Sumar (pronounced soo-MAHR) was a 12 year-old-male killer whale who lived at SeaWorld San Diego. He was born on May 14, 1998, at SeaWorld Orlando. His mother was Taima and his father was Tilikum. Sumar passed away due to gastric torsion (also known as a twisted stomach) on September 7th, 2010 at SeaWorld San Diego.
Birth & Early Life[]
On May 14th, 1998, Taima gave birth to her first calf at SeaWorld Orlando. No other whales were present for the birth, but Taima showed good maternal instincts. He began nursing within a few hours and appeared strong. A few days later, SeaWorld announced that the calf was a male, and he was eventually named Sumar. Taima successfully raised Sumar for the first few months, but became aggressive towards him in August.[1] The aggression only worsened, and in November 1998, she swam underneath Sumar during a show and hit him with her tail, tossing him out of the water and onto a dry platform. Taima then slid out the water, pinned Sumar against a wall, and repeatedly raked him. Guests at the show were escorted out, and trainers had to pull Taima back into the water with a harness to separate the two.[2] After this incident, Sumar was permanently separated from Taima.
After Sumar’s pre-mature separation from his mom, he was grouped with two other adult females at the park, Katina and Kalina, who acted as surrogates. However, when Sumar was nine months old, he was moved to SeaWorld San Diego alongside another young male, Keto.
Life at SeaWorld[]
Sumar, Keet, and Keto. Photo provided by Sara Farrell.
On May 8th, 1999, Sumar and Keto were transferred to SeaWorld San Diego. Sumar was first introduced to Corky, an adult female known to act as a surrogate mother to young calves. He bonded instantly with her and also grew close to two other females, Orkid and Bjossa. Sumar developed an especially close bond with Orkid.
After a year in San Diego, on April 15th, 2000, Sumar was moved for a second time to SeaWorld Ohio alongside Keto and Keet. The three males performed during the park’s seasonal operation. After the park’s closure in October, Sumar remained there until February 2001, when he and Keet were moved back to San Diego. Keto was instead moved to SeaWorld Texas.
Sumar and Orkid. Photo provided by SeaWorld.
After arriving at SeaWorld San Diego, Sumar started training for waterwork behaviors. He quickly proved to be a strong candidate and a dependable show animal. He became highly interactive with guests and was learning more complex behaviors in both drywork and waterwork. While he could be seen with any member of the pod, Sumar primarily spent his time with the male orcas, or with Orkid. Trainers characterized him as a “laid back” animal, noting that he has no recorded incidents of aggression.
Death[]
On the afternoon of September 7th, 2010, trainers noticed Sumar had become lethargic. Park veterinarians gave him antibiotics to try to stabilize his condition while also attempting to determine the cause of his illness. Despite their efforts, his condition only worsened. Sumar passed away hours later at around 1:45 PM from gastric torsion, a condition that is untreatable with current-day Cetacean veterinary medicine. Orkid, one of his closest companions, was by his side as his body was hoisted out of the medical pool for the final time. A nearby TV station filmed the removal of his body from a helicopter; where he was then taken to have a necropsy performed. [3]
Trivia[]
- Sumar was 25% Bigg's Transient from his mother's side
- Sumar is Icelandic for ''summer''
| FROM: | TO: | ON: |
|---|---|---|
| SeaWorld Orlando, Florida | SeaWorld San Diego, California | Mar. 08, 1999 |
| SeaWorld San Diego, California | SeaWorld Aurora, Ohio | Apr. 15, 2000 |
| SeaWorld Aurora, Ohio | SeaWorld San Diego, California | Feb. 18, 2001 |
Family Tree[]
Galleries[]
- Photos of Sumar
- Videos of Sumar