Namu (killer whale)

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Namu
SpeciesKiller whale (Orcinus orca)
BreedNorthern resident
SexMale
BornUnknown
DiedJuly 9, 1966
Seattle Marine Aquarium
Years active1965-1966
Known forFirst captive killer whale to perform with humans
Named afterFishing port of Namu

Namu (unknown – July 9, 1966) was a male captive killer whale. He was the first healthy killer whale to be captured and was the first to perform with a human in the water.[1] He was the subject of much media attention, including a "starring" role in the 1966 film Namu, the Killer Whale.

History[]

In June 1965, William Lechkobit discovered a 22-foot (6.7m) male killer whale in his floating salmon net that had drifted close to shore near Namu, British Columbia. The whale was sold for $8,000 to Edward "Ted" Griffin, owner of the Seattle Marine Aquarium;[2][3] it ultimately cost Griffin much more to transport Namu 450 miles (720 km) south to Seattle.

While in captivity, Namu could eat 400 pounds of salmon a day.[4] Namu was a popular attraction at the Seattle Marine Aquarium, and Griffin soon captured a female killer whale to be a companion for Namu. The female, named Shamu, was quickly leased and eventually sold to SeaWorld in San Diego. Namu survived just over one year in captivity and died on July 9, 1966.[5]

It was later discovered through preserved recordings of his calls that Namu was from C1 Pod,[6] one of the best known Northern Resident pods. He was thus given the alphanumeric code C11. It is suspected that the matriarch, C5, who died in 1995, was his mother.[7] As of February 2010, Namu's presumed sister Koeye (C10) is still alive.

The United Artists film Namu, the Killer Whale (a.k.a. Namu, My Best Friend) was released in 1966 and 'starred' Namu in a fictional story set in the San Juan Islands.[8] The name "Namu" was also later used as a show-name for different killer whales in SeaWorld shows.

References[]

  1. ^ The National Geographic, March 1966 (page 418-446)
  2. ^ WGBH Frontline: "Edward 'Ted' Griffin, The Life and Adventures of a Man Who Caught Killer Whales". Accessed 28 March 2008
  3. ^ Whitehead, Eric, "Conversation-starved Killer In A Salmon Net" Sports Illustrated 1965 July 12. Accessed 6 May 2020.
  4. ^ Fisher, Ronald M., Namu: Making Friends with a Killer Whale, 1973, National Geographic Society
  5. ^ M. L. Lyke, "Granny's Struggle: A black and white gold rush is on", Seattle P-I, Wednesday, October 11, 2006 link Accessed 6 May 2020
  6. ^ OrcinusOrcas.nl
  7. ^ Francis, Daniel and Hewlett, Gil, "Era of the Orca Cowboys" (The Tyee). Accessed 2 February 2010.
  8. ^ Film, "Namu: My Best Friend" (a.k.a. Namu the Killer Whale) at imdb.com

External links[]

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