Taku pronounced (TAH-coo) was a 14-year-old male Icelandic killer whale who lived at SeaWorld San Antonio. He was born tail first at SeaWorld Orlando on September 9th, 1993. His mother was Katina and his father was Tilikum. Taku passed away due to fulminant peracute bacteraemia and septicaemia after a viral infection (likely West Nile Virus) and subsequent nonsuppurative encephalitis on October 17th, 2007 at SeaWorld San Antonio.[1]
Birth & Early Life[]
Katina and Taku. Photo provided by SMSea.
On the night of September 3rd, 1993, Katina gave birth to her first male calf. She had previously given birth to two female calves, Kalina and Katerina, but they had both been moved out of the park before Taku’s birth. In December, another whale at the park, Gudrun, gave birth to a female calf named Nyar. Taku and Katina were present for the birth, and Taku often spent time with Nyar. This gave scientists the chance to study the development, communication, and interactions between two orca calves in the same social group.[2] Taku also spent time with Nyar’s half-sister, Taima, who was born at the park in 1989.
In October 1994, Taku’s older sister, Kalina, was moved back to the park. Two years later, Katina gave birth to Taku’s younger sister, Unna. Taku and Unna shared a close bond and often performed alongside Katina. Taku was eventually trained for waterworks and became very reliable during performances.
Life at SeaWorld Orlando[]
On August 25th, 2002, Katina gave birth to Taku’s younger brother, Ikaika. Taku and Ikaika were very close and were sometimes seen swimming in a mother-calf position. Despite being in his teens, Taku remained very close to his mom and still acted dependent on her. Later that year, on December 7th, Unna was transferred to SeaWorld San Antonio. In 2004, an adult female named Takara was moved to Orlando with her young calf, Kohana. Soon after their arrival, Takara became pregnant with Taku’s first calf. Around that time, Taku also mated with his own mother, Katina, and she became pregnant as well. On November 3rd, 2005, Takara gave birth to a male calf, Trua.
On September 18th, 2006, Katina gave birth to Taku’s second calf, a female named Nalani. Although Nalani was 25% inbred, she was healthy and developed normally. About a week after her birth, Taku and Ikaika were introduced to Nalani. However, the two males began displacing her and displayed sexual behavior.[3] After the introduction, Katina also became aggressive toward Nalani and largely ignored her. A few days later, Taku and Ikaika were separated from the pair, but Katina continued her neglectful behavior. Two months later, in November, Taku and Ikaika were moved to different facilities. After their transfer, Katina’s behavior toward Nalani improved.[3]
SeaWorld San Antonio[]
At some point in mid-November, Taku was transferred to SeaWorld San Antonio, swapping places with Kayla, who was moved to SeaWorld Orlando on the 17th. Taku joined Keet, Kyuquot, Tuar, Halyn, and also reunited with his sister, Unna. Taku was first introduced to his nephew, Keet, and they became close. He continued to perform waterworks and often did so with Keet.
Death[]
On October 17th, 2007, Taku passed away due to bacteremia, septicemia, and nonsuppurative encephalitis associated with a viral infection (likely West Nile Virus).
Personality[]
Despite his size, Taku was described to be a very gentle and calm whale. He was a reliable performer in waterworks, and was one of the largest whales to ever be used for those behaviors. He enjoyed spending quality time with his trainers as well as members of his pod. His closest relationships were with his mother Katina and his full brother Ikaika.
Galleries[]
- Photos of Taku
- Videos of Taku
- ↑ West Nile Virus Infection in Killer Whale, Texas, USA, 2007
- ↑ https://img.newspapers.com/img/img?institutionId=0&user=0&id=247540361&clippingId=11468287&width=557&height=743&crop=2000_393_1923_2614&rotation=0&ts=1630570057
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 https://www.scribd.com/doc/85235353/SeaWorld-Orca-Profile-Killer-Whale-Katina-2010