A new orca whale calf spotted in Puget Sound in Washington State is the latest addition to a well-known family of killer whales with a connection to SeaWorld. In 1976, the calf’s great-grandmother T046 “Wake” was one of six orcas captured with the intention of being sold to marine parks and temporarily held by SeaWorld in Budd Inlet near Olympia,

Sedna's grandmother, T046 or "Wake," was one of six whales captured and temporarily held by SeaWorld in Budd Inlet, according to a PWWA release. Ralph Munro, then an assistant to Gov. Dan Evans, saw the captures while sailing and helped file a lawsuit against SeaWorld. The whales were the last animals to be captured in American waters.

SeaWorld Orlando now faces a fine after a trainer was injured while interacting with an orca whale in September 2024, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. The department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration launched an investigation of the aquatic theme park that revealed the trainer was not properly protected while working with the whale.