Canuck II - orca

Sex: Male

Place of capture: Ingólfshöfði, Iceland

Date of capture: October 12, 1977

Age at capture: Approx. 2 years

On October 12, 1977, a group of 6 orcas were captured in Ingólfshöfði, Iceland. It is possible that they were taken to the Hafnarfjordur Aquarium before being transferred to Dolphinarium Harderwijk.

Two months later, a male and female were purchased by SeaWorld San Diego. Known as Kandu V and Canuck II, the two joined the resident bull orcas known as Winston and Kilroy. Shortly after their arrival, they received their first tank mate; an Icelandic female named Kenau.

The 3 new whales were soon trained for daily shows. Kandu V and Canuck II were chosen for performances, and while Kandu V did well, Canuck II did not appear to be making very much progress.

As a result, he was sent to the park’s “petting pools” where visitors where allowed to touch the animals. Canuck II seemed to enjoy the attention, and apparently let visitors pet his tongue. In 1978, he was joined by a male named Kotar and a female named Kasatka.

On August 2, 1981, Canuck II died due to a chronic kidney disease.