Inouk (pronounced IN-ook) was a 25-year-old male Icelandic killer whale who lived at Marineland Antibes, France. He was born there tail-first on February 23rd, 1999. His mother was Sharkane and his father was Kim II. For most of his life, he lived with three other killer whales; his full sister Wikie, and her sons, Moana and Keijo. Inouk passed away due to subacute fibrinous enteritis and peritonitis on the morning of March 28th, 2024 at Marineland Antibes.
Birth & Early Life[]
Inouk was born at Marineland Antibes on February 23rd, 1999. He was the third calf to be successfully born at the park. At the time of his birth, five other killer whales were living at Marineland. His parents, Sharkane and Kim II, his full sister Shouka, half-brother Valentin, and Freya, an unrelated female. He was close with his mother and would break from control when more than two pools away from her. His older sister Shouka stayed by him and Sharkane's side after he was born. Two years after the birth of Inouk, Sharkane gave birth to her third calf, a female named Wikie. When Inouk was three years old, Shouka was moved to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom.
Life at Marineland Antibes[]
When Inouk was about 5 or 6 years old, he used to regurgitate his food as a form of entertainment. When he did this, gastric juices were produced as a byproduct. These gastric juices began wearing away his teeth and made them fragile on top of chewing walls and toys. Due to this, vets at Marineland decided to deaden the nerves in his teeth so he was in no pain and hence file Inouk's teeth down to avoid his weakening teeth from breaking. His poor hygiene caused him frequent throat infections, gum ulcers, and acid reflux. Just before his tenth birthday, his mother passed away from an infection caused by Bacillus pyocyanique. In 2015, both Freya and Valentin passed away.
For nearly a decade, Inouk lived with Moana, Wikie, and Keijo. The four were incredibly close and spent a lot of time together both in and out of shows. In November 2021, the French parliament put a ban on cetacean captivity. As a result, Marineland decided they would be sending their remaining whales to various parks in Japan. In October 2023, Moana passed away, just days before, Japanese trainers were spotted onsight at the orca stadium. It was unknown for sometime how Moana's death would affect the move, but on January 9th 2024, a large crane was seen by the orca pools. Marineland staff lowered the water in one of the tanks and started exposing the orcas to various transport equipment. On January 17th, the move was put to a temporary halt in order to examen the health and condition of the whales and tanks. Inouk was never moved out of Marineland.
Death[]
On March 28th, 2024, Marineland Antibes announced that Inouk had passed away that morning. His cause of death was not immediately apparent and but necropsy results revealed that he passed away due to subacute fibrinous enteritis and peritonitis. His death occured after he ingested a metallic foreign body weighing less than 2 grams.[1]
Personality[]
Park regulars often referred to Inouk as a "gentle giant". He was very motivated to learn new things and able to maintain attention while learning more complicated behaviors. He preferred being in the same pool with other whales and disliked doing solo training sessions, or just being by himself in general. He participated in water works before Marineland discontinued the program.
Scientific Studies[]
Inouk was involved in four public scientific studies.
- Assessment of current dietary intake of organochlorine contaminants and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in killer whales (Orcinus orca) through direct determination in a group of whales in captivity.
- Captive bottlenose dolphins and killer whales harbor a species-specific skin microbiota that varies among individuals.
- Stable isotopes of captive cetaceans (killer whales and bottlenose dolphins).
- Experimental evidence for action imitation in killer whales (Orcinus orca).
Transfer History[]
Inouk was never transferred out of Marineland Antibes.
Galleries[]
- Photos of Inouk
- Videos of Inouk