Meet Holly the awesome orca!

Holly the orca lives wild and free with her family and friends in the ocean. She is part of the Northern Resident orca community of just over 200 orcas who live in British Columbia in Canada.

The orcas live in closely bonded family groups of mothers and their children. Extended families called “pods” are formed from families of close relatives.  They are fish-eating orcas and roam over large areas of the coast.

In the wild orcas can live for long as people. Holly is 42 years old.  She is a mother of six and she also has one grandchild. Hopefully, Holly will have more grandchildren in the future.

Females are the family leaders. Holly’s mum, Licka, and her older sister, Havannah are no longer alive and it is Holly who is the family’s sole matriarch. Holly is responsible for making the decisions for her family and she does her best to make sure they find enough food, stay safe, and enjoy socialising with one another and other families.

Holly’s children – males and females - will stay with her throughout their lives.  Surf is Holly’s eldest son, he is 26 years old. Sadly, Ivy, her firstborn died from an infection when she was only five. Holly’s daughter, Current, is now 18 years old and has a four-year-old son named Venture.

Holly is one of the four wild orcas - Holly, Fife, Simoom, and Bend - you can adopt with WDC. For more information about Holly – check out WDC Splash magazine!