Neocia (pronounced nee-OSH-ah), also known as "Baby October," was an 11 year old female Icelandic killer whale who lived at Marineland of Canada. She was born there on October 21, 1992. Her mother was Nootka V and her father was Kandu VII. Neocia passed away due to an internal infection on August 1st, 2004 at Marineland of Canada.
Birth & Early Life[]
Neocia was born to Nootka V on October 21st 1992. She soon received her name, but was sometimes known as "Baby October". She was healthy and gained weight quickly. Despite this, she was seperated from her mother at a very young age and moved to the warehouse, an indoor building located at the back of the park with no fresh air or sunlight that was kept out of view from the public. She recieved little to no enrichment and the conditions of the run-down warehouse were viewed as "horrifying". Neocia remained there for the first few years of her life.
Life at Marineland[]
In 1998, Marineland built a new tank called Friendship Cove, where a majority of the whales were moved to. Neocia was not one of the whales though, and was moved to the back to the older pool at King Waldorf Theater. After some time of solo performances, her half brother Nova joined her and the two participated in shows for a period of time. They did not get along however, and Neocia, being the more dominant orca, would often displace her brother. In 2001, Nova passed away, and Neocia's other brother Hudson soon joined her. But much like Nova, Hudson also did not get along with Neocia, and he was eventually moved back to Friendship Cove. She also performed with her younger sister Malik for a short period of time.
In the winter, Neocia would be moved to Friendship Cove where she was reunited with her mother. During her time there, she would bond and eventually mate with her father Kandu VII. In July 2004 she miscarried a calf sired by her father. If the calf was born it would've been 25% inbred and would be the first inbred calf born in captivity.
Death[]
In August 2004, Neocia became sick and passed away not long after from an internal infection.
Personality[]
Neocia was a friendly, playful, and gentle whale. She is was very friendly towards other people and her trainers, even performing waterworks as well. She spent most of her time performing at the King Waldorf Theater along with a few other whales.