Kenau

Kenau. Photo provided by Lolita Whale.

Kenau *(pronounced KAY-now)*, also known as Magnus *(MAAG-noose)*, was an approximately 15-year-old female Icelandic killer whale who lived at SeaWorld Orlando. She was captured on November 11th, 1976, near Ingólfshöfði, Iceland, when she was about a year old. Kenau was one of the first killer whales to be taken from Iceland for captivity. She passed away due to hemorrhagic bacterial pneumonia on August 6th, 1991 at SeaWorld Orlando. Kenau was the mother of Baby Shamu II and Kayla.

## Early Life and Capture

Kenau was born in the waters of the North Atlantic sometime around 1975. On November 11th, 1976 Gudrun and her pod were netted in Ingólfshöfði, Iceland. Some of the whales managed to swim over the net and escape, but Kenau did not. Kenau and another female whale, Gudrun, were selected for captivity and lifted onto the boat by nets and divers. The two whales were dubbed "Gudrun," after the capture boat, and "Magnus," a traditionally masculine name. So she might have been mistaken for a male at first. After their capture, Gudrun and Kenau were loaded onto a plane and taken to the Netherlands. The young whales then moved to Dolfinarium Harderwijk on November 13th, 1976. The transport went well, and they started to eat soon after arriving. For the next few months, the whales lived together at Harderwijk.

## Life at SeaWorld

Although Gudrun was supposed to stay, Kenau was never meant to be a permanent resident of Harderwijk. About 7 months after her capture, Kenau was loaded onto a plane and flown across the Atlantic ocean. Her new home was SeaWorld San Diego in California. Upon arriving, she met the park's other whales, Kona, Sandy and Winston. All 3 whales were Southern Residents, a group of whales from the Pacific Northwest.

A few months after her arrival, in September, another South Resident named Ramu was moved to the park. Not long after that, Kona passed away, and just a month after Kona's death, in October, Sandy died as well. In December, 2 more Icelandic whales arrived: Kandu V and Canuck II.

In May of 1978, Kenau was moved to SeaWorld Ohio. She lived with dolphins and performed at the park for the summer season. In October, however, she was moved back to SeaWorld San Diego. Although Winston, Canuck and Kandu still lived there, Kilroy had passed away just weeks prior. At the end of October, 3 more Icelandic whales were moved to the park: Kotar, Kasatka and Shawn. The newcomers were moved to the dolphin petting pools at some point, and it is unknown if Kenau met them at this time.

In April of 1979, Kenau was moved back to SeaWorld Ohio. This time, however, Kandu was moved with her. In June, another Icelandic whale, Katina, was also brought to SeaWorld Ohio. At the end of 1979's summer season, in October, all 3 whales moved back to SeaWorld San Diego. Although Winston, Canuck, Kasatka and Kotar were still there, Shawn was missing, as she had died in September.

For the summers of 1980 and 1981, Kenau and Kandu performed at SeaWorld Ohio, and returned to SeaWorld San Diego for the rest of the year. In September of 1981, Kenau and Kandu left Ohio for the final time. They were moved back to San Diego, and they rejoined Winston, Kotar, Kasatka and Katina. Canuck had passed away the previous August. In May of 1982, Kasatka and Katina left for Ohio, while Kenau and Kandu stayed behind.

## Galleries

* **Photos** of Kenau
* **Videos** of Kenau

## References

1. ↑ ''Guðrún is happy here.''
2. ↑ https://timarit.is/page/3356040#page/n23/mode/2up Fleiri háhyrningar veiddir *(More killer whales caught}*
3. ↑ https://timarit.is/page/3065490#page/n7/mode/2up ÉTA 20 KÍLÓ Á DAG *(EAT 20 KILO A DAY)*