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{{Short description|Captive female orca (born c.1965)}}
{{Mergeto|Orcas at SeaWorld|date=December 2006}}
{{use dmy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox animal
| name = Corky II
| image = Image:shamubeach.jpg
| image_size =
| caption = Corky II on the slide out during the Shamu Show at ].
| species = ] (''Orcinus orca'')
| breed =
| gender = Female
| birth_date = {{Circa}} {{birth year and age|1965}}
| death_date =
| death_place =
| years_active = 1969–present
| known = Oldest captive female orca as of 2024
| height = {{height|ft=19|in=8}}
| weight = 3855.535 kg<ref>{{cite web |title=Performing Whale Dies in Collision With Another |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/08/23/us/performing-whale-dies-in-collision-with-another.html |website=] |access-date=28 April 2021 |date=23 August 1989}}</ref>
| parents = ''Stripe'' (mother) (1948–2000)
| children = {{ubl|''Calf'' (son) (28 February 1977 – 15 March 1977)|''Spooky'' (son) (31 October 1978
– 10 November 1978)|''Kiva'' (daughter) (18 June 1982 – 3 August 1982)|''Calf'' (daughter) (22 July 1985 – 20 September 1985)}} (none survived to adulthood)
| mate = ''Orky II'' (cousin) (1962–1988)
| namedafter = Female Orca named ''Corky'' (1965–1970)
}}


'''Corky II''' (born {{Circa | 1965}}), often referred to as just '''Corky''', is a female ] ] from the ] of ]. At approximately the age of four, Corky was captured from ] off the coast of ] on 11 December 1969.<ref name="Corky's Story">{{cite web|title=Corky's Story|url=http://uk.whales.org/wdc-in-action/corkys-story|publisher=Hal Sato|access-date=January 29, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307070726/http://uk.whales.org/wdc-in-action/corkys-story|archive-date=March 7, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> She has lived at ] in ] since 21 January 1987. As of 2024, she is the oldest and longest kept captive orca.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Palmer |first1=Mark J |title=MEET CORKY, THE LONGEST-HELD ORCA IN CAPTIVITY |url=http://savedolphins.eii.org/news/entry/meet-corky-the-longest-held-orca-in-captivity |website=savedolphins.eii.org |access-date=28 April 2021 |date=21 May 2020}}</ref> ] celebrates her birthday on 1st January every year.
'''Corky (II)''' is a female ] (also known as a ]) from the ] in ], ]. She currently lives at ] in ], ]. Corky (II) received her name after the park's original '''Corky''' died in December of 1970. Of the other animals captured on that day, only Corky still survives.


==Early Life & Capture== ==Early life==
Corky was born in 1965. Her mother, designated A23, nicknamed "Stripe", was born in 1948 and she died in 2000. Corky, along with a young unnamed male and a young female later named Patches, were sold to ], in ], ]. As of 2022, Corky is the only surviving captured orca from her family group. She is designated A16.<ref>{{cite web |title=Corky's Calves |url=http://www.orcaaware.org/corkys-calves.html |website=orcaaware.org |publisher=]}}</ref>


==Captivity==
Corky is presumed to have been born sometime in 1964. Her mother has the official designation of A23, though she is also known by the nickname 'Stripe.' She was captured, along with several other orcas, on December 11, 1969 in Pender Harbor, ], ].
Corky II received her name after the park's original orca, ''Corky I'' (1965
– 5 December 1970), who died on 5 December 1970 at the age of 5. ''Corky I'' was also born in 1965 like Corky II and she was also a female orca like Corky II. Corky was kept with a male named '']'' who was her cousin, also caught in Pender Harbour the year before her own capture. The pair remained together at the park for the next seventeen years and mated.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Farhoud |first1=Nada |title=Fight to reunite Orca with family after being held captive in tank for 50 years |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/us-news/fight-reunite-orca-family-after-21960657 |website=mirror.co.uk |publisher=] |access-date=28 April 2021 |date=1 May 2020}}</ref> Corky became the first orca to produce offspring in captivity and on 28 February 1977, she gave birth to the first captive calf. However, the infant male failed to nurse and died of ] after just eleven days on 15 March 1977. Corky and Orky had six more calves but none survived, the oldest, named Kiva (22 June 1982 – 3 August 1982), a female, lived for just 46 days.<ref>{{cite web |title=Corky |url=https://dolphinspirit.org/corky |website=dolphinspirit.org |access-date=28 April 2021}}</ref> Corky and Orky also appeared in the 1977 film '']''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Photo from the movie "Tentacles" provided by CoolAssCinema.com and Kimmy Vengeance. |url=https://inherentlywild.co.uk/corky-2s-gallery/ |website=inherentlywild.co.uk |access-date=10 May 2021}}</ref> Corky suffered three miscarriages on 1 April 1980, 27 July 1986 and in August 1987. After that she never became pregnant again.


In 1987, Corky was sold to ] and was moved with ''Orky II'' to the park in ], ], ] on 21 January 1987. There, she mated again with ''Orky II'', and she suffered a miscarriage in August 1987.<ref>{{cite web |title=Corky's Calves |url=http://www.orcaaware.org/corkys-calves.html |website=orcaaware.org |publisher=]}}</ref> ''Orky II'' later bred with other females, named ''Kandu V'' (1974 – 21 August 1989) and ''Kenau'' (1975 – 6 August 1991) at ] and with them he sired two female calves, '']'' (born 23 September 1988) and '']'' (26 November 1988 – 28 January 2019). Corky never became pregnant again. On 26 September 1988, ''Orky II'' died three days after the birth of his first daughter,
Of the orcas captured, six were sold to aquariums. Corky, along with a young unnamed male and a young female later named Patches, were sold to ], in ], ].
''Orkid'' who was born on 23 September 1988 to ''Kandu V''. He was the oldest and largest captive orca at the time of his death.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Roach Monroe |first1=Linda |title=Orky, Oldest Killer Whale in Captivity, Dies |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-09-27-me-2544-story.html |access-date=28 April 2021 |agency=] |date=27 September 1988}}</ref>


As of 2024, Corky remains at ] and lives with seven other orcas.<ref>{{cite web |title=Killer Whale Education and Conservation |url=https://seaworld.com/san-diego/commitment/killer-whales/ |website=seaworld.com |publisher=] |access-date=28 April 2021}}</ref>
==Life at Marineland==


==Incident==
Corky was placed in a small pool with an adult male, Orky (II) also caught in Pender Harbor the year before her own capture. The two orcas remained together at the park for the next seventeen years.
In 1989 the dominant female orca, ], charged at Corky but ruptured an artery in her own jaw during the fight. After a 45-minute hemorrhage, Kandu V died. Her eleven month old daughter, Orkid, was placed with Corky, who acted as a ].<ref>{{cite news|title=Performing Whale Dies in Collision With Another|work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/08/23/us/performing-whale-dies-in-collision-with-another.html|access-date=6 May 2018|agency=New York Times|date=23 August 1989}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=REZA|first1=H.G.|last2=JOHNSON|first2=GREG|title=Killer Whale Bled to Death After Breaking Jaw in Fight|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-08-23-mn-887-story.html|access-date=6 May 2018|work=Los Angeles Times|date=23 August 1989}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=REZA|first1=H.G.|title=Whales Collide, 1 Is Fatally Injured in Sea World Tank|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-08-22-mn-918-story.html|access-date=6 May 2018|work=Los Angeles Times|date=22 August 1989}}</ref>


==Controversy==
During her time at Marineland, Corky became the first orca to become pregnant and give birth in captivity. With her first calf, nobody even knew she was pregnant. On February 28, 1977, the first calf to be born alive in captivity was born at Marineland to Corky and Orky. The calf was a male and died after sixteen days.
]
Corky is the subject of various campaigns by ] activists and organizations, including ], demanding her retirement and release.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.peta.org/blog/on-seaworlds-60th-anniversary-christopher-von-uckermann-shares-a-personal-plea/ | title=Christopher von Uckermann's Personal Plea for Orca's Freedom | date=19 March 2024 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Free Corky Campaign |url=https://orcalab.org/free-corky-campaign/ |website=orcalab.org |access-date=28 April 2021}}</ref> In 2017, a Canadian orca research organization created a banner from more than 17,000 pieces of artwork that stretched 1.5 miles as a means to promote her freedom.<ref>{{cite web |title=SeaWorld Won't Miss This 1.5-Mile-Long 'Free Corky' Banner |url=https://www.seaworldofhurt.com/seaworld-wont-miss-free-corky-banner/ |website=seaworldofhurt.com |date=13 May 2017 |access-date=28 April 2021}}</ref> A 40 acre sea sanctuary located off ] in British Columbia has been proposed for her relocation, but SeaWorld remains resistant, arguing Corky would not survive.<ref>{{cite web |title=Returning 'Corky,' a wild orca, to her birthplace after 50 years in captivity |url=https://www.cbc.ca/natureofthings/features/returning-corky-a-wild-orca-to-her-birthplace-after-50-years-in-captivity |website=cbc.ca |publisher=] |access-date=28 April 2021}}</ref> Support for her release surged after ] died before her release, including people writing letters to SeaWorld.<ref>https://www.local10.com/news/local/2023/08/20/activists-hol{{Dead link|date=December 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} {{Bare URL inline|date=August 2024}}</ref><ref name="WaPo">{{cite news |last1=Gibson |first1=Caitlin |title=The call of Tokitae |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/interactive/2023/tokitae-lolita-orca/ |newspaper=] |access-date=December 10, 2023 |date=December 5, 2023 |archive-date=December 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231205234228/https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/interactive/2023/tokitae-lolita-orca/ |url-status=live }}</ref>


==See also==
Corky went on to give birth six more times while at Marineland. Kiva, the longest surviving calf, lived only a total of 47 days. There are several reasons as to why Corky's calves didn't survive. The first might be that she was captured too young to have learned how to properly take care of a calf. Though, even after she went through training to teach her how to nurse, the calves continued to die. Another reason the calves died so young could be attributed to the shape of Marineland's pools - small circles. Corky had to continually push her calves away from the walls and could not properly present her mammaries to the calves so that they could nurse.
* ]


⚫ ==Further reading==
Her time at Marineland ended in January of 1987, after the park was sold to ]. Corky, then pregnant for the seventh time, was moved with Orky a few hours south, to the park in ]. There, at Sea World, Corky suffered a miscarriage.
⚫ * Ford, John K.B.; Ellis, Graeme M.; & Balcomb, Kenneth C. (2000). ''Killer Whales'' (2nd ed.). UBC Press. {{ISBN|0-7748-0800-4}}.
⚫ * Hoyt, Erich. (1990). ''Orca: The Whale Called Killer'' (3rd ed.). London: Robert Hale Limited. {{ISBN|0-920656-25-0}}.
⚫ * Morton, Alexandra. (2002). ''Listening to Whales: What the Orcas Have Taught Us'' New York: Ballantine Publishing Group. {{ISBN|0-345-43794-2}}.
* Patryla, Jim. (2005). ''A Photographic Journey Back To Marineland of the Pacific'' Lulu Publishing. {{ISBN|978-1-4116-7130-0}}.


==References==
==Life at SeaWorld==
{{reflist}}

Corky and Orky were placed with the other orcas at Sea World, in a system of pools much larger than those they had lived in at Marineland. Orky was desired primarily for Sea World's new successful breeding program, and while at Sea World he sired two female calves, both of which are still alive today.

Corky, on the other hand, never became pregnant again. Sadly, just three days after the birth of his first daughter, Orky died. His daughter, ], remains at the park today.

In 1989, the dominant orca at the park, Kandu (V), attempted to rake Corky - a way orcas show dominance by forcefully scratching at another with their teeth. Kandu struck Corky just before a show. Shortly after the show began, it was apparent that something was very wrong. Kandu began exhaling large amounts of blood. Kandu died shortly after and was discovered to have fractured her upper jaw.

Orkid, orphaned at only 11 months old, was placed with Corky, and the two remain together at the park to this day.

Today, Corky lives with 6 other whales (Kasatka, Ulises, Orkid, Sumar, Nakai and Kalia). Corky is one of the gentlest whales in captivity; when a trainer enters the water with a whale for the first time, the whale is always Corky. She loves to mother everyone, and in fact has adopted and partially raised quite a few whales since her move to SeaWorld. Orkid, of course, as well as Splash, Sumar and others. Corky gets along with all of the whales, except for Ulises, who for unknown reasons will try to rake her when they're together.

Corky is easily identified thanks to her tall, straight fin; her pointed eyepatches, and most distinguishing, her big size for a female. She also seems to love swimming upsidedown in the tanks.

==Corky Today==

Corky is now approximately 40 years old - about middle age for an orca. She has lived in captivity for almost 36 years - longer than any other orca in history. She suffers from cataracts in her right eye, though it does not seem to impair her daily activities. She still performs regularly in shows, under the stage name 'Shamu.'

Various organizations over the years have campaigned to release Corky. Many wanted to see her returned to her mother, A23 (Stripe). Unfortunately, Stripe died in 2000. Corky has several family members she has never met,( wich she can only find in the wild) including one deceased brother, A27 (Okisollo), a living sister, A43 (Ripple) who now has calves of her own, and a younger brother A60 (Fife). On October 9th 2005, Corky became a great-auntie for the first time when Kayla gave birth to Corky's cousin's grandchild ]. Orcalab in British Columbia is currently trying to help Corky be rehabilitated.

⚫ ==Further reading==
⚫ * Ford, John K.B.; Ellis, Graeme M.; & Balcomb, Kenneth C. (2000). ''Killer Whales'' (2nd ed.). UBC Press. ISBN 0-7748-0800-4.
⚫ * Hoyt, Erich. (1990). ''Orca: The Whale Called Killer'' (3rd ed.). London: Robert Hale Limited. ISBN 0-920656-25-0.
⚫ * Morton, Alexandra. (2002). ''Listening to Whales: What the Orcas Have Taught Us'' New York: Ballantine Publishing Group. ISBN 0-345-43794-2.


] ]
]

Latest revision as of 07:08, 5 December 2024

Captive female orca (born c.1965)

Corky II
Corky II on the slide out during the Shamu Show at SeaWorld San Diego.
SpeciesOrca (Orcinus orca)
SexFemale
Bornc. 1965 (age 58–59)
Years active1969–present
Known forOldest captive female orca as of 2024
Parent(s)Stripe (mother) (1948–2000)
Mate(s)Orky II (cousin) (1962–1988)
Offspring
  • Calf (son) (28 February 1977 – 15 March 1977)
  • Spooky (son) (31 October 1978 – 10 November 1978)
  • Kiva (daughter) (18 June 1982 – 3 August 1982)
  • Calf (daughter) (22 July 1985 – 20 September 1985)
(none survived to adulthood)
Weight3,855.535 kg (8,500 lb)
Height19 ft 8 in (5.99 m)
Named afterFemale Orca named Corky (1965–1970)

Corky II (born c. 1965), often referred to as just Corky, is a female captive orca from the A5 Pod of northern resident orcas. At approximately the age of four, Corky was captured from Pender Harbour off the coast of British Columbia on 11 December 1969. She has lived at SeaWorld San Diego in San Diego, California since 21 January 1987. As of 2024, she is the oldest and longest kept captive orca. SeaWorld San Diego celebrates her birthday on 1st January every year.

Early life

Corky was born in 1965. Her mother, designated A23, nicknamed "Stripe", was born in 1948 and she died in 2000. Corky, along with a young unnamed male and a young female later named Patches, were sold to Marineland of the Pacific, in Palos Verdes, California. As of 2022, Corky is the only surviving captured orca from her family group. She is designated A16.

Captivity

Corky II received her name after the park's original orca, Corky I (1965 – 5 December 1970), who died on 5 December 1970 at the age of 5. Corky I was also born in 1965 like Corky II and she was also a female orca like Corky II. Corky was kept with a male named Orky II who was her cousin, also caught in Pender Harbour the year before her own capture. The pair remained together at the park for the next seventeen years and mated. Corky became the first orca to produce offspring in captivity and on 28 February 1977, she gave birth to the first captive calf. However, the infant male failed to nurse and died of pneumonia after just eleven days on 15 March 1977. Corky and Orky had six more calves but none survived, the oldest, named Kiva (22 June 1982 – 3 August 1982), a female, lived for just 46 days. Corky and Orky also appeared in the 1977 film Tentacles. Corky suffered three miscarriages on 1 April 1980, 27 July 1986 and in August 1987. After that she never became pregnant again.

In 1987, Corky was sold to SeaWorld and was moved with Orky II to the park in San Diego, California, United States on 21 January 1987. There, she mated again with Orky II, and she suffered a miscarriage in August 1987. Orky II later bred with other females, named Kandu V (1974 – 21 August 1989) and Kenau (1975 – 6 August 1991) at SeaWorld San Diego and with them he sired two female calves, Orkid (born 23 September 1988) and Kayla (26 November 1988 – 28 January 2019). Corky never became pregnant again. On 26 September 1988, Orky II died three days after the birth of his first daughter, Orkid who was born on 23 September 1988 to Kandu V. He was the oldest and largest captive orca at the time of his death.

As of 2024, Corky remains at SeaWorld San Diego and lives with seven other orcas.

Incident

In 1989 the dominant female orca, Kandu V, charged at Corky but ruptured an artery in her own jaw during the fight. After a 45-minute hemorrhage, Kandu V died. Her eleven month old daughter, Orkid, was placed with Corky, who acted as a surrogate mother.

Controversy

Corky 2 performing "The Shamu Adventure" on July 5, 2004. The stage at Shamu Stadium has since been redesigned to accommodate the new "Orca Encounter" show.

Corky is the subject of various campaigns by animal rights activists and organizations, including PETA, demanding her retirement and release. In 2017, a Canadian orca research organization created a banner from more than 17,000 pieces of artwork that stretched 1.5 miles as a means to promote her freedom. A 40 acre sea sanctuary located off Hanson Island in British Columbia has been proposed for her relocation, but SeaWorld remains resistant, arguing Corky would not survive. Support for her release surged after Lolita died before her release, including people writing letters to SeaWorld.

See also

Further reading

  • Ford, John K.B.; Ellis, Graeme M.; & Balcomb, Kenneth C. (2000). Killer Whales (2nd ed.). UBC Press. ISBN 0-7748-0800-4.
  • Hoyt, Erich. (1990). Orca: The Whale Called Killer (3rd ed.). London: Robert Hale Limited. ISBN 0-920656-25-0.
  • Morton, Alexandra. (2002). Listening to Whales: What the Orcas Have Taught Us New York: Ballantine Publishing Group. ISBN 0-345-43794-2.
  • Patryla, Jim. (2005). A Photographic Journey Back To Marineland of the Pacific Lulu Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4116-7130-0.

References

  1. "Performing Whale Dies in Collision With Another". The New York Times. 23 August 1989. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  2. "Corky's Story". Hal Sato. Archived from the original on 7 March 2016. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  3. Palmer, Mark J (21 May 2020). "MEET CORKY, THE LONGEST-HELD ORCA IN CAPTIVITY". savedolphins.eii.org. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  4. "Corky's Calves". orcaaware.org. British Divers Marine Life Rescue.
  5. Farhoud, Nada (1 May 2020). "Fight to reunite Orca with family after being held captive in tank for 50 years". mirror.co.uk. Daily Mirror. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  6. "Corky". dolphinspirit.org. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  7. "Photo from the movie "Tentacles" provided by CoolAssCinema.com and Kimmy Vengeance". inherentlywild.co.uk. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
  8. "Corky's Calves". orcaaware.org. British Divers Marine Life Rescue.
  9. Roach Monroe, Linda (27 September 1988). "Orky, Oldest Killer Whale in Captivity, Dies". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  10. "Killer Whale Education and Conservation". seaworld.com. SeaWorld. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  11. "Performing Whale Dies in Collision With Another". The New York Times. New York Times. 23 August 1989. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  12. REZA, H.G.; JOHNSON, GREG (23 August 1989). "Killer Whale Bled to Death After Breaking Jaw in Fight". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  13. REZA, H.G. (22 August 1989). "Whales Collide, 1 Is Fatally Injured in Sea World Tank". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  14. "Christopher von Uckermann's Personal Plea for Orca's Freedom". 19 March 2024.
  15. "Free Corky Campaign". orcalab.org. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  16. "SeaWorld Won't Miss This 1.5-Mile-Long 'Free Corky' Banner". seaworldofhurt.com. 13 May 2017. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  17. "Returning 'Corky,' a wild orca, to her birthplace after 50 years in captivity". cbc.ca. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  18. https://www.local10.com/news/local/2023/08/20/activists-hol
  19. Gibson, Caitlin (5 December 2023). "The call of Tokitae". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 5 December 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
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