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AnoOrca — Kahna Reference Sheet
Published: 2012-05-06 02:06:40 +0000 UTC; Views: 1441; Favourites: 10; Downloads: 0
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Description
KAHNA (Kah-nah)Species: Orcinus orca
Subspecies: Northern Resident Killer Whale
Sex: Female
DOB: Aug. 1982 (estimate)
Length: 17 ft
Weight: 6,400 lb
Category: Drywork only/senior trainers only
Differentiating Characteristics
-Rake marks covering body; particularly severe rake scarring on right side of body
-Dorsal fin bends at a ninety-degree angle to the left
-Small, thin eyepatches in relation to body size
-Somewhat small saddle patch in relation to body size, with a black “finger” in the front on both sides
Secondary Reinforcers
-Bridge (whistle and tone)
-Visual stimulation
-Environmental changes
-Screen graphics
-Mirror
-Kelp
-Blow bubbles
-Hose, water jet play
-Bucket pour
Finds Aversive
-Being confined to one tank with any female orcas
-Tactile reinforcement
-Control with new or different trainers
-Persistent attempts at control when disobeying
-Training for unfamiliar behaviors
-Repetition during learning
-Reduced food rations
-Being separated from Toby
-Being separated from Skate for extended periods
-Guests in underwater viewing area touching the window, esp. with Skate present
-Medical procedures
-Medical procedures performed on Skate
-Persistence
Behavioral Tenancies
-Often moody and disobedient
-Displacement of other whales due to social dominance
-Displacement of Akua if confined together for long intervals
-Displacement of Archimedes if confined together for long intervals
Behavioral Incidents
1991: Mouth open lunge at trainer with contact during training session
1992: Mouth open lunge at trainer without contact during training session
1993: Mouthed hand during tactile reinforcement, followed by “jaw pop” at trainer
1996: “Jaw pop” at guest in underwater viewing (with Skate present)
1997: Bumped glass at guest in underwater viewing (with Skate present)
2000: Open mouth lunge at trainer without contact during “Dine With” session
Transfers
1985: From ocean (BC, Canada) to Ohio Water World (Ohio, USA)
1987: From Ohio Water World (Ohio, USA) to Ocean Adventure (Ontario, Canada)
1991: From Ocean Adventure (Ontario, Canada) to New England Dolphinarium (Massachusetts, USA)
Summary
Kahna is a wild caught sexually mature female orca collected from British Columbia, Canada in 1985. Ohio Water World closed down soon after her arrival, and she was sold to Ocean Adventure in Canada. Detailed records of her time at Ocean Adventure are not available, however it has been noted that Kahna was extremely incompatible with the other orcas at the parkd, and violent disputes occurred quite often (said to be the origin of her scarring) until she was separated from them and placed into an indoor pool in 1988.
She has given birth to three offspring since 1993; a female named Akua in 1993 fathered by Toby; a male named Skate in 2004 fathered by Shark; and a male named Azule in 2014 fathered by Toby.
Kahna has been the dominant whale at New England Dolphinarium since her arrival in 1991. Her dominance has gone unchallenged, however she does experience social tension between Akua and Archimedes. Following Skate's birth in 1996, tensions grew stronger between Kahna and Akua and their interactions were monitored closely until a permanent separation finally occurred in 2005. She is closely bonded with Toby and is not to be separated from him for any reason other than show performances and medical procedures.
Kahna rejected her first born calf, Akua, soon after birth. Akua was taken to be hand raised by trainers. When Akua was reintroduced to Kahna in the same tank six months after initial separation, Kahna showed no obvious aversion to her presence. Aversion began in 1996 after Skate's birth, and increased after the addition of Archimedes in 2004, whom she also showed aversion to. After several confrontations, Akua and Archimedes are no longer confined to one tank with Kahna as of 2005. They seem to tolerate each other's presence when gates are open to allow them access to several tanks, allowing them to separate from each other when necessary.
Kahna was discovered to be pregnant unexpectedly after mating with Shark sometime shortly after his arrival. Despite concerns, Kahna bonded immediately to her second born calf, Skate. She quickly became very protective of Skate. Physical contact with Skate is limited when confined to one tank with Kahna due to her protective and aggressive tenancies.
Kahna rejected Azule directly after birth and he had to be pulled for hand-rearing, and was ultimately transferred to NorthCentral Seaquarium.
Waterworks has not been attempted with Kahna due to her aggressive history. Drywork is limited to senior trainers only, and extreme caution must be exercised. Physical contact is not to be used with Kahna, except when sedated for medical procedures. Safety bars must be used when interacting with her. Reinforcers must be non-tactile in nature.
Kahna is not a reliable animal, and often ignores callback signals, as well as training signals. It has been noted that she is more obedient when training or performing alongside Toby. The inverse is true with Skate, Akua, and Archimedes. Training and performing should therefore be performed alongside Toby whenever possible. It should also be noted that Kahna discriminates against unfamiliar trainers and will almost never obey their signals. Senior trainers that are new to her must partake in extensive desensitizing and relationship building sessions (drywork only, safety bars in place, no tactile used) with familiar senior trainers present for extended periods of time before obedience may be achieved.
Tankmates
Ohio Water World [1985-1987]
Bruno [1985-1987] no link available
Ocean Adventure [1987-1991]
Shy Guy [1987-1990] [Deceased] no link available
Oceanna [1987-1991] no link available
Brut [1987-1991] no link available
Papaya [1987-1991] no link available
Chainas [1987-1991] no link available
Annika [1987-1991] no link available
New England Dolphinarium [1991-Present]
Toby [1991-Present] [anoorca.deviantart.com/art/Tob…
Shark [1993-Present] [2012-2014] anoorca.deviantart.com/art/Sha…
Akua [1993-Present] anoorca.deviantart.com/art/Aku…
Skate [2004-2017] anoorca.deviantart.com/art/Ska…
Archimedes [2004-Present] anoorca.deviantart.com/art/Pee…
Pua [2011-Present] anoorca.deviantart.com/art/Pua…
Paco [2012-Present] anoorca.deviantart.com/art/Pac…
Valentine [2012-Present] anoorca.deviantart.com/art/Val…
Umilak [2012-Present] anoorca.deviantart.com/art/Umi…
Queeky [2012-2017] anoorca.deviantart.com/art/Que…
Cupid [2015-Present] anoorca.deviantart.com/art/Cup…
Facility: n-e-dolphinarium.deviantart.co…
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Comments: 13
RIP Kahna. She was and still is one of my faves of yours. Truly had a rollercoaster ride of a life.
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That's good to hear. I honestly didn't get much feedback on her as a character and I had a feeling that people thought I 'went too far' with her tragic story and resulting attitude
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I don't think so. Her's is just a story that's a far departure from all the happy-go-lucky cetacean characters I've read of. And the fact it is so tragic is what I find interesting.
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Thank you :3 I definitely wanted some tragic stories in my characters, because no matter what side of the fence you're on, some captive orcas do have it bad. Lolita, Kshamenk, and formerly Keiko come to mind :c But I tried to keep the tragic stories to an overall minimum in my captive characters for fear of being accused of trying to alter people's opinions through my characters, which certainly isn't the case by any means.
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Some people just tend to read too much into things. 
Kiska, too. Seems the allegations that she's been bleeding from her tail are true: 0:15 [link]
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Poor Kiska x__x I wonder what will happen to her. Apparently Marineland is looking for another orca. But with the information coming out about Marineland lately, I think it would be better for Kiska to be moved elsewhere rather than another orca to be brought in for her. And not to be morbid, but Kiska is getting up there for a captive orca. What would happen if she died, and the 'new' orca was then alone? Would they be able to find another? I hope they wouldn't turn to capturing from the wild...
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Exactly.
Me, neither. If the people involved want to do something good, why don't they think of buying Kshamenk off Mundo Marino (wishful thinking there: I don't see either park giving up their solitary "stars").
Kiska probably would be better off being moved elsewhere (also not an ideal solution, given her age), but all of the bigger parks (MLF, SeaWorld) are kinda at capacity. Controversial as it is, Marineland does have the space needed to house at least a couple others.
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Yeah, if memory serves, Kshamenk was all set to go to Six Flags when Shouka was still there, but the Argentina government blocked the transfer. Apparently the government doesn't want to let him go, but Mundo Marino was on board, from what I heard :/
That seems to be the problem they're running into right now - everywhere is getting overcrowded, but they're still breeding. It makes me wonder if SW has picked back up on their plans to open a park in Dubai, which would help with overcrowding.
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I've heard various things to do with transfer permits not being approved and such. Ultimately, though, it seems SW could've had an underhanded influence in that - somehow convincing Argentina to keep him there so Shouka could go to SWC, and AI samples obtained instead? I dunno.
The global market crash is what's stopped them from building there, by what I've read. Loro Parque was to be their temporary solution. Then Adan, Vicky, and Morgan come along. Honestly, does birth control for killer whales cost that much?
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I hadn't thought of that. I wonder if they would go that far? .__. I would certainly hope not.
Arguably with all the money SW makes...I doubt birth control costs over 1 billion dollars per year xD;; My guess is they just want as many babies as possible to ensure they have animals for the future.
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You never know, big corporations like those.
That's probably it. And now there's talk of Takara being pregnant via AI by Kshamenk, too (after three or so tries). Consider this recent picture: [link] Could be my eyes playing tricks on me, but the next few months will prove or disprove something.
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I don't know how I feel about this :/ If the father of these calves is Kshamenk, SW shouldn't be supporting the awful conditions he's in. That's my opinion, anyway.
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I agree. The fact they haven't said anything official about the father of Kasatka's makes me think they're not in a hurry to share that information, for some reason. We'll see.
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