Gender: FemalePod: N/APlace of Capture: Born at Marineland Antibes, FranceDate of Capture: Born on F

Gender: FemalePod: N/APlace of Capture: Born at Marineland Antibes, FranceDate of Capture: Born on February 25, 1993Age at Capture: Captive bornCurrent Location: SeaWorld of CaliforniaOn February 25, 1993, Icelandic female Sharkan gave birth to her first calf at Marineland Antibes, a female named Shouka, sired by the Icelandic male Kim II. While Sharkan was a good mother to her daughter, Shouka spent most of her time with her father, Kim II, and the two became very close.However, staff at Marineland became concerned that the two might mate and produce a calf, so the decision was made to move Shouka to Six Flags Great Adventure in 2002 but was moved again in 2004 to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo, California.Shouka was mostly kept alone at this park, apart from two Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins named Cupid and Merlin. The Argentinian male, Kshamenk, was supposed to join her in 2002, but the Argentinian government denied the move.Shouka was a good performer but was also very dominant at Marineland, which has stayed with her and caused her to be separated from both Merlin and Cupid. This, however, presented a legal issue, as Orcas are required to be housed with at least one other Orca or cetacean species. After trying to send her to Marineland Ontario to be a companion to the Icelandic female Kiska, Six Flags decided to send her instead to SeaWorld San Diego on a breeding loan in August 2012.In July, just a month before her move, Shouka was recorded by a park guest lunging repeatedly at a trainer. This resulted in her trainer being lifted into the air and thrown back through an open door that leads to the back of the stage. This was the first incident Shouka had been recorded being involved in, and the rest of the show was cancelled immediately afterwards.When Shouka arrived at SeaWorld in August, she met many of the whales, including Corky II and the captive born male Keet, who has apparently attempted mating with Shouka various times. The two seem to get along well and can often be seen together.Today, Shouka is 22 years old but does not have any calves of her own.x | x | x | x | x -- source link

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