Finna - orca

Sex: Male

Place of capture: Selvogsbanki, Iceland

Date of capture: November 19, 1980

Age at capture: Approx. 3 years

Finna was a male orca that was captured off the coast of Iceland in 1980.

On November 19, 1980, two young orcas were captured in Icelandic waters. They were taken to the Hafnarfjordur Aquarium, where they joined three other orcas - Bjossa, Vigga, and Benkei II. Soon after, the Vancouver Aquarium purchased Bjossa, Finna, Vigga, and Benkei II, in addition to their existing adult male, Hyak II.

Vigga and Benkei II didn't stay long, spending less than 6 months at the park. This left Bjossa, Hyak II, and Finna as the remaining trio.

Initially mistaken for a female, Finna was kept despite this error, and there were no recorded instances of aggression between him and Hyak II.

Bjossa and Hyak II soon became parents twice, but sadly, their first calf survived only 22 days, and their second calf, K’yosha, lived for 3 months. Tragedy struck again when Hyak II passed away on February 16, 1991, leaving only Bjossa and Finna.

The trainers hoped that Finna and Bjossa would mate and produce a healthy calf. When Finna reached sexual maturity, he successfully impregnated Bjossa, and on March 8, 1995, a crowd of excited onlookers gathered to witness the birth of their third calf. Unfortunately, the newborn only lived for a few minutes before sinking to the bottom of the tank. In response, Van Aqua planned to sell Finna to make space for a female companion for Bjossa.

However, those plans changed abruptly when Finna unexpectedly died on October 6, 1997, succumbing to pneumonia and an infection.

See also

• List of deceased captive orcas
• List of living captive orcas