About
Bjossa (SWC-OO-0126)
Bjossa
was captured in November 1988 and was soon sent to Saedyrasafnid
Aquarium in Iceland along with Finna*, Vigga* and Ulises, where they joined Benkei II*. Four of them (Bjossa*, Finna*, Vigga*
& Benkei II*)
were purchased by Vancouver Aquarium and were transferred to the
park a month after capture.
Here, they met their resident male Hyak II** and she got along well with the much bigger orca. Sadly two of the four orcas recently bought by Vancouver had to be sold so Bjossa and Finna* stayed and whilst Vigga* and Benkei II* were sold.
It wasn't long before Bjossa and Finna* were trained for shows and often performed alongside Hyak II*. When Bjossa reached sexually maturity, Hyak* mated with her and at the young age of just 10 years old, Bjossa got pregnant with her first calf.
On November 13, 1988 the first orca baby was born at the facility. The female calf appeared healthy but passed away after less than a month from malnutrition as Bjossa wasn't able to produce enough milk for her calf.
Just some months after her loss, Bjossa became pregnant again and gave birth to her second daughter on September 30, 1991. The baby was named K'yosha* and was doing well but suffered from malnutrition like her sister in 1988. Bjossa's third and final calf was born on March 8, 1995; this time the baby was sired by Finna*, because Hyak* died before K'yosha*'s birth. Unfortunately the baby never took its first breath, as it immediately sank to the bottom of the pool when its umbilical cord ruptured.
Bjossa was taken on birth control after her third loss and the Vancouver Aquarium gave up their breeding programme. After Finna*'s death in October 1997, Bjossa was left alone and Bjossa began to develop respiratory problems.
In 2000, SeaWorld purchased her and Bjossa was finally reunited with animals of her own kind. She was first introduced to Corky II, an old and gentle female. The girls got along well and next Bjossa met a young orca calf, Sumar*, who had been separated from his mother.
Bjossa who never had the chance to care for her own offspring, looked after the young male almost all the time. Bjossa settled in very well at her new home and even participated in shows sometimes. Nonetheless she fought with an illness for a long time and even though she did so well at Sea World, she became ill again in August 2001.
She stopped eating and was placed in the medical pool for better care. By the end of August, she wasn't doing better, so she was transferred to the Animal Care area of the park. Unfortunately she passed away on October 8, 2001. The last months of her life were probably the more happier ones, she finally could behave as a surrogate mother and cared for a calf she never had.
Here, they met their resident male Hyak II** and she got along well with the much bigger orca. Sadly two of the four orcas recently bought by Vancouver had to be sold so Bjossa and Finna* stayed and whilst Vigga* and Benkei II* were sold.
It wasn't long before Bjossa and Finna* were trained for shows and often performed alongside Hyak II*. When Bjossa reached sexually maturity, Hyak* mated with her and at the young age of just 10 years old, Bjossa got pregnant with her first calf.
On November 13, 1988 the first orca baby was born at the facility. The female calf appeared healthy but passed away after less than a month from malnutrition as Bjossa wasn't able to produce enough milk for her calf.
Just some months after her loss, Bjossa became pregnant again and gave birth to her second daughter on September 30, 1991. The baby was named K'yosha* and was doing well but suffered from malnutrition like her sister in 1988. Bjossa's third and final calf was born on March 8, 1995; this time the baby was sired by Finna*, because Hyak* died before K'yosha*'s birth. Unfortunately the baby never took its first breath, as it immediately sank to the bottom of the pool when its umbilical cord ruptured.
Bjossa was taken on birth control after her third loss and the Vancouver Aquarium gave up their breeding programme. After Finna*'s death in October 1997, Bjossa was left alone and Bjossa began to develop respiratory problems.
In 2000, SeaWorld purchased her and Bjossa was finally reunited with animals of her own kind. She was first introduced to Corky II, an old and gentle female. The girls got along well and next Bjossa met a young orca calf, Sumar*, who had been separated from his mother.
Bjossa who never had the chance to care for her own offspring, looked after the young male almost all the time. Bjossa settled in very well at her new home and even participated in shows sometimes. Nonetheless she fought with an illness for a long time and even though she did so well at Sea World, she became ill again in August 2001.
She stopped eating and was placed in the medical pool for better care. By the end of August, she wasn't doing better, so she was transferred to the Animal Care area of the park. Unfortunately she passed away on October 8, 2001. The last months of her life were probably the more happier ones, she finally could behave as a surrogate mother and cared for a calf she never had.
Name
Meaning & Blood Type:- The origin of Bjossa's
name is unknown
- Pronunciation of Bjossa: bee-OH-sah
- Blood Type: 100% Icelandic
- Pronunciation of Bjossa: bee-OH-sah
- Blood Type: 100% Icelandic
Family:Bjossa's
wild family is unknown due to the lack of information about Icelandic
Orcas however she has given birth to calves in captivity.
1988 VA-OO-B8801*
1991 K'yosha*
1995 VA-OO-B9501*
1988 VA-OO-B8801*
1991 K'yosha*
1995 VA-OO-B9501*
Transfers:| Saedyrasafnid Aquarium | November 14, 1980 - December 20, 1980 |
| Vancouver Aquarium | December 20, 1980 - April 21, 2001 |
| SeaWorld San Diego | April 21, 2001 - October 8, 2001 |
