Namu was only the second
orcaThe Killer Whale or Orca , or less commonly, Blackfish, is the largest species of the dolphin family. Most people think that they are whales, but they are actually dolphins. They are called killer whales often because they sometimes hunt whales for food...
(killer whale) captured and displayed in an
aquariumAn aquarium is a vivarium consisting of at least one transparent side in which water-dwelling plants or animals are kept. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, marine mammals, turtles, and aquatic plants...
exhibit, and was the subject of a film that changed some people's attitudes toward orcas. In June 1965, William Lechkobit found a 22 foot (6.7m) male orca in his floating salmon net that had drifted close to shore near
Namu, British ColumbiaNamu is a small fishing port, former cannery town and First Nations community on the coast of British Columbia, Canada. It is located about southwest of Bella Coola or SSE of Bella Bella, on the mainland shore of the Inside Passage ferry route directly opposite Hunter Island, and just south of...
. The orca was sold for $8,000 to Ted Griffin, a
SeattleSeattle is located in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. Situated in the western part of Washington State on an isthmus between Puget Sound and Lake Washington, about south of the Canada – United States border, it is named after Chief Sealth, of the Duwamish and Suquamish tribes...
public aquarium owner, but it ultimately cost Griffin $60,000 to transport the orca 450 miles in a floating pen to Seattle.
Namu was an extremely popular attraction at the Seattle aquarium and Griffin soon captured a female orca to be a companion for Namu.
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Namu was only the second
orcaThe Killer Whale or Orca , or less commonly, Blackfish, is the largest species of the dolphin family. Most people think that they are whales, but they are actually dolphins. They are called killer whales often because they sometimes hunt whales for food...
(killer whale) captured and displayed in an
aquariumAn aquarium is a vivarium consisting of at least one transparent side in which water-dwelling plants or animals are kept. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, marine mammals, turtles, and aquatic plants...
exhibit, and was the subject of a film that changed some people's attitudes toward orcas. In June 1965, William Lechkobit found a 22 foot (6.7m) male orca in his floating salmon net that had drifted close to shore near
Namu, British ColumbiaNamu is a small fishing port, former cannery town and First Nations community on the coast of British Columbia, Canada. It is located about southwest of Bella Coola or SSE of Bella Bella, on the mainland shore of the Inside Passage ferry route directly opposite Hunter Island, and just south of...
. The orca was sold for $8,000 to Ted Griffin, a
SeattleSeattle is located in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. Situated in the western part of Washington State on an isthmus between Puget Sound and Lake Washington, about south of the Canada – United States border, it is named after Chief Sealth, of the Duwamish and Suquamish tribes...
public aquarium owner, but it ultimately cost Griffin $60,000 to transport the orca 450 miles in a floating pen to Seattle.
Namu was an extremely popular attraction at the Seattle aquarium and Griffin soon captured a female orca to be a companion for Namu. The female, whom Griffin named
ShamuShamu is the stage name of SeaWorld's iconic Orca show, which is shared by numerous adult male or female orcas at the SeaWorld parks...
, did not get along with Namu, however, and Shamu was eventually leased to
SeaWorldSeaWorld is a United States chain of marine mammal parks owned by Anheuser-Busch. The parks feature captive orca, sea lion, and dolphin shows and zoological displays featuring various other marine animals. The parks' icon is Shamu, the Orca. There are operations in Orlando, Florida; San Diego,...
in San Diego. Namu survived one year in captivity and died in his pen on July 9, 1966. Although the young male orca, Moby Doll, was the first live orca exhibited in captivity, after a non-fatal harpooning in 1964 near
Saturna IslandSaturna Island is a mountainous island, about 31 km² in size, in the southern Gulf Islands chain of British Columbia. It is situated approximately midway between the Lower Mainland of B.C. and Vancouver Island, and is the most easterly of the Gulf Islands. It is surrounded on three sides by...
in British Columbia, he survived less than 90 days in captivity. Namu was the first orca to survive in
captivityAnimals that live under human care are in captivity. Captivity can be used as a generalizing term to describe the keeping of either domesticated animals or wild animals. This may include for example farms, private homes and zoos...
long enough for a significant public exhibit.
The film
Namu: My Best Friend (a.k.a.
Namu the Killer Whale) was released in 1966. The name "Namu" was also later used as a show-name for different orcas in
SeaWorld Adventure ParksSeaWorld is a United States chain of marine mammal parks owned by Anheuser-Busch. The parks feature captive orca, sea lion, and dolphin shows and zoological displays featuring various other marine animals. The parks' icon is Shamu, the Orca. There are operations in Orlando, Florida; San Diego,...
' shows.
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