Kandu V (pronounced KAN-doo) was an approximately 15-year-old female Icelandic killer whale who lived at SeaWorld San Diego. She was captured on October 12th, 1977 from Ingolfshöfdi, Iceland at approximately 3 years old. Kandu passed away due a traumatic injury resulting in a fractured jaw and severe blood loss on August 21st, 1989 at SeaWorld San Diego. She had her only calf, Orkid, in 1988.
Early Life and Capture[]
On September 30th, 1977, Kandu V was captured in Ingólfshöfõi, Iceland, alongside five members of her pod. She spent time in a sea pen before being moved to the Dolphinarium Harderwijk on October 12th. Here, Kandu’s gender and health were determined, and she received her name. For the next two months, she stayed there with other recently captured orcas. Nearly three months after her capture, Kandu was purchased by SeaWorld San Diego. She moved there in December and likely spent time in the “petting pool” with other young orcas shortly after her transfer. However, once her training had been completed, she was moved to the main orca stadium to perform for audiences.
Life at SeaWorld[]
After Kandu’s move to the orca stadium, she was joined by a female named Kenau and a male named Winston. In 1980 and 1981, she was moved between SeaWorld San Diego and SeaWorld Ohio for the purpose of performing during the summer season at the Ohio park. In September 1981, she made her final move back to San Diego. Although Kandu had occasional aggression towards trainers, she was described as a good and reliable performer.
In 1986, Kandu gave birth to a stillborn calf that was sired by Winston. A year later, two orcas named Corky and Orky joined them in San Diego. Kandu soon mated with Orky and sired her second calf with him. On September 23rd, 1988, she gave birth to a young female named Orkid. Kandu was very protective of Orkid and proved to be a good mother. Within a few months, Orkid joined Kandu in performances. After bring introduced to the rest of the pod, Orkid became especially close with an older female named Corky, who had lost all 8 of her calves. This caused tension between Kandu and Corky, which often ended up in aggression. The two had several fights over Orkid, including one that lead to Kandu leaving a large gash in Corky’s abdomen during a show. Despite the fact that they had enough pools to separate them, SeaWorld continued to keep them together. Their aggression only escalated as time went on.
Death[]
On the afternoon of August 21st, 1989, Orkid, Corky, and Kandu were performing in a routine show together. Kandu, frustrated with Corky and her close relationship with Orkid, swam towards the other female with her mouth open in an attempt to rake her. Corky swam out of the way, however, and Kandu collided with the pool wall. The impact shattered her upper jaw and severed multiple major arteries in her nasal passage. Kandu and Orkid then swam into the main pool, seemingly fine, before returning to the back pool. It was there that blood began to pour out of her blowhole. The vets arrived only a few minutes after the incident, but there wasn't much that they could do.
For 45 horrifying minutes, Orkid watched her mother slowly bleed to death. Every time she surfaced for air, Kandu sent a spray of blood into the air, staining both the water and the sides of the pool. In an attempt to limit her movement and lower her blood pressure, Kandu and her daughter were moved to the medical pool. When Kandu began to lose consciousness, she and Orkid were moved back into the main pool for Orkid's safety. Finally, Kandu sank to the bottom of the pool and died. Her now orphaned daughter swam in circles above her lifeless body. Necropsy reports showed no damage to her internal organs.
Galleries[]
| FROM: | TO: | ON: |
|---|---|---|
| Ingólfshöfði, Iceland | Grindavik Harbor Sea Pen, Iceland | Sep. 30, 1977 |
| Grindavik Harbor Sea Pen, Iceland | Dolfinarium Harderwijk, Netherlands | Oct. 12, 1977 |
| Dolfinarium Harderwijk, Netherlands | SeaWorld San Diego, California | ~Dec. ??, 1977 |
| SeaWorld San Diego, California | SeaWorld Aurora, Ohio | ~Apr. ??, 1980 |
| SeaWorld Aurora, Ohio | SeaWorld San Diego, California | ~Sep. ??, 1980 |
| SeaWorld San Diego, California | SeaWorld Aurora, Ohio | ~Apr. ??, 1981 |
| SeaWorld Aurora, Ohio | SeaWorld San Diego, California | ~Sep. ??, 1981 |