Shamu was sold to SeaWorld San Diego and became a star attraction.
11 Facts About Shamu
1.
2.
Shamu was the fourth orca ever captured, and the second female.
3.
Shamu died in August 1971, after about six years of captivity.
4.
Shamu was the first-known intentional live capture of a healthy orca as the three previous captures had been unintentional and opportunistic.
5.
Shamu was successfully caught after her mother was killed with a harpoon.
6.
Shamu was sold to SeaWorld in San Diego in December 1965.
7.
Shamu was retired from performing after an incident on April 19,1971, in which she bit the legs and hips of Annette Eckis, a SeaWorld employee who was told to ride her as part of a filmed publicity event.
8.
Shamu refused to release the woman until other workers came to the rescue and pried the orca's jaws apart with a pole.
9.
The employee had been asked to ride Shamu while wearing a bikini, and had not known that the orca had previously attacked people who wore ordinary bathing suits and was only conditioned to perform with trainers wearing wetsuits.
10.
Shamu had been showing signs of erratic behavior and of being upset just before the incident.
11.
Shamu died about four months later, on August 16,1971.