A-chan

A-chan, also known as 0-10, was a 9+ year old female Japanese killer whale that lived at Adventure World Shirahama. She was captured on the 7th-10th of February, 1997 in Hatajiri Bay, Taiji, Wakayama, Japan, and died on the 17th of June, 1997 from bacterial pneumonia. A-chan is notably apart of the "Taiji 5."

## Transfer History

### Transfer #1

10th of February, 1997 - Hatajiri Bay, Taiji, Wakayama, Japan to the Taiji Whale Museum

### Transfer #2

18th of February, 1997 - Taiji Whale Museum to Adventure World Shirahama

## Capture

A-chan was captured on the 7th of February, 1997 when 9 others in her pod were driven into Hatajiri Bay, Taiji, Wakayama, Japan. However, it has been reported that the orcas were not selected for captivity until 3 days later, meaning they likely stayed in the bay during that time. A-chan constantly made "distress calls" during the capture, being identifiable due to her large size. Sometime during the capture, she received the ID "0-10." At around 6 am on the 10th, the "selective" process began. A-chan constantly thrashed around, and could be seen bleeding from her tail fluke. She was taken captive along with B-kun, Ku, Kyu, and Asuka. Later, the five whales became known as the "Taiji 5." It has been largely believed that juvenile B-kun was her son, as he stayed close to her throughout the capture. B-kun and A-chan were later put into slings, hoisted out of the water via a crane, and placed on a boat that transferred them to sea pens at the Taiji Whale Museum. At the time of her capture, A-chan was around 20.6 ft(6.30 m) long and weighed in at around 12,125.42 lbs(5,500 kg), making her the largest female killer whale to have ever lived in captivity. The rest of the pod, presumably all males, were driven out to sea. Within days, A-chan, B-kun, and Kyu were sold to Adventure World Shirahama, and transferred there on the 18th of February, 1997. Asuka was transferred to Izo Mito Sea Paradise two weeks later, where she died in 2007. Ku stayed behind until she was transferred to the Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium, where she died in 2008.

## Adventure World & Death

Soon after arriving at Adventure World, A-chan, B-kun, and Kyu(then named Q-kun) were all trained to do basic behaviors. The other orcas that lived at the facility were Goro, Ruka, and Ran II, though it is unknown if A-chan interreacted with them. Unlike Kyu and B-kun, however, A-chan refused to eat fish. As a result, she was force fed a "liquid-food mixture". Things continued to take a turn when A-chan miscarried a calf in April. She had conceived before being captured, meaning the sire was a wild male. It is likely that the calf had died as a result of being in the shallow bay for 3 days, as well as being transported in a sling for several hours.

On the 14th of June, 1997, B-kun died from internal abdominal hemorrhage, caused by a systemic viral infection. It was believed that he had been sick for awhile, as well as having a weak immune system. Within 3 days, A-chan had died on the 17th of June. She was likely weak from her miscarriage, and it has believed that B-kun's death also played a part in her downfall. Before her death, A-chan was largely being supported by a sling, along with the water levels being fairly low. Her cause of death was reported as bacterial pneumonia.

## Gallery

**If you are going to use any of these photos, please credit the photographer and/or the provider.**

**Screenshots from a BlueVoice video by Hardy Jones, provided by Katerina Studios.**

## Sources

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 “Remembering the Taiji 5.” *Dolphin Project*, 14 May 2019, www.dolphinproject.com/blog/remembering-the-taiji-5/. Accessed 5 Dec. 2023.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 “Orca Pod Destroyed in Japan.” *Www.youtube.com*, www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceLQNl2ZMZQ. Accessed 5 Dec. 2023.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 *Deceased Orcas – Inherently Wild*. inherentlywild.co.uk/deceased-orcas/.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 “太地シャチ捕獲事件.” *IKA-Net*, ika-net.jp/ja/ikan-activities/coastal-small-whales/80-taiji519970207. Accessed 5 Dec. 2023.
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 “Adventure World (Part II): Wishing for Orcas.” *Dolphin Project*, 8 May 2021, www.dolphinproject.com/blog/adventure-world-part-ii-wishing-for-orcas/. Accessed 5 Dec. 2023.
6. ↑ “Killer Whales (Orcas) Unsuccessful Births by Mother’s Name | PDF | Killer Whale | Miscarriage.” Scribd, www.scribd.com/document/52413382/Killer-Whales-Orcas-Unsuccessful-Births-by-Mother-s-Name. Accessed 5 Dec. 2023.
7. ↑ *Unsuccessful Pregnancies – Inherently Wild*. inherentlywild.co.uk/unsuccessful-pregnancies/. Accessed 5 Dec. 2023.