Toa

## Transfer History

### Transfer #1

10th of July - Plimmerton Coastline, New Zealand to a shore somewhere around Wellington, New Zealand(release attempt).

### Transfer #2

10th of July - Wellington, New Zealand to a rescue trailer.

### Transfer #3

11th of July - Attempts were made to release Toa but nothing worked. He was moved to a rescue pen at night.

### Transfer #4

15th of July - Pen in Wellington, New Zealand to a temporary pool not far from the sea pen.

### Transfer #5

22nd of July - Temporary holding pool to sea pen next to the holding pool in Wellington, New Zealand.

## Ecotype

### Total

100% New Zealand Costal

Toa was a 2-3 month old male New Zealand costal killer whale that stranded on the 10th of July, 2021 on the Plimmerton Coastline, New Zealand. He passed away on the 23rd of July, 2021 in Wellington, New Zealand from suspected pneumonia.

## Several Attempts

Toa's pod was hunting stingrays when it's believed he was separated from his pod, getting stuck in some rocks in low tide. Ben Norris, Flora Smith, and Sean Carter, three teenagers, spotted him alone and crying. Norris stayed behind to watch him while the others went to find help. He thinks he heard faint vocals in the back, possibly Toa's family looking for him. By the time lots of rescuers arrived to refloat and release him, the pod was already gone.

Toa was soon gathered by people keeping him wet and researchers went out looking for a pod nearby, possibly his family. They tried releasing him once too, but Toa beached himself again. Originally thought to be female, he spent the night at a temporary rescue location in a trailer located offshore in Wellington. He had minor injuries like scrapes from stranding on the rocks, and repeadtly made crying noises and depress sounds as a result of being separated from their mother. On the 11th, someone did report a pod sighting however nothing was found. It was decided Toa would spend the night in a small shallow pen near a boat harbor. Many attempts were made to release him before Toa entered the pen however it didn't work. It was then decided to keep him in a shallow netted part of a boat ramp, as this made it easier for rescuers to keep montoring his condition. Daily, residents of Wellington and other cities nearby were on the lookout for any killer whales near their area.

## The Journey Continues

As the search for Toa's family continued, he was being held in a temporary pool not far from his pen due to inclement weather hitting Wellington. Toa had also been fed special formulas and other foods since a veterinary check up. His health had been good however he continued to vocalize for his family. Toa enjoyed the new water being rushed into the tank, going up against his head was like a massage according to watchers. He was also introduced to a piece of kelp which helped calm him down.

On the night of the 19th, Toa came down with a case of colic, presumably from the milk formula he had been getting. It was later found out that SeaWorld was the provider of this formula, which fired criticism. Changes were made to his food and limited interactions were also introduced after his placement in the pool. There was many sightings of whales around the area, with one being a male frequently seen with Toa's pod. Decisions were being made weather not to euthanize him or send him off to a facility with other orcas. Many people suggested SeaWorld or Marineland Antibes for his destination if he couldn't be released, while others suggest euthanasia.

## Till the Very End

Toa started suffering health concerns a weakening conditions in becoming much more quiet and lethargic. He also had an inflamed eye and injuries to his flukes and pectoral fins in particular, which looked quite like what Ula had in 2019. It is believed an bacterial infection is reasonable for this however is hard to determine because he's had it since the stranding. On the 22nd of July, 2021, Toa was moved back in the sea pen.

Suddenly, early in the morning, on the 23rd of July, 2021, Toa's condition rapidly declined. Tragically, he passed away before vets could arrive, according to Whale-Resuce.org on Facebook. A necropsy will not be performed, as from the local Māori. This, similar to Bob's case, will result in a burial instead. One of the volunteers claims that Dr. Ingrid Visser, a very well known researcher for New Zealand orcas, had told them about the water in Toa's lungs when he stranded. He possibly got this from the waves as there were bubbles coming from his blowhole, indicating a sign of pneumonia. This possibly came from the rescue.

## Trivia

Toa('s)...

1. name came from local Māori.
2. was the second whale in New Zealand to be taken captive.

## Gallery

**If you are going to use any of these photos, please credit the photographer and/or the provider. *PLEASE REFER BACK TO THIS WIKI. NOT ALL PHOTOS CAN BE USED!!***

Many photos can be found from Inherently Wild.

**Photos by Allie Bee.**

**Photos provided by intertidalkendy.**

**Photos provided by Katerina Studios.**

**Photo by Georige Monigatti.**

**Photos by Mark Mitchell.**

**Photos by Nick James.**

**Photos by Dom Thomas.**

## Videos/GIFs

1. "Bubba/Bubbs footages #2" (Katerina Studios II on YouTube)

## References/Sources

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Rescuers to take care of lost orca whale overnight as pod not found" - *11th of July, 2021*
2. ↑ "Hunt for stranded orca's family off Wellington coast continues by air and sea" - *12th of July, 2021*
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Attempts to reunite baby orca with pod to resume today" - *11th of July, 2021*
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Rescuers await veterinary test results of stranded orca" - *12th of July, 2021*
5. ↑ "Rescuers seek pod sightings after baby orca stranded north of Wellington" - *12th of July, 2021*