Nova (pronounced NOW-vuh) was a 4-year-old male Icelandic killer whale who lived at Marineland of Canada. Nova was born there on November 6th, 1996, in the King Waldorf Stadium. His mother was Kiska and his father was Kandu VII. Nova passed away due to pneumonia and possible starvation due to a hole in his esophagus on August 20th, 2001 at Marineland of Canada.
Birth & Early Life[]
Nova was born in King Waldorf Stadium on November 6th, 1996. At the time of his birth, six other whales lived at the park: his mother, his father, his brother Kanuck, an adult female named Nootka V, and his half-sisters Neocia and Malik. Not much is known about the first months of Nova's life. [1]
When Nova was seven months old, he was separated from Nootka and moved to the "warehouse" with three other whales, Neocia, Malik, and Kanuck. The warehouse was a small, dimly-lit indoor pool behind the King Waldorf Stadium that was used for many years to store excess animals. It was incredibly cramped and dark, and the animals there had no access to fresh air or sunlight. Because of the design of the building, the noise and music from the stadium were amplified, so the warehouse could be deafening. Due to Marineland's policy against enrichment, animals in the warehouse had virtually no stimulation other than each other and the trainers. [2] In the spring of 1998, Kanuck died of traumatic shock. Nova remained at the warehouse with Neocia and Malik for the remainder of his time there.[3]
Life at Marineland[]
In July of 1998, Marineland opened its new killer whale habitat, "Friendship Cove". Although no shows took place in that area, the public participated in up-close interactions with the whales. Nova was moved there and reunited with his mother, Kiska. In September that year, Nootka gave birth to Nova's half-brother, Hudson. In December 1999, she gave birth to his other half-brother, Algonquin.
During one of Marineland's summer seasons, likely in 1999, Nova was moved to the King Waldorf Stadium to perform in shows alongside Neocia and Malik. However, Neocia was more dominant than Nova, which led to frequent aggression between the two. Nova was eventually moved back to Friendship Cove. In March of 2000, Malik passed away. [4] [1]
Death[]
In 2001, Nova developed pnuemonia. Nova also had a hole in his esophagus. There are conflicting reports as to whether this was a birth defect or not. Due to his hole, Nova couldn't get enough nutrition, and he slowly starved to death. During an inspection on September 2nd, Nova was reported missing by volunteers. Although his death was denied by Marineland for months, it was revealed the following April that Nova had passed away on August 20th, 2001, from pnuemonia and starvation. [1]
Trivia[]
- The name "Nova" has several different meanings. A "nova" is a star that suddenly increases in brightness, and then slowly dims back to it's original state. In Latin, "nova" means "new". Nova may have also been named after the Canadian province of Nova Scotia.
- Nova was most likely the the youngest calf in captivity to be separated from their mother for non-medical reasons.
Galleries[]
- Photos of Nova