Gender: FemalePod: N/APlace of Capture: Born at SeaWorld of FloridaDate of Capture: Born on Septembe

Gender: FemalePod: N/APlace of Capture: Born at SeaWorld of FloridaDate of Capture: Born on September 18, 2006Age at Capture: Captive bornCurrent Location: SeaWorld of FloridaOn September 18, 2006, the Icelandic female Katina gave birth to her sixth calf at SeaWorld Orlando; a female named Nalani and sired by the captive-born male Taku. However, Taku was also Nalani’s brother, as he was the son of Katina and Tilikum. This mother-son pairing made Nalani the first inbred calf in captivity.When Nalani was just 9 days old, she began having trouble, however. Katina began showing less interest in her new calf, and more interest in her sons, Taku and Ikaika. The brothers also showed some level of aggression towards Nalani, though Ikaika’s aggression was often of a sexual nature as he had been observed trying to mate with the newborn Nalani on various occasions.As a result, Katina, Taku, and Ikaika were placed on the drug Diazepam (Valium), a drug often used to decrease stress and cause light sedation. This caused outrage among some, as SeaWorld had given the drug to Katina already, though the drug is not meant for use on pregnant or nursing females, as it can cause birth and neonatal defects.Eventually, Taku and Ikaika were both moved to different parks, which caused Katina to return her focus on Nalani and resume normal behavior observed from her in the past with her calves.As she has grown, Nalani seems to be in good health and shows no adverse signs that are sometimes seen with inbred animals. She had learned and performed just as well as all the other whales, and often spends time with her younger brother Makaio, and her [younger] aunt Malia.Today, Nalani is 8 years old and still resides at the Orlando park with her mother. Based on SeaWorld’s track record, many people have been questioning whether SeaWorld ever plans to breed Nalani.x | x | x | x | x | x -- source link

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