REDWOOD CITY, Calif. -- Yaka, a killer whale widowed last summer, will have a new playmate -- a 1,650-pound, 4-year-old youngster that cost Marine World-Africa USA $250,000.
The young female killer whale, measuring more than 10 feet long, arrived aboard a DC-9 cargo flight from Vancouver Saturday packed in ice and suspended by a canvas sling in a steel tank lined with foam.
'She was a little stiff after the flight, naturally,' said park spokeswoman Mary O'Herron, 'but now she's doing fine.
'She's showing excellent signs of being social with people. She likes to be rubbed down and takes fish from her trainer's hands. She is very spunky and has great personality. She's worth every penny of the $250,000 we paid for her.'
The killer whale, caught off Iceland Dec. 18 and bought from the International Animal Exchange in Michigan, replaces Nepo, the park's 15-year-old killer whale that died of pneumonia July 10.
Since his death, Nepo's constant companion, 14-year-old, 6,000-pound Yaka, has been keeping company with a dolphin.
Yaka will meet her new playmate in a few weeks after the newcomer gets used to her trainers. The young killer whale, which should grow to between 20 and 26 feet and weigh up to 12,000 pounds, will begin entertaining the public in May.
'It's going to be so neat when they meet,' said Ms. O'Herron. 'Yaka will be so thrilled.'
