Ku was one of the last orcas captured for Marine Parks. Along with 4 other orcas, she was caught off the Hatajiri Bay of Taiji, Japan. The Taiji Whale museum purchased her for $250,000 and she was immediately moved there.

Once she arrived at the museum, her health became worse and her weight dropped. Several tumours covered her body, which were removed soon after being discovered. It took a year after her arriva before she began to eat properly and she was soon placed with the aquarium’s other female, Nami. The two didn’t get along well and were separated. Ku was the people orca; she interacted with guests and was also touched by them.

In 2003, she was transferred to her last home on a 5-year-breeding loan. Ku was trained for AI, but wasn’t comfortable with the procedure, so it was stopped with her. Ku was doing well though and performed alongside dolphins. In July 2008, she refused to eat and soon it was  discovered she had a disease.

Ku had caught a summer cold and was soon put in the medical pool. She recovered slowly and got better in August. Sadly on September 19, she was found dead at the bottom of the Medical Pool. Ku got a Herpes virus and her immune system was very weak. A fungus eventually blocked the blood vessel to her heart and she died from heart failure. Ku's loan would have expired in October 2008 and before her death Nagoya Aquarium extended it for another 5 years.

- Ku means '9' in Japanese
- Pronunciation of Ku: Coo
- Blood Type: 100 % Japanese

Ku's family is unknown due to the lack of information about Japanese Orcas