King (pronounced), or キング, also known as Ciga, was an approximately 4-year-old male Icelandic killer whale who lived at Kamogawa Sea World. He was captured on November 5th, 1979 from Ingolfshöfdi, Iceland at less than 1 year old. King passed away due to pneumonia on October 4th, 1983 at Kamogawa Sea World.
Capture & Early Life[]
On November 5th, 1979, King was captured off the south-eastern coast of Iceland, alongside Keiko. The pair arrived at the Hafnarfjörður Aquarium the following day. There, they were introduced to two other killer whales who had been captured earlier that year, Kiska and Dzul-ha. Less than two weeks later, an unnamed female arrived at the aquarium, and on November 19th, another female named Caren joined them as well.
On December 11th, 1979, King was transferred to Hansaland Sierksdorf, Germany, as part of a traveling dolphin show. However, he was moved a second time in early 1980 to Marineland of Canada, where he rejoined the whales he had previously lived with at the Hafnarfjörður Aquarium. Caren and the unnamed female had been purchased and were going to be moved not long after, but before they could be moved, the unnamed female died from acute enterotoxemia.
Life at Kamogawa Sea World[]
After the unnamed female's death, Caren's transfer was delayed. Kamogawa Sea World soon purchased King to replace the unnamed female, and the two were transferred there on February 11th, 1980. Upon their arrival in Japan, both whales were incredibly popular. Japan's killer whale captivity industry was very new and they were the park's star attractions. King performed with Caren for a few years and had a close bond with her. The two were trained for waterworks and also performed with dolphins and sea lions. [1]
Death[]
On October 4th, 1983, King passed away after falling ill with Pneumonia.
Transfer History[]
| FROM: | TO: | ON: |
|---|---|---|
| Ingólfshöfði, South-East Iceland | Capture Boat (Guðrún), Iceland | Nov. 05, 1979 |
| Capture Boat (Guðrún), Iceland | Hafnarfjörður Aquarium, Iceland | Nov. 06, 1979 |
| Sædýrasafnið, Iceland | Hansaland Sierksdorf, Germany | Dec. 11, 1979 |
| Hansaland Sierksdorf, Germany | Marineland of Canada, Ontario | ???. ??, 1980 |
| Marineland of Canada, Ontario | Kamogawa Sea World, Japan | Feb. 11, 1980 |