Namu (Orca)
Encyclopedia
Namu was only the second orca
(killer whale) displayed in an aquarium
exhibit (after Moby Doll
) and was the first orca to perform with a human together in the water. He was the subject of much media attention, including a 'starring' role in a movie, 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 Columbia
. The orca was sold for $8,000 to Edward "Ted" Griffin
, owner of the Seattle Marine Aquarium
, but it ultimately cost Griffin much more to transport the orca 450 miles in a floating pen to Seattle. Namu was a popular attraction at the Seattle aquarium, and Griffin soon captured a female orca to be a companion for Namu. The female, named Shamu
, was however soon leased and eventually sold to SeaWorld
in San Diego. Namu survived just over one year in captivity
and died in his pen on July 9, 1966.
It was later discovered through preserved recordings of his calls that Namu was from C1 Pod, one of the best known Northern Resident pods. He was thus given the alphanumeric code C11. It is suspected that the matriarch, C5, who died in 1995, was his mother. As of February 2010, Namu's presumed sister Koeye (C10) is still alive.
The United Artists
film Namu, the Killer Whale
(a.k.a. Namu, My Best Friend) was released in 1966 and 'starred' Namu in a fictional story set in the San Juan Islands
. The name "Namu" was also later used as a show-name for different orcas in SeaWorld shows.
Orca
The killer whale , commonly referred to as the orca, and less commonly as the blackfish, is a toothed whale belonging to the oceanic dolphin family. Killer whales are found in all oceans, from the frigid Arctic and Antarctic regions to tropical seas...
(killer whale) displayed in an aquarium
Aquarium
An 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 (after Moby Doll
Moby Doll
Moby Doll was the first captive orca displayed in a public aquarium exhibit.The 15 foot long, 1-ton male was captured in 1964 near East Point, Saturna Island in British Columbia. A sculptor, Samuel Burich, had been commissioned by the Vancouver Aquarium to kill an orca in order to construct a...
) and was the first orca to perform with a human together in the water. He was the subject of much media attention, including a 'starring' role in a movie, 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 Columbia
Namu, British Columbia
Namu 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 Edward "Ted" Griffin
Edward "Ted" Griffin
Edward Griffin, more commonly known as Ted Griffin, was an aquarium owner, entrepreneur and the first man to ever swim with a killer whale in a public exhibition. In 1965 Griffin purchased, displayed and performed with the orca, Namu, at Griffin's Seattle Marine Aquarium...
, owner of the Seattle Marine Aquarium
Seattle Marine Aquarium
The Seattle Marine Aquarium was a privately owned aquarium that was opened in 1962 and closed in 1977, and was located on Pier 56 on the Elliot Bay waterfront in Seattle, Washington, USA.-History:...
, but it ultimately cost Griffin much more to transport the orca 450 miles in a floating pen to Seattle. Namu was a popular attraction at the Seattle aquarium, and Griffin soon captured a female orca to be a companion for Namu. The female, named Shamu
Shamu
Shamu was the fourth killer whale ever captured and was the third orca ever displayed in a public exhibit. She was the first orca to survive more than 13 months in captivity and was the star of a very popular killer whale show at SeaWorld San Diego in the mid - late 1960s...
, was however soon leased and eventually sold to SeaWorld
SeaWorld
SeaWorld is a United States chain of marine mammal parks, oceanariums, and animal theme parks owned by SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment. The parks feature captive orca, sea lion, and dolphin shows and zoological displays featuring various other marine animals. There are operations in Orlando,...
in San Diego. Namu survived just over one year in captivity
Captivity (animal)
Animals 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...
and died in his pen on July 9, 1966.
It was later discovered through preserved recordings of his calls that Namu was from C1 Pod, one of the best known Northern Resident pods. He was thus given the alphanumeric code C11. It is suspected that the matriarch, C5, who died in 1995, was his mother. As of February 2010, Namu's presumed sister Koeye (C10) is still alive.
The United Artists
United Artists
United Artists Corporation is an American film studio. The original studio of that name was founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charles Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks....
film Namu, the Killer Whale
Namu, the Killer Whale
Namu, the Killer Whale is a 1966 American film about a killer whale being studied by a local marine biologist and initially feared by local townspeople. The fictional story was filmed on location in the San Juan Islands and at Rich Cove near Port Orchard in the US state of Washington...
(a.k.a. Namu, My Best Friend) was released in 1966 and 'starred' Namu in a fictional story set in the San Juan Islands
San Juan Islands
The San Juan Islands are an archipelago in the northwest corner of the contiguous United States between the US mainland and Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. The San Juan Islands are part of the U.S...
. The name "Namu" was also later used as a show-name for different orcas in SeaWorld shows.
External links
- Excerpt from "Apetalk & Whalespeak: The Quest of Interspecies Communication" by Ted Crail. Contemporary Books inc. Chicago 1983
- "Captive killer whale Namu arrives in Seattle on July 27, 1965", Washington State Historylink.org
- "Era of the Orca Cowboys" article by Daniel Francis and Gil Hewlett in The Tyee webzine, May 16, 2008