Nootka V (pronounced noot-KAH), also known as Noni (NO-nee), was an approximately 28-year-old female Icelandic killer whale who lived at Marineland of Canada. Before her death she was the matriarch of the Marineland pod. She was captured in October of 1981 from Medallandsbugt, Iceland at approximately 2 years old. Nootka passed away on January 8th, 2008 at Marineland of Canada.
Early Life and Capture[]
In October 1981, a group of six orcas were captured in Iceland and were immediately transferred to the Hafnarfjordur Aquarium. A young female, known as Nootka V, was sold to Marineland Canada by November and became one of the dominant females at the park. She performed alongside the park's four other orcas at the King Waldorf Stadium, but it's also possible that she spent time in the warehouse at some point due to a lack of space. According to a former trainer, Nootka was difficult to work with and often lept out of the water to try and strike trainers in the chest.
Life at Marineland[]
In 1989, Nootka gave birth to her first calf, a male named Katak. He was born prematurely and suffered from epilepsy, so at two years old, Katak was moved to SeaWorld San Diego to receive better care. A year after his move, Nootka gave birth to her second calf, a female named Neocia.
On Canadian election day in 1996, Nootka gave birth to her third calf, another female named Malik. Unfortunately, Malik suffered from several immune system deficiencies and required many medications to survive. Nootka reportedly attempted to drown Malik on several occasions, likely due to her condition. Two years later, she gave birth to her fourth calf, another daughter. Her fourth calf failed to nurse and died only 11 days later.
Following the construction of Friendship Cove, Nootka and Kiska were moved into the new habitat while Neocia stayed at King Waldorf Stadium for most of the operating season. No shows took place here, only training and petting sessions. Malik was often in Friendship Cove with her father, Kandu VII. In December of 1999, Nootka gave birth to her fifth calf, Algonquin. Algonquin was Nootka's second son and she was very close with him, as well as Kiska's son born a year prior, Hudson.
In 2000, Malik passed away due to immune system failure. Later, in 2001, Nootka suffered a miscarriage. In 2002, Algonquin passed away suddenly due to a twisted intestine. This led to aggression between Nootka, Hudson, and Kiska, as Nootka had reportedly tried to attack Hudson following her son's death. She was often separated from the main group. In April of 2004, Nootka gave birth to her fourth daughter, often referred to as "April," though this name was never officially used. Like her sister born in 1998, this calf failed to nurse and died after 11 days. Before her death, Nootka had another reported miscarriage in 2006.
Death[]
Nootka V passed away on January 8th 2008 from unknown causes. A cause of death was never announced by Marineland.