Nova

Nova. Photo provided by Michael Noonan.

### Half-Siblings

*Splash*, *Neocia*, *Malik*, *Nootka V's Calf (1998)*, *Algonquin*, *Nootka V's Miscarriage (2001)*, *Nootka V's Calf (2004)*, *Neocia's Miscarriage (2004)*, *Nootka V's Miscarriage (2006)*

### Nieces & Nephews

*Neocia's Miscarriage (2004)*

Nova *(pronounced NOW-vuh)* was a 4-year-old male Icelandic killer whale who lived at Marineland of Canada. Nova was born there on November 6th, 1996, in the King Waldorf Stadium. His mother was Kiska and his father was Kandu VII. Nova passed away due to pneumonia and possible starvation due to a hole in his esophagus on August 20th, 2001 at Marineland of Canada.

## Birth and Early Life

Nova was born in King Waldorf Stadium on November 6th, 1996. At the time of his birth, 6 other whales lived at the park: his mother, his father, his brother Kanuck, an adult female named Nootka V, and his half-sisters Neocia and Malik. Not much is known about the first months of Nova's life.

### The Warehouse

Because of a lack of space, Marineland began to keep whales in the infamous "warehouse", a small, dimly-lit indoor pool situated behind King Waldorf Stadium that was used for many years to store excess animals. The "warehouse" is incredibly cramped and dark, and the animals in there have no access to fresh air or sunlight. The size of the tank and the low ceilings mean that the animals can't even jump out of the water. The building also houses seals, walruses, and sea lions. Because of the design of the building, the barking from the sea lions and the music from the stadium are amplified, and the noise in the "warehouse" can be deafening. Over the years the tank became incredibly worn down and covered in rust. In many photos the water is cloudy and green. Former staff reported that the chemicals used to treat the water in the pool were sometimes so strong that the animals would throw themselves out of the water and onto the slide out to escape them. Due to Marineland's policy against enrichment, animals in the warehouse had virtually no stimulation other than each other and the trainers.

According to ZooCheck, Nova was taken from his mother at just 7 months old and moved to the "warehouse". It is not known exactly why he was moved, but it was probably because of overcrowding in the stadium. During his time in the warehouse Nova may have also been kept with Malik, Kanuck, and Neocia.  At some point in 1998, probably while living in the warehouse, Kanuck passed away.

## Life at Marineland

In 1998 another killer whale habitat called Friendship Cove was built at the park, and Nova was moved there and was finally reunited with his mother. While living there he was known to spend time with Malik, who was just a few months older than him.

In May of 1998, Nootka gave birth to a female calf, although she passed away just a few days later. It is unknown if Nova ever met her. In September, Nova's little brother Hudson was born. In December of 1999, Nootka gave birth to another calf, this time a male named Algonquin.

Unfortunately, Nova didn't spend much time in Friendship Cove. Nova, Malik and Neocia were moved back to King Waldorf at some point to perform shows during the operating season. Neocia was older and more dominant than Nova, and she was known to harass him while the young whales lived in the stadium. During the winter the whales were probably moved back to Friendship Cove. In March of 2000, Malik passed away.

### Death

In 2001, Nova developed pnuemonia. Nova also had a hole in his esophagus. There are conflicting reports as to whether this was a birth defect or not. Due to his hole, Nova couldn't get enough nutrition, and he slowly starved to death. On August 20th, 2001, Nova passed away from pnuemonia and starvation. His death was denied by Marineland for months.

## Trivia

* The name "Nova" has several different meanings. A "nova" is a star that suddenly increases in brightness, and then slowly dims back to it's original state. In Latin, "nova" means "new". Nova may have also been named after the Canadian province of Nova Scotia.
* Nova was most likely the the youngest calf in captivity to be separated from their mother for non-medical reasons.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Cetacean Cousins: Captive Orca - Nova
2. ↑ "Marineland: Readers, activists demand change regarding care of sea mammals"
3. ↑ "JUSTICE FOR JUNIOR: A Memorial Page For Junior the Orca Whale"
4. ↑ ~Orca Spirit~ - Marineland of Canada