In October 1989, the last group of orcas was captured from Icelandic waters. A male and three females were caught and sent to Saedyrasafnid Aquarium in Iceland. Captures of orcas were already illegal at that time and the four had to wait until their transfer was authorized. Two of the females, Ai* and Ran* were the first ones to leave. The male, Tanouk and female Sharkan waited until January 1990, when they were moved to Marineland Antibes. The park already kept two orcas, Kim II* and Freya. Tensions developed when the newcomers arrived because Freya was pregnant. Sharkan was adopted quickly by the bull Kim however Tanouk and Kim occasionally fought over the females but as Kim was the dominant male, it was Tanouk who was kept in the back pools.

In November 1995, he was sold to Izu-Mito Sea Paradise in Japan and was renamed Yamato. He got some bad cuts on the underside of his body because of the transport, but those wounds healed quickly. The park was in search for a female for him and when five orcas were captured in Taiji, in 1997, one of them went to Izu-Mito Seaparadise to be a companion for Tanouk. The female was called Asuka and settled in quickly. She got along well with Tanouk and plans for a breeding programme were made. Although both animals were sexually mature, Asuka never became pregnant. Unfortunately Tanouk left this world too soon when he died on October 24, 2000. The cause of death has never been released.