaWorld Orlando, Florida, USA1997/2/27Stillbirth
No nameA-chanWild orca?Nanki Shirahama Adventure World, Japan1997/4Miscarriage (cause unknown but transportation in a sling when A-chan was pregnant may have contributed to the loss of her unborn calf)
No nameMaggieBingoFKamogawa Sea World, Japan1997/10/5Stillbirth
No nameBelénKshamenk?Mundo Marino, Buenos Aires, Argentina1998/2Stillbirth
No nameBelénKshamenk?Mundo Marino, Buenos Aires, Argentina2000/2/4Belén passed away during the 4th month of her pregnancy.
No nameFreyaKim 2?Marineland Antibes, France2001/3Stillbirth
No nameHaida 2TilikumMSeaWorld San Antonio, Texas, USA2001/8/1Haida 2 passed away during the 5th month of her pregnancy. (Haida 2 had been AI'd with Tilikum's semen)
No nameNootka 5Kandu 7?Marineland Ontario, CanadaWinter 2001Miscarriage
No nameFreyaKim 2?Marineland Antibes, France2003/4Stillbirth
No nameNeociaKandu 7?Marineland Ontario, Canada2004/7Miscarriage
No nameTaimaTilikum?SeaWorld Orlando, Florida, USA2005/3?Miscarriage
No nameUnnaKeetFSeaWorld San Antonio, Texas, USA2006/4Stillbirth
No nameNootka 5Kandu 7?Marineland Ontario, Canada2006/5Miscarriage
No nameKaylaKeetMSeaWorld Orlando, Florida, USA2007/5Miscarriage (cause unknown but transportation in a sling when Kayla was pregnant may have contributed to the loss of her unborn calf - Kayla had been pregnant when moved from Texas to Florida in November 2006, calf died by April 2007 ultrasound.)
No nameTaimaTilikum?SeaWorld Orlando, Florida, USA2010/6/6Stillbirth. Taima dies during labour of a near full-time fetus.
No nameTakaraKshamenk?SeaWorld San Antonio, Texas, USA2012/3Miscarriage (Takara had been AI'd with Kshamenk's semen in July 2011. According to at-the-time trainer John Hargrove, the insemination resulted in a pregnancy.)
No NameCookie??Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park, China2023/7Stillbirth/Miscarriage

Sources:
Data collected by OrcaHome.de (discontinued) was used as baseline for this spreadsheet.
Other notable sources include SeaWorld’s 2010 Animal Profiles, “Orca – The Whale Called Killer” by Erich Hoyt,  The Orca Project and Cetacean Cousins.