Kilroy - orca
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Sex: Male
Pod: Southern Residents (K pod)
Place of capture: Yukon Harbor, Washington State
Date of capture: February 15, 1967
Age at capture: Approx. 1 year or less
Kilroy was caught along with 4 other orcas from Southern Resident K pod in Yukon Harbor, Washington. The other 4 were known as Katy, Kandu, Skana, and Ramu. One month later, he and Ramu were bought and moved to SeaWorld San Diego.
When he arrived at SeaWorld, he was trained for shows and joined by another Southern Resident named Shamu, who was the star performer at the park. Two years later, Kilroy was reunited with Kandu.
Since the tank was too small for 4 orcas, SeaWorld built a new orca Stadium in 1971 and opened a new park in Aurora, Ohio. Kilroy was the second orca to be transported to Ohio in 1971. He was often transported to Ohio during the summer seasons, and returned to San Diego during the winter months. Kilroy seemed to get along well with his tank mates, and was not known to show aggression towards the other whales or any trainers.
On September 23, 1978, Kilroy died after 11 years in captivity. The cause of death was determined to be due to Gangrenous Pneumonia.