Shamu

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article or section has multiple issues. Please help improve the article or discuss these issues on the talk page. It does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve it by citing reliable sources. Tagged since October 2007. It needs sources or references that appear in third-party publications. Tagged since October 2007.

Kasatka performing "The Shamu Adventure". The stage at Shamu Stadium has since been redesigned to accommodate the new "Believe" show. (July 5, 2004)

Kayla appears to "hover" over water after launching a trainer into the air. The new "Believe" stage is seen in the background. (June 2007)

Corky II on a slideout

Nakai jump

Shamu is the stage name of SeaWorld's iconic Orcas (killer whale) show, which is shared by numerous adult male or female orcas at the SeaWorld parks. Shamu's popular performances are presented along with Baby Shamu and Grandbaby Shamu in a 7-million-gallon tanks at the following SeaWorld parks:

• SeaWorld Orlando in Florida
• SeaWorld San Diego in California
• SeaWorld San Antonio in Texas

A fourth SeaWorld park, SeaWorld Ohio, closed in 2001.

[edit] History of Shamu

The name Shamu means "friend of Namu" or "She-Namu" and was given to the first female orca ever captured.^[1] She was intended to be a companion for the orca Namu at a Seattle public aquarium, but the orcas experienced social conflicts and Shamu was eventually leased to and then purchased by SeaWorld San Diego on December 20, 1965.^[2] Shamu is a Southern Resident orca, likely born in 1961 and captured in Puget Sound in 1965.^[2] She performed in several SeaWorld shows and eventually died on August 23, 1971. Her final year of performing in front of an audience was mired in controversy. She was retired from performing after an incident caught on tape where she attacked Annette Eckis, an employee of SeaWorld at the time, who was supposed to ride her. ^[3]

Today, "Shamu," "Namu," and "Ramu" are trademarked stage names given to all of the orcas residing within the SeaWorld parks.^[4] The first Baby Shamu is named Kalina. She is the first surviving orca born in captivity on September 26, 1985.^[4] Notably, ten orca calves had been born in captivity before 1985, but five were stillborn and the others all died within two months of their births.^[4] Kalina's parents, Katina and Winston, were bestowed the names Namu (Katina) and Ramu (Winston). The stage name Grandbaby Shamu was given to Kalina's first calf, which was born on February 2, 1993 - a male named Keet. The first Great Grandbaby Shamu was Keet's first calf, born on December 21, 2004 - a female named Kalia. The first ever calf to be born to captive-bred parents (Kayla and Keet) is a female named Halyn, who was born on October 9, 2005.

[edit] Shamu Shows

Orcas perform in Shamu Stadium, which seats 5,500. The Shamu show is the most popular show at SeaWorld, running 20 minutes and showing up to six times a day. The shows highlight both the natural and learned behaviors of orcas as well as the relationships that SeaWorld trainers have with these animals. According to the official SeaWorld website, people sitting in the first 14 rows "must be prepared to get soaked by Shamu", with water that is chilled to 55° F (13° C).

The show was recently changed at all three SeaWorld parks. The new show, dubbed "Believe", has a spiritual theme, an emotional soundtrack, and more trainers than any previous show. It involves multiple cameras placed around the stadium and video clips mixed with live audience shots during the presentation and story.

Shamu Shows throughout the years:

Night shows performed during the spring and summer:

[edit] Believe

This section may contain original research or unverified claims. Please improve the article by adding references. See the talk page for details. (September 2007)

The show "Believe" at all three parks currently features a video of a young boy inspired by an orca who grows up to be the primary character of the show - a Shamu trainer. This male trainer then chooses a young audience member, asking his or her desired occupation and giving the child a carved Shamu necklace so that the child can "Believe."

In both San Diego and Orlando, at the beginning of "Believe", August Busch IV, CEO of the Anheuser-Busch brewing company (who sponsor both the show and the park) is shown in a video addressing the audience and asks them to stand and recognize members of the United States Armed Forces and its allies. After the film, one of the trainers then asks for a round of applause for past and present servicemen and their families. The portion of the audience with ties to the military is always high given the large Marine Corps and Navy presence in San Diego.

All three SeaWorld parks have a day show (Believe) and an evening show, Shamu Rocks and Shamu Rocks Texas (in San Antonio only).

"Shamu Rocks Texas" is light-hearted in tone, beginning with a dance contest in which audience members are shown dancing on a large screen. The winner (usually a small child, but sometimes a gregarious adult) receives a Shamu plush toy. Female trainers have prominence in the show, feeding the orcas, swimming with them, and riding on their backs. The only prominent male cast member is the emcee who, dressed in rodeo attire, announces the winner of the dance contest. The show ends with a video tribute to the State of Texas and the United States Armed Forces. Trainers ride orcas from one end of the tank to the other waving American flags as fireworks are displayed at either end of the pool. This patriotic theme was selected for the San Antonio park due to its proximity to three Air Force Bases and the fact that military personnel and their families make up a substantial part of that park's clientele.

SeaWorld Orlando and SeaWorld San Diego have Christmas shows during the month of December. Orlando's new show is called Shamu Miracles, and San Diego's show is called Shamu's Christmas Night.

[edit] Shamu in popular culture

• The South Park episode "Free Willzyx" features a "talking" orca named "Jambu" (the commentators voice him as a joke and make people think he is an outer space orca named "Willzyx" (parody of Free Willy).
• In an episode of Spongebob Squarepants, "The Smoking Peanut", there is a giant oyster named "Clamu".
• In the animated feature film Madagascar, when Melman told Alex that they were in San Diego, Alex got upset that he will be outshone by Shamu.
• In an episode of the animated television series Family Guy, there is a recollection about Lois getting licked in the face by Shamu. An obviously jealous Peter punches the whale and asks Lois, "And how long has this been going on?"
• In the feature film School of Rock, Jack Black's character Dewey Finn mentions Shamu. "They kidnapped Shamu and put her in a chlorine tank!"
• George Carlin in his comic routine about seven dirty words explains how amusing it would be to exchange some socially acceptable words with some in that list. One of the examples he picks is to replace the word kill with the word fuck and therefore comes up with "Shamu the 'fucker' Whale".
• In the "Springfield Files" episode of the animated television series The Simpsons, when Moe goes behind his bar there are men hosing a killer whale down, Moe then says "Okay, they're onto us, get him back to SeaWorld!"
• In Mind of Mencia, Carlos Mencia mentions in a Judge Carlos skit with the ghost of Johnny Cochran about a 27-year-old man killed in Shamu's tank while naked mentioning a lawsuit brought up by the man's parents. Carlos Mencia implies the possibility that the man was a zoophile and said that Shamu killed him in self defense.
• In the sitcom The New Adventures of Old Christine, Shamu is mentioned in a non-stop conversation involving Barb and Christine over Shamu and her divorced husband.
• In a "Dumbbell Identity", a Simpsons episode, Moe and his girlfriend Renee are riding two killer whales at Sea World on a romantic date, and the killer whale Moe is riding on swims, jumps over the gate, and into the sea, along with Moe.
• In an episode of Scrubs J.D. has a dream about Shamu biting off Shawn's arm
• In a Futurama episode a whale named moshoo is a take off of Shamu and the whale biologist says "Mooshoo, the educated whale who thinks he's better than you."
• In an episode of Nickelodeon TV show Drake and Josh, Drake comes home with Josh's E-Pal Yooka. Josh asks Drake where he'd been. Drake said, "I took her to see Shamu." Josh says, "You went to SeaWorld without me? That's my place!".
• In one of Jeff Dunham's DVD's, Spark of Insanity, one of Jeff's puppets, Walter, mentions Shamu in one part of his routine where he's talking about his wife.
• Baltimore Orioles TV analyst Jim Palmer referred to former Orioles and now Rangers pitcher Sidney Ponson as Shamu, saying that's what Ponson's former pitching coach Ray Miller had called him.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Shamu.com – Shamu's official site