Hudson (pronounced HUD-suhn) was a 6 year old male Icelandic killer whale who lived at Marineland of Canada. He was born there in Friendship Cove on September 15, 1998. His mother is Kiska and his father is Kandu VII. Hudson passed away due to lymphoplasmacytic leptomeningitis on October 20th, 2004 at Marineland of Canada.
Birth & Early Life[]
Hudson and Algonquin. Photo provided by Michael Noonan.
On September 15th, 1998, Kiska gave birth to her fourth male calf. This was the first killer whale calf born in Marineland’s newer habitat, Friendship Cove. Kiska showed good maternal instincts toward Hudson and cared for him as well as her other calves. At the time of his birth, five other killer whales lived at the park, his mother Kiska, his father Kandu VII, an adult female Nootka V, his half-sister Neocia, and his half-brother, Nova.
In December 1999, Nootka gave birth to Hudson's half-brother, Algonquin. When the two met, they formed a close bond with each other. They were often observed playing, hunting seagulls, and interacting with guests together. The two were described as inseparable. However, on August 13th, 2002, Algonquin was found dead at the bottom of Friendship Cove just before his third birthday. It was later revealed that he had suffered intestinal volvulus overnight. Just a year earlier, Nova had also passed away.
Life at Marineland of Canada[]
After Algonquin’s death, Hudson became less active. He began to focus more on his trainers and was learning new behaviors at a quicker pace. However, Nootka, Algonquin’s mother, became increasingly aggressive towards Hudson after Algonquin's death. During one incident, Hudson jumped out of the pool and onto the concrete during a company Christmas party in 2002. He suffered a few scars from the fall but was lifted onto a stretcher and put back into the water.[1] After this happened, he was separated from the females and put with his father, Kandu. While he was still in Friendship Cove, he participated in hands-on interactions with guests at the park.
In the summer of 2003, Hudson was moved to the older killer whale habitat, King Waldorf Stadium, likely to improve his performance skills. His half-sister, Neocia, was also there. Neocia was more dominant than Hudson, which led to frequent aggression between the two. Hudson was moved back to Friendship Cove not long after. He was grouped with his father at first, but was eventually reunited with Kiska and Nootka. Due to Hudson's tendency to grab things that were in the water, he was never trained for waterworks. However, he was trained for artificial insemination, and some samples were collected from him, though he was too young for them to be viable.
On August 1st, 2004, Neocia passed away. A week later, on August 8th, Kiska gave birth to a female calf, Athena. Hudson was eventually introduced to Athena.
Death[]
On October 20th, 2004, Hudson passed away at Friendship Cove. A necropsy revealed the cause of death to be Lymphoplasmacytic Leptomeningitis, an infection caused by Listeria monocytogenes. He was Kiska’s longest living calf.
Transfer History[]
Hudson was never transferred out of Marineland of Canada.
Galleries[]
- Photos of Hudson
- Videos of Hudson