Splash (pronounced SPLASH), previously known as Katak (pronounced kah-TAK), was a 15-year-old male Icelandic killer whale who lived at SeaWorld San Diego. He was born at Marineland of Canada on August 15th, 1989. His mother was Nootka V and his father was Kandu VII. Splash passed away due to a perforated stomach on April 5th, 2005 at SeaWorld San Diego.
Birth & Early Life[]
On August 15th, 1989, just before a scheduled performance, Nootka went into premature labor with her first calf. No one knew Nootka was pregnant, so everyone, including Marineland staff, was surprised by the birth. The calf was initially believed to be female but was later confirmed to be male, and at four days old, he was named Katak. However, six days later, Marineland announced a public naming contest, and the name Splash was chosen by public vote. Splash was the second killer whale born in Canada and the first to thrive there, as well as the first captive-born male to survive worldwide. Although born prematurely, Splash seemed healthy.
At a young age, Splash was diagnosed with epilepsy. Although he was medicated, Marineland decided to transfer him to SeaWorld San Diego for better care and further treatment. Splash was transferred to SeaWorld on April 17th, 1992, when he was two years old.
Life at SeaWorld San Diego[]
Splash, Corky II, and Orkid. Photo provided by Jason Lee Scott.
At the time of Splash’s arrival, four other killer whales lived at the park: Corky II, Orkid, Kasatka, and Takara. He was first introduced to Corky, who was known to act as a surrogate mother to younger whales. He was also introduced to Orkid, who was a year older than him. Orkid and Splash formed a close bond with one another. Splash was eventually trained for waterworks and performed them in shows.
At SeaWorld San Diego, Splash's epilepsy was treated with phenobarbital. He was also treated for ulcers. Splash's former trainer reported that, on multiple occasions, he was observed ingesting large quantities of sand that found its way through the filtration systems. [1] Splash remained on medication his entire life.
In 1994, an adult male named Ulises was moved to SeaWorld San Diego. Around a year later, during an epileptic seizure episode in 1995, Splash accidentally collided head-first with a gate sectioning off one of the pools. At the time, Kasatka and Orkid were in the pool with him. They assisted Splash and held him at the surface throughout his seizure. His injury required surgical repair and left permanent scarring on his lower jaw. He was unable to completely close his mouth after this incident.
In 1999, three young males, Sumar, Keet, and Keto, were moved to the park. However, they left again in April of 2000 to SeaWorld Ohio. A year later, Sumar and Keet returned to San Diego, and Splash spent a lot of time with the two. That same year, Bjossa arrived at the park, and Kasatka gave birth to a male calf, Nakai. Bjossa passed away a few months later in October 2001. In 2002, Takara gave birth to a female calf named Kohana. Although Splash spent time with all the whales in San Diego, he remained closest to Orkid.
Death[]
On April 5th, 2005, Splash passed away. A necropsy found hundreds of pounds of filtration sand in his stomach. His official cause of death was reported as a perforated stomach (acute perforating gastric ulceration with associated peritonitis), which could have possibly been exacerbated by his chronic sand ingestion.
Behavioral Incidents[]
Splash was involved in two reported incidents during his lifetime.
- Sometime in the late 1990s or early 2000s, Splash opened his mouth on a trainers leg.[1]
- On August 7th, 2002, a female SeaWorld trainer was hospitalized with a broken arm after an incident at Shamu Stadium involving Splash and Orkid. Tamaree, a 28-year-old killer whale trainer, was interacting with Splash and Orkid at the poolside during a training session. "She was playing with the whales, talking to them," said SeaWorld spokeswoman Darla Davis. "The next thing we know, as it appears from the video, she was pulled into the water." The park retrieved footage from a poolside CCTV camera, and it also reviewed footage taken by a visitor. In the video, Tamaree can be seen exiting the water with a visibly broken arm.[2][3]
Transfer History[]
| FROM: | TO: | ON: |
|---|---|---|
| Marineland of Canada, Ontario | SeaWorld San Diego, California | Apr. 17, 1992 |
Galleries[]
- Photos of Splash
- Videos of Splash
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 https://www.thedodo.com/the-life-and-death-of-splash-a-533538202.html
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gn1mstoBp0o
- ↑ Shanna McCord, San Diego Union-Tribune, August 8, 2002.