Wikie (killer whale)

Wikie (born June 1, 2001) is a female killer whale (orca) who lives at the Marineland of Antibes in Antibes, France.

Wikie
SpeciesKiller whale
SexFemale
Bornc. June 1, 2001
Marineland of Antibes

In 2009, Wikie was artificially inseminated with semen from Ulisses, a male orca who currently lives at SeaWorld San Diego in California. The artificial insemination resulted in the birth of her first calf (Moana) on March 16, 2011. Her calf was the first killer whale to be born through artificial insemination in Europe. Wikie gave birth to her second calf (Keijo) on November 20, 2013.

Communication with humans

It was reported in January 2018, through the Proceedings of the Royal Society,[1] that researchers from Universidad Católica de Chile, Universidad Compluense de Madrid and St. Andrews, working at the Marineland of Antibes, had successfully taught Wikie to mimic human words such as 'hello', 'bye bye' and 'Amy' (her instructor), as well as count to three, through using her blowhole. Wikie is thought to be the world's first killer whale to ever mimic human speech.[2][3]

Following the announcement of Wikie's ability to mimic human language, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and Humane Society International called for Wikie to be released from captivity.[4]

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See also
  • List of captive orcas

References
  1. Abramson, J. Z., Hernández-Lloreda, M. V., García, L., Colmenares, F., Aboitiz, F., & Call, J. (2018). Imitation of novel conspecific and human speech sounds in the killer whale (Orcinus orca). Proc. R. Soc. B, 285(1871), 20172171.
  2. Burton, Bonnie (February 2, 2018). "Killer whale recorded mimicking language". CNET. Retrieved April 28, 2018.
  3. "Wikie the killer whale says "hello," and that's not all". CBS News. January 31, 2018. Retrieved April 28, 2018.
  4. Mercer, David (January 31, 2018). "'Talking' killer whale Wikie should be freed from captivity, charities say". Sky News. Retrieved April 28, 2018.
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