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Shamu /ʃæmuː/ (unknown – August 16, 1971) was a female orca captured in October 1965 from a southern resident pod. She was sold to SeaWorld San Diego and became a star attraction. Shamu was the fourth orca ever captured, and the second female.[1] She died in August 1971, after about six years of captivity.[2] After her death, the name Shamu continued to be used in SeaWorld "Shamu" shows for different orcas in different SeaWorld parks.
| Species | Orca (Orcinus orca) |
|---|---|
| Sex | Female |
| Born | Unknown |
| Died | August 16, 1971 SeaWorld San Diego |
| Years active | 1965–1971 |
| Known for | Namesake of the Shamu show |
Shamu was the first-known intentional live capture of a healthy orca as the three previous captures (Wanda, Moby Doll and Namu) had been unintentional and opportunistic.[2] The very young, 14-foot (4.3 m), 2,000-pound (910 kg) southern resident orca was captured by Ted Griffin off Penn Cove, Puget Sound, Washington in October 1965 to be a companion for the male orca Namu at Griffin's Seattle public aquarium.[3][4][5] Her name means "Friend of Namu"[6] (alternatively "She-Namu").[7] Shamu was successfully caught after her mother was killed with a harpoon.[8] She was sold to SeaWorld in San Diego in December 1965.[3][9]
Shamu was retired from performing after an incident on April 19, 1971, in which she bit the legs and hips of Annette Eckis, a SeaWorld employee who was told to ride her as part of a filmed publicity event. Shamu refused to release the woman until other workers came to the rescue and pried the orca's jaws apart with a pole.[10][11] The employee had been asked to ride Shamu while wearing a bikini, and had not known that the orca had previously attacked people who wore ordinary bathing suits and was only conditioned to perform with trainers wearing wetsuits.[10] Shamu had also been showing signs of erratic behavior and of being upset just before the incident.[10]
Shamu died about four months later, on August 16, 1971.[2]
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