Nepo - orca

Sex: Male

Pod: A25 (?)

Place of Capture: Pender Harbor, British Columbia, Canada

Date of Capture: December 12, 1969

Age at Capture: Approx. 2 years

History

On December 12, 1969, a pod of 12 orcas were captured in Pender Harbor. 6 of them were kept, while the remaining 6 were released.

Nepo, along with a female named Yaka, were soon purchased by Marine World Africa in Redwood City, California. When they arrived at the park, they both met the resident female orca known as Kianu, who arrived the year before.

Nepo seemed to spark Kianu’s interest, though the feelings did not seem to be reciprocated. Nepo preferred his capture mate, which caused quite a lot of tension between the females.

When the situation escalated, Nepo reportedly tried to calm the females down. However, Kianu became more aggressive and was transferred in 1978, leaving Nepo and Yaka alone. Despite the fact that they got along well, they never produced any calves.

Finally, on July 10, 1980, Nepo died after contracting pneumonia.

See also

• List of living captive orcas

• List of deceased captive orcas

• Lists of captive animals