Chimelong Spaceship(长隆宇宙飞船) is a park located in China that is still in development with their killer whale facility. The whales resided at a temporary holding facility, dubbed "Hengqin Island", up until 2023 when they were moved into the main facility. Public trial operations started on the 16th of September, 2023.
The Pod
Currently, they have 12 whales, consisting of 8 males and 4 females.
- Bandhu (班杜)
- Chad (查德)
- Kaixin (开心)
- Katenka (卡婷卡)
- Katniss (凯特尼斯)
- Loki (洛基)
- Nakhod (纳霍德)
- Nukka (努卡)
- Sonya (索尼娅)
- Tyson (泰森)
- Wǔlóng (五隆)
- Yīlóng (一隆)
History
By 2016, 15 whales were shipped to China, which included 9 that belonged to Chimelong.[1] In February of 2017, 6 whales were shown to the public, followed by photos in September of 2018 showing whales that weren't from the 2017 showing. Up until 2023, the killer whales were held at the "Chimelong Killer Whale Holding Facility," also known as "Hengqin Island." This was the first and only place these whales were shown to the public for 6 years, before photos from a special guest were posted in September of 2022(found in August of 2023). Footage of the progress from their tank complex was shown in the early summer of 2023, and by then, they had 12 whales. Sometime after these photos were taken, 9 of the orcas were transferred to the facility in either June or July. The first official public show was on the 12th of September later that year, though presentations were previously held privately. Since then, 2 others, Loki and Nukka, have both been transferred to Chimelong Spaceship from the holding facility, though Jade and an unknown calf still remain.
In April of 2019, Yīlóng was born at the Hengqin Island to Katenka and Tyson. Later discovered to be named Loki, a second calf was born at Chimelong in April of 2021 to Nakhod and either Jade or Nukka.[2] Unfortunately, Loki's mother could not care for him or rejected him at birth, and he was hand raised as a result. In 2023, it was confirmed that a third calf was born at Hengqin Island.[3] The female calf, later named Katniss, was born on the 27th of January, 2022 to Katenka and Tyson. On the 1st of December, 2023, Katenka gave birth to a male calf named Wǔlóng. During the announcement of Wǔlóng's birth, it was reported that 5 whales had been born in China, though only 4 have been documented to the public. The unknown calf is believed to be at Hengqin Island.
References/Sources
- ↑ "Proliferation of marine parks in China fueling shadowy trade in cetaceans"
- ↑ China Cetacean Alliance Post - 9th of February, 2022
- ↑ China Cetacean Alliance on Twitter