Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Chimo the partial white Orca at Sealand of the Pacific 1970's


This is Chimo the "sparing partner" of Nootka mentioned a few day ago, by Greg May. He had Chediak-Higashi syndrome which caused his white coloration.

Chediak-Higashi Syndrome - eMedicine - Medscape

Photo courtesy of Bjorn Krebbers

10 comments:

Greg May said...

KING OF AQUARIA says: "God Bless you guys! That was so thoughtful of you and I know the world will appreciate these photos as well. A sad note regarding Sealand - home of Nootka and Chimo . . . those so-called 'animal rights activists' caused the death of 'Haida' and 'Miracle' by cutting a hole in the chain-link fencing that surrounded their pen in an effort to free them. The whales became entangled and drowned."

Greg May said...

"Chimo was a young female killer whale that was captured March 1, 1970 along with Nootka by Bob Wright and his crew from Sealand of the Pacific. Bob had purchased Sealand's resident male orca, Haida, from Ted Griffin of the Seattle Marine Aquarium but Ted up and sold a whale out from under him to a British outfit that Bob had put a bid on. So he decided to catch his own whales. Chimo was twelve feet long and capture. When she died two years later, she had reached a length of 15 feet due to the high amount of vitamins they had her on to protect her from infections. Chediak-Higashi Syndrome is the animal version of AIDS. Poor Haida had to witness her autopsy! They cut her up on the deck of the pool that Haida was in.

Wade G. Burck said...

King,
It is indeed my pleasure, and I can assure you, also Bjorn's. To appreciate the wonder's of the internet, Bjorn why don't you tell the King where you live and why your great interest, like the rest of us, in all animals, land and sea.
King do you suppose that is Nootka in the picture with Chimo? I bet it is, and if so, what a treat this picture was for me to see a young Nootka, as well as Chimo.

Wade

Wade G. Burck said...

Addendum to the King,
Speaking of animal rights activists, nobody really gave a damn about killer whales(the monster's killed sea lions and dolphin's after all) until the marine park's captured them, trained them, and gave them name's as well as personality's. Then suddenly it was, Oh my God!!!! Free Willy, the poor unhappy as unhappy can be, forced to perform, living a life of servitude to man loveable Orcinus orca. Those folks in Private Idaho will keep adjusting their story until it sound's reasonable, that's for sure.

Wade

Wade

Bjorn said...

Oke wade her we go (lol). So my name is Bjorn and I live in the Netherlands, I am a landscape gardner with an intrest animals and animaltraining. As of where this intrest comes from, I had it ever since I can rember, maybey because my grandfather himself grew up on a farm he always had an intrest animals big and small, I like to think that he saw some of this intrest of him back in me one of his grandsons.

Bjorn said...

if there is any more you whis to know about me, just ask wade fo my E-mail, I'm sure he will send it to you. King do yuo happen to know what happend to a killer whale named Gudrun, I saw her as kid overhere in the Netherlands she moved to Seaworld in the late 80's early 90's I believ.

Greg May said...

Bjorn, King of Aquaria apologizes for the delay in answering your question about 'Gudron'. I am sad to report that 'Gudron' died in February 1996 at Sea World in Orlando a few days after giving birth to her third child.

Bjorn said...

King,
that is indeed sad, do any of her calfs stil survive today?

Greg May said...

KING OF AQUARIA sez: "I am thrilled FORTEAN TIMES allowed me to honor two great men of animal husbandry that are no longer with us: the late Kenneth Norris and Forrest Wood - former curators of Marineland of the Pacific and Marineland of Florida respectively. Both of these guys did some 'sea monster sleuthing' in their time.

Anonymous said...

Bjorn, regarding the whereabouts of Gudron's children, they are still in the Sea World corporate collection. What a great publicity event it would be if you could come to Orlando and visit her kids at Sea World since you remembered her when you lived in the Netherlands!