Nootka IV

Nootka IV. Photo provided by Shaima Photography.

Nootka IV *(pronounced newt-KAH)* was an approximately 15-year-old female Icelandic killer whale who lived at SeaWorld Orlando. She was captured in October 1982 from Héradsflói, Iceland at approximately 3 years old. Nootka passed away due to stillbirth complications on September 19th, 1994 at SeaWorld Orlando.

## Life at Sealand

On May 6th, 1983, Nootka IV, another young female named Haida II, and an unnamed male were flown from Iceland to Sealand of the Pacific in British Columbia. They were brought in as replacements for Sealand's previous orca Haida, who had died the previous year.

Less than a month after arriving at Sealand, the unnamed male fell ill, and died on May 28th due to a rare blood disorder. Nootka also began showing signs of suffering from a blood disorder around the same time, and was placed on medication to deal with the issue. Another young Icelandic male who would later be named Tilikum was brought in to replace the deceased whale on November 11th, 1984.

At Sealand, Nootka, Haida, and Tilikum were deprived of food when they didn't perform or cooperate, and spent the nights in a "module". The module was a small, metal holding tank 26 feet in diameter, and 20 feet deep. The whales would spend up to 14 hours at a time in there. The three whales often fought, and Tilikum in particular was often subject to aggression from the two females. Both Haida and Nootka eventually fell pregnant to him.

### Death of Keltie Byrne

On February 20th, 1991, 21 year old Sealand part-time employee Keltie Lee Byrne was walking along the edge of the pool after a show had just finished when, for reasons unknown, she fell into the pool at approximately 1:20 pm. She attempted to exit when one of the three whales in the pool at the time, Nootka IV, Haida II, or Tilikum, grabbed her by the foot and pulled her back in, according to witnesses. For approximately ten minutes, all three whales batted Byrne around the tank, dragging her underwater. Sealand employees attempted to get Byrne out of the pool with a pole, life buoys, and nets, but were unsuccessful. They also attempted to distract the whales and cue them to still, which was also unsuccessful. Byrne was not able to be retrieved for another two hours, by which time Byrne was deceased. The coroner listed the cause of death as drowning due to forced submersion by killer whales.

New safety standards were imposed upon Sealand for continued killer whale keeping after an inquiry, but Sealand put all three whales up for sale in September of 1991.

### Birth of Calf

The aggression towards Tilikum grew worse as Haida's pregnancy progressed, and he was eventually driven into a small medical pool. He was kept there to prevent the aggression from escalating. Haida gave birth to her calf on December 24th, 1991. Initially, Nootka was kept separated from them as well.

On February 4th, 1992, Nootka gave birth to a calf of her own at 5:05 am. The pair were moved back in with Haida and her calf.

## Galleries

* **Photos** of Nootka IV
* **Videos** of Nootka IV

## References

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/11433483/sealand-sells-orcas/

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/59796759/worry-for-nootkas-baby-first-arises/

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/59823707/nootka-4s-calf-dies-1992/

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/59736400/sept-13-1994-nootka-iv-dies/

1. ↑ 'Sealand Gets 3 Iceland Whales'
2. ↑ 'Sealand Whale Dies From Rare Blood Disorder'
3. ↑ 'Whale on the Mend'
4. ↑ 'Sealand Adds a Male Whale'
5. ↑ 'Dangers to Trainers'
6. ↑ 'Keltie Byrne Coroner's Inquest'
7. ↑ 'Playing Whales Kill Trainer Before Shocked Crowd'
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 'The Tilikum Transaction'
9. ↑ 'New Baby Joins Sealand's Orcas'