Wanda - orca

Sex: Female

Pod: N/A

Place of capture: Newport Harbor, California

Date of capture: November 18, 1961

Age at capture: Approx. 7 years

On November 18, 1961, a lone Killer Whale was spotted swimming alone in Newport Harbor, California. Once word spread, a crew from Marineland of the Pacific scrambled to get to the harbor in an attempt to capture the whale. No orca had ever been brought in alive before, and if the crew was successful, Wanda would be the very first.

It took hours for the crew to corral the orca but by sundown, she was exhausted from trying to escape, was finally entangled in the nets, and the crew moved in to haul her all the way to Marineland in Los Angeles.

She was described as docile, as she lay in the few feet of water in the back of the transport truck. However, when she was lowered into the 100 x 50 x 19 foot oval tank, Wanda immediately swam into the wall before turning to swim restlessly around the perimeter of her tank.

Less than two full days after being captured, at 8:30am on November 20, 1961, Wanda “became violent and after encircling the tank at great speed and striking her body on several occasions, she finally swam into a flume way, convulsed, and expired.”