Wikie (born 1 June 2001) is a female

Orca The orca (''Orcinus orca''), or killer whale, is a toothed whale and the largest member of the oceanic dolphin family. The only extant species in the genus '' Orcinus'', it is recognizable by its black-and-white-patterned body. A cosmopol ...

who lives at the

Marineland of Antibes The Marineland of Antibes was a theme park founded in 1970 by Count Roland de La Poype in Antibes (Alpes-Maritimes), in the French Riviera. It included a marine zoological park with dolphinarium, a water park (''Aquasplash''), a children's pla ...

Antibes Antibes (, , ; ) is a seaside city in the Alpes-Maritimes Departments of France, department in Southeastern France. It is located on the French Riviera between Cannes and Nice; its cape, the Cap d'Antibes, along with Cap Ferrat in Saint-Jean-Ca ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. Her mother was ''Sharkane'' (1985 – 3 January 2009) and her father was ''Kim II'' (1981 – 23 November 2005). Her elder sister is ''Shouka'' (born 25 February 1993), her elder brother was ''Inouk'' (23 February 1999 – 28 March 2024) and her elder son was ''Moana'' (16 March 2011 – 18 October 2023). In 2009, Wikie was artificially inseminated with semen from

Ulises Ulises is a Spanish-language given name. It is the Spanish form of the English name Ulysses, which itself derives from a Latin form of Odysseus (a legendary Greek king). People with the name * Ulises Adame de León (born 1959), Mexican politicia ...

, a male orca who currently lives at

SeaWorld San Diego SeaWorld San Diego is a theme park in Mission Bay Park in San Diego, California. It is a marine mammal park, oceanarium, public aquarium, and marine animal rehabilitation center. SeaWorld, the theme park's proprietor, is owned and operated by Un ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. The artificial insemination resulted in the birth of her first calf, a male named "Moana" on 16 March 2011. ''Moana'' was the first orca to be born through artificial insemination in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

. Wikie gave birth to her second calf, a male named ''Keijo'' on 20 November 2013. Keijo's father was Wikie's half-brother ''Valentin'' (13 February 1996 – 12 October 2015).

Communication with humans

It was reported in January 2018, through the ''

Proceedings of the Royal Society ''Proceedings of the Royal Society'' is the main research journal of the Royal Society. The journal began in 1831 and was split into two series in 1905: * Series A: for papers in physical sciences and mathematics. * Series B: for papers in life s ...

'', 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 Humans (''Homo sapiens'') or modern humans are the most common and widespread species of primate, and the last surviving species of the genus ''Homo''. They are Hominidae, great apes characterized by their Prehistory of nakedness and clothing ...

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 orca to ever mimic human speech. Following the announcement of Wikie's ability to mimic human language, the

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA; ) is an American animal rights nonprofit organization based in Norfolk, Virginia, and led by Ingrid Newkirk, its international president. Founded in March 1980 by Newkirk and animal rights ...

(PETA) and

Humane Society International Humane World for Animals, formerly called Humane Society International (HSI) was founded in 1991 as the international division of The Humane Society of the United States. HSI expanded the HSUS's activities into Central and South America, Afr ...

called for Wikie to be released from captivity.

References

{{Reflist Individual orcas 2001 animal births Talking animals Individual animals in France Antibes

Communication with humans

See also

References