Walter the Whale

rdf:langString Walter the Whale

rdf:langString Walter the Whale was a star killer whale (orca) when keeping orcas in captivity had just begun. At that time, following the death of Namu, the only other established star orca was Shamu. "Walter the Whale" was the orca's advertised name at first, but later she was renamed Skana. Walter was captured from K Pod of the Southern Resident Killer Whales by Ted Griffin, and shipped to the Seattle Public Aquarium. Soon the orca was trucked to Vancouver in a rental arrangement with boat show producer Bob O'Loughlin. At the 1967 Vancouver Boat Show at the PNE (Pacific National Exhibition) grounds, "a star was born by the name of Walter and the attraction helped the show...to an attendance record of more than 100,000." Walter "delighted...a legion of killer-whale watchers" and "made a lot of friends...among that group of men whose business is selling boats." Curiosity "about the background of killer whales" made the whale "the show's biggest draw." When the Boat Show ended, the Vancouver Aquarium bought Walter, who became their first orca since their capture of Moby Doll.