Bjossa - orca
| Sex | Female |
|---|---|
| Died | October 8, 2001 SeaWorld San Diego, California |
| Cause of death | Chronic bronchopneumonia |
| Captured at | Reyðarfjörður, Iceland |
| Capture age | Approx. 3 years |
| Capture date | November 19, 1980 |
On November 19, 1980, a young female orca was captured off the coast of Reyðarfjörður in Iceland and taken to the Hafnarfjordur Aquarium. There, she joined four other orcas named Ulises, Finna, Vigga, and Benkei II.
A month later, Finna, Vigga, Benkei II, and Bjossa were purchased by the Vancouver Aquarium. However, the facility was too small and already had a bull orca named Hyak II. As a result, Vigga and Benkei II were sold, and Finna and Bjossa stayed behind to be with Hyak II. The three orcas performed together and got along well.
When Bjossa reached sexual maturity, she mated with Hyak II and became pregnant with her first calf, born on November 13, 1988. Sadly, the calf, a female, died 22 days later because Bjossa couldn't produce enough milk.
After losing her first calf, Bjossa mated with Hyak II again, leading to her second pregnancy with another female calf, born on September 30, 1991. The calf was named K’yosha but lived for only 3 months before facing the same fate as Bjossa's first calf. A month later, Hyak II died, leaving Bjossa and Finna as the only orcas in the park.
When Finna reached sexual maturity, he mated with Bjossa, resulting in her third pregnancy. Unfortunately, the calf didn't survive due to a ruptured umbilical cord, living only a few minutes before sinking to the bottom of the tank.
After her third unsuccessful pregnancy, Van Aqua ended their breeding program, and Bjossa was put on birth control. She was eventually left alone at the park after Finna's death in October 1997, and began to suffer from respiratory problems.
In 2001, SeaWorld purchased Bjossa, who had spent four years with smaller dolphins as companions. She was finally reunited with her own species at the San Diego park, where she first met Corky II and then Sumar, a young male separated from his mother, Taima.
Sumar and Bjossa got along well, and she took care of him as she had never been able to care for her own calf before.
Bjossa fell ill again in August 2001. She stopped eating and was moved to the medical pool for better care. When she showed no signs of improvement, she was moved to the animal care area of the park.
Tragically, Bjossa lost her battle with chronic bronchopneumonia and died on October 8, 2001.