Moby Doll has always broken my heart and fascinated me.

Captured in 1964, Moby Doll (c. 1959–9 October 1964) was the first orca to survive in captivity for more than two days, and the second to be displayed in a public aquarium exhibit.

Moby Doll was kept alive in captivity by the Vancouver Aquarium after being harpooned and not dying as had been planned. "His unplanned capture proved the viability of holding a killer whale in captivity, and it hinted at the potential of live orcas as tourist attractions. It also revealed the emotional attachment the species could generate."

Moby Doll's captivity sparked the orca capture era in British Columbia and Washington State.

His size indicated he was most likely about 5-years-old when captured.

The small orca was swimming about 20 meters from the rocks.The large harpoon struck the orca just behind the head, fatefully just missing the cervical cord and the brain on either side of the spot.The whale appeared stunned but unexpectedly did not die. To the surprise of Burich and his assistant Josef Bauer, other orcas, rather than fleeing, were raising their injured pod-mate to the surface to breathe.

"The captured killer whale bucked, twisted, squealed angrily, thrashed the water and charged the boat that tried to nudge her into her new home,"

PHYSICAL TRAITS WEIGHTS 3,080 lbs (Jul. 1964) 2,280 lbs (Oct. 1964) LENGTHS 15.4 ft (1964) ECOTYPE Resident POPULATION Southern Resident (J Pod)