KISKA

Kiska is missing.

Missing from the Salish Sea and missing from Iceland.

Kiska (K18) of the Salish Sea was born around 1948, a member of K-Pod. Some 55 years later, in December 2003, she went missing. K-Pod is now the smallest of the three Southern Resident Orca pods, down to just 19 whales.

Kiska of Iceland was born in 1976, stolen at age 2 and taken to Marineland to be entertainment.

Kiska of the Salish Sea had two offspring. Raggedy (K40), female, was born around 1963. She’s been missing since 2012. Cappuccino (K21), male, was born in 1986 and still lives. He’s part of K-Pod, in group 4 with Opus and her son Sonata; this threesome often travels alone.

Kiska of Iceland had five offspring. All born in captivity. All dead before age 6. Kiska is trapped alone in a tank, separated from all marine mammals. Once highly vocal, now she just circles the tank in silence.

Kiska, in Russian, means pure. But to me,

Kiska means missing.