Ref Sheet - Chinook

CHINOOK ("Shuh-nook; after the Chinook peoples of the North American Pacific Northwest; the word itself is thought to mean "eater")

General Data
Species: Orcinus orca / Killer whale / Orca
Subspecies: 100% Pacific Transient (Bigg's)
Sex: Male
DOB: ?/?/1997
Length: 20.3 ft. / 6.187 mtrs.
Weight: 12,000 lbs. / 5443 kilos
Category: Drywork, experienced trainers only; waterwork, experienced trainers only

Differentiating Characteristics
- Blue eyes
- Rounded eyepatches, tapering to points in the front
- Large, doubled mouthclips
- Sliver-like markings on right eyepatch and right jawline
- Two white spots, one stacked above the other, on rostrum
- Heavyset build
- Dorsal fin has collapsed to right side
- Open, quad-pronged saddlepatch
- Curled, "pinstriped" flukes

Secondary Reinforcers
- Fish
- Tactile: dorsal surfaces only
- Familiar toys
- Group interactions w/ multiple trainers

Finds Aversive
- Seabirds
- Isolation
- Gated separation from people

Behavioral Tendencies
- Sleeping
- Upside-down circling
- Spontaneous lobtailing
- Prolonged submersion
- Above-water vocalizations

Behavioral Incidents
-2004: Pushed and rammed trainer about pool, close-mouthed, during an introductory waterworks session. No injuries reported. Thought to have been an act of play.
-2005: Pushed/rammed another trainer during an afternoon show. Responded to recall by other trainers, allowing said trainer to escape without injury.
-2007: Several instances recorded of Chinook mouthing hands and feet of attending trainers. Waterwork sessions reduced in frequency.
-2009: Aggressive posturing and jaw-popping observed toward bottlenose dolphin tankmates.
-2010: Raking and biting of said bottlenoses noted. Resulted in temporary quarantine/cancellation of Chinook in daily shows.
-2011: Biting escalates to full-on attacks. Two bottlenoses injured to the point they require being removed from the exhibit and transported to an off-site marine mammal facility for treatment. Chinook is taken out of show routines completely.

Summary
Chinook is a sexually-maturing male killer whale. He was "rescued" from a stranding south of the Baja Peninsula in 2000, at the approximate age of three. The rest of his family were allegedly refloated back out to sea.

Following a temporary stay at a marine mammal rescue center (too small to adequately house him in the long term), Chinook was 'auctioned' off to a recently-opened casino, the Agua Buena Resort. Among its venues was to be a freshly-minted dolphin show, featuring an exhibit of three interconnected, indoor pools. While the property was undergoing its final stages of construction, Chinook was imported, along with four captive-bred bottlenoses, and introduced to husbandry conducted by a staff of experienced trainers. He quickly became the casino's flagship animal, and his likeness adorned most of ABR's advertisements.

Named for his great appetite, Chinook became a favorite of some, known for being something of a goof, but was a dreaded character to work with by others. He was, and still is, a slow, but focused learner. Repetition does not appear to bother him, so long as he is rewarded for his attempts. He does not respond well to sudden deviations, and will usually break from control out of shock before returning to his handlers. As he has grown older, this frightfulness seems to have become replaced with defensive aggression, including open-mouthed threats. Adhering to set routine during training sessions and shows is key in maintaining his attention calmly.

His dynamic with the bottlenose dolphins was far less stable. Despite having grown bigger, he was often harassed by them, to the point that he could never be comfortably tanked with them for more than a few hours at a time. During shows, routine kept the animals from lashing out at one another. While the bottlenoses provided more aerobatic behaviors, Chinook was tasked with trainer and audience interaction segments.

Chinook hit his first visible sprouting stage in 2009. With the onset of puberty, he became more cantankerous than bashful. Waterworks sessions became less frequent with him as a result. The original group of bottlenose dolphins had grown from four to six. Chinook was kept segregated from them so as he could not endanger the bottlenose calves. Reintroductions did not go smoothly, as Chinook would retaliate against the protective bottlenoses' by chasing and biting.

Chinook's lack of contact with his own kind is thought to be the primary cause of his moodiness. How he bullies his trainers is thought to be a sign of this frustration. The bottlenoses have proven to be lukewarm substitutes for the company of other killer whales. Though his social skills for dealing with other orcas are likely underdeveloped, Agua Buena officials decided in late 2012 to begin looking for prospective places to 'retire' Chinook. Falsely describing him as a docile and cooperative animal, several potential buyers have visited ABR only to find a lazy, sometimes-temperamental orca instead. But ABR officials are confident that, given his finer qualities, the right representatives will eventually take Chinook off their hands.

Facility: diagram unavailable

Relatives: largely unknown

Tankmates:

Agua Buena Resort [2000-present]
Abbie [2000-present]
Gusto [2000-present]
Manuel [2000-present]
Tulio [2000-present]
Flip [2010-present]
Maria [2010-present]

More of Chinook:
  

Chinook's design was traded to me by GypsySkye / Maaliks-World.