Skyla (pronounced SKY-lah) was a 17-year-old female killer whale who lived at Loro Parque. She was born tail-first at 10:10 PM EST at SeaWorld Orlando on February 9th, 2004. Her mother was Kalina and her father was Tilikum. Skyla passed away due to septicemia caused by a twisted intestine on March 11th, 2021[1] at Loro Parque.[2]
Birth & Early Life[]
On February 9th, 2004, Kalina gave birth to her fourth calf following a seven hour long labor. Five months later, in July 2004, the calf was named Skyla.[3] At the time of her birth, eight other killer whales lived at the park: her mother and father, her grandmother Katina, her full-brother Tuar, her half-brothers Taku and Tekoa, her uncle Ikaika, and an unrelated female named Taima. As a calf, Skyla was independent and grew close with Ikaika, who was around the same age as her.
On April 24th, when Skyla was two months old, a female named Takara and her young calf Kohana were moved to SeaWorld Orlando. Skyla and Kohana quickly got along and formed a close bond with each other. A day after they arrived in Orlando, Tekoa was transferred to SeaWorld San Antonio. Skyla's chapter at SeaWorld Orlando was short, however, as she was moved to Loro Parque with Kohana just a few days after her second birthday.
Life at Loro Parque[]
Four days after Skyla's second birthday, on February 13th, 2006, Skyla and Kohana were separated from the rest of the whales and transferred to Loro Parque as a part of a breeding loan. Upon arrival at the park, Skyla rejoined Tekoa, and met her older brother Keto for the first time. Despite the fact that Skyla was related to both Keto and Tekoa, SeaWorld still decided to send her to Loro Parque. Since all four whales were separated from their mothers at a young age, the social structure within the pod became unstable and behavioral issues were frequently observed. Whilst Kohana took on the role of matriarch, the social structure remained unchanged for many years. Waterworks were frequently performed at the park. However, after an incident occurred where Skyla pushed her trainer against a wall during a session, she was no longer allowed to participate in them.
On October 13th, 2010, Kohana gave birth to her first calf, a male named Adán. Kohana rejected him shortly after birth and he had to be hand-reared by the trainers at Loro Parque. Despite being rejected by his mother, Adán spent a lot of time with Kohana and Skyla once he was introduced to them. In 2012, Kohana gave birth to a second calf, a female named Victoria. However, Kohana also rejected the calf, so she was hand-raised by trainers as well. On June 16th, 2013, Victoria passed away at 10 months old.
In November of 2011, a female killer whale arrived at Loro Parque. The female, named Morgan, had been found stranded and emaciated in Ameland in the Netherlands in 2010. Morgan came from Dolfinarium Harderwijk, where she had spent the previous year in rehabilitation. Skyla, along with Adán, were the first whales to be introduced to Morgan. In September 2018, Morgan gave birth to a female calf named Ula. However, Morgan was unable to produce enough milk to feed her calf, so Ula was separated from her and hand-fed by trainers. Skyla and Kohana were first introduced to Ula in June of 2019.
Death[]
On March 12th, 2021, Loro Parque announced that Skyla had passed away unexpectedly the night before. She had been in perfect condition until the day prior to her death, when she began to show signs of discomfort. Loro Parque's veterinarians immediately began assessing and treating her discomfort, but she ultimately passed away on March 11th. A necropsy was preformed which revealed her cause of death to be blood poisoning as a result of a twisted intestine.
Behavioral Incidents[]
- Sometime in the spring of 2009, Skyla pushed her trainer up against a pool wall while performing waterworks during a public show. After this incident, waterworks with Skyla were no longer permitted.[4]
Transfer History[]
| FROM: | TO: | ON: |
|---|---|---|
| SeaWorld Orlando, Florida | Loro Parque, Tenerife | Feb. 13, 2006 |
Family Tree[]
Galleries[]
- Photos of Skyla
- Videos of Skyla