Asuka - orca

Sex: Female

Pod: N/A

Place of capture: Hatajiri Bay, Japan

Date of capture: February 9, 1997

Age at capture: Approx. 7 years

On February 9, 1997 in Hatajiri Bay in Japan, a group of ten orcas were captured. Five were released while the remaining five were kept and sold to marine parks; two males and three females.

One female, named Asuka, was held at the Taiji Whaling Museum for a few days before being transferred to Izu-Mito Sea Paradise where she met the resident male, Tanouk.

The two got along well and staff hoped they would breed, but when Tanouk died in 2000, Asuka was kept alone and the breeding program was abandoned.

Asuka performed shows daily and spent the remainder of her life with a number of smaller dolphins.

On September 19, 2007, Asuka died due to unknown causes.