L98 Luna

L98 "Luna." Photo provided by the Whale (2011).

L98 "Luna" *(pronounced loo-NUH)*, also known as "Tsux'iit" *(SOO-keet)*, was a 6-year-old male Southern resident killer whale. He was known for spending the majority of his life in Nootka Sound interacting with boaters, and the controversy surrounding how the situation was handled.

## Early Life

Luna was first seen on September 19th, 1999, and was believed to be only a few hours old. There was initially confusion over who his mother was, as he was first seen with L67 "Splash," but was often seen with another female named K18 "Kiska" in the weeks following his birth. Eventually, it became clear that Splash was his mother. He was his mother's first calf.

In September of the following year, Luna was named via a newspaper contest. The winning name, Luna, was suggested by a young girl from Bellingham who suggested it because "the orca whale explores the ocean like the moon explores the earth."

Luna was last seen with his family on September 23rd, 2000, and was later announced missing and presumed deceased by the Center for Whale Research.

## Appearance in Nootka Sound

Reports of a lone orca in Nootka Sound first started coming in during March of 2001. Initially, he was believed to be a transient.

In July of 2001, a whale later identified as Luna was seen alone in Gold River Inlet, located in the territory of the Mowachaht-Muchalaht First Nations people. Luna was seen four days after the death of a Mowachaht-Muchalaht chief named Ambrose Maquinna. Before his death, he had told his people that he would return to the community as a whale, and Luna was believed to his incarnation. He was named Tsux'iit by Ambrose Maquinna's son and new chief, Mike Maquinna.

Meanwhile, the Canadian Department of Fisheries and Wildlife had been made aware of the situation. They identified the whale as Luna, and initially attempted to keep his presence in Nootka Sound a secret until January of 2002, by which time his situation was made public.

### Interactions With People

Though he initially avoided boats and people, Luna began seeking them out and interacting with them by September of 2002, with an emphasis on an old minesweeper, the *MV Uchuck III*. He seemed to prefer slower boats that could not travel faster than him, bumping up against their hulls, pushing rudders, and playing with water spraying from their hoses.

After reports starting coming in that Luna was interacting with boats, a stewardship called the Luna Stewardship Project was established to discourage people from engaging in these interactions and monitor his condition. Luna began spending time at docks, continuing to interact even more with boats and people. The DFO started enforcing in 2002 laws that prevented disturbances to marine mammals, and some people were fined for touching him.

In August of 2003, Luna sustained two large gashes on the side of his head, thought to be from a boat's propeller. Shortly afterward, the idea of intervening and returning Luna to his pod started being considered.

### Attempts to Reunite Luna With His Pod

Though some believed that Luna would be better off left alone, the DFO grew concerned over Luna's interactions with people, and a plan was put in place to reunite Luna with his family. In October of 2003, the DFO, along with the US National Marine Fisheries Service, announced that if Luna's pod swam near Nootka Sound, Luna would led out to them to facilitate a reunion. He was trained by a biologist to follow a boat out of the sound should that happen.

However, Luna's pod never came close enough to the sound to lead him out to them, so a different plan was developed. In October of 2003, the DFO confirmed they had plans to move Luna to a sea pen, where he'd then be moved to wherever his pod was. However, there were concerns that if Luna's proposed move went poorly, he could spend the winter in a less desirable location than Nootka Sound. Because of this, any plans to move Luna would put off until the spring.

There was backlash over this plan, with some fearing that he would permanently kept in captivity (the DFO planned this only as a last resort) and some believing that nature should be allowed to take its course. The Mowachaht-Muchalaht didn't approve of the plan, feeling as though they had not been considered.

A pen was built in May of 2004, and his capture date was set for June 16th. When the day came, Luna was led towards the pen, but was led away by the Mowachaht-Muchalaht, padding canoes and singing. Though the DFO continued trying to lead him to the pen, the Mowachaht-Muchalaht were successfully able to keep him away. This continued on for nine days, until the DFO eventually gave up, realizing that they would not be able to capture Luna without the cooperation of the First Nations.

Following the failed capture attempt, several incidents of Luna damaging boats occurred, and the DFO and the Mowachaht-Muchalaht entered negotiations. In September of that year, they came to an agreement. They would keep people from interacting with him, and cooperate with any plans to lead him back to his family. However, Luna started to become pushier in his attempts to seek human interaction, damaging several more boats.

Throughout 2004, 2005, and 2006, little was done with Luna. He was monitored by the DFO, the Mowachaht-Muchalaht, and other organizations, and there was talk of attempting to lead him back to his family again. In the end, nothing was done, and Luna remained in Nootka Sound.

## Death

On the morning of March 10th, 2006, Luna approached a tugboat, the *General Jackson*, that he was familiar with. He began playing with the boat as the boat idled. During this interaction, Luna got too close to the boat's propellers, and was sucked in. He was killed instantly, with his body being so mangled by the blades authorities were unsure if they'd even be able to positively identify him until a large chunk of the carcass was recovered.

## Legacy

In 2007, a highly fictionalized account of Luna's story was made into a TV movie titled *Luna: Spirit of the Whale*. His story was adapted into another movie titled *The Whale*, released in 2011. Books have also been written about Luna's life.

## Galleries

* **Photos** of L98 Luna
* **Videos** of L98 Luna

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 'Orca Network Luna'
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 'Tsux'iit: Understanding Indigenous Spirituality'
3. ↑ 'Mowachaht-Muchalaht Religion and Spirituality'
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 'Luna (L98) - Nootka Sound's Friendly Orca'
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 'Whale of a Tale'
6. ↑ 'Luna Killed By Tugboat'
7. ↑ 'Luna the Orca Killed By Tugboat'
8. ↑ 'Luna: Spirit of the Whale'
9. ↑ 'The Whale'