1946-1969::Alice the Albino Orca of Vancouver Island, British Columbia

The whale that kept Vancouver Islanders searching coastal waters for over 20 years.

"1947::Alice the Albino Orca Becomes a Vancouver Island Celebrity"

Clip: Nanaimo Daily News (1947)

Nanaimo, British Columbia

In the summer of 1946, a small and unusual pod of killer whales made their first appearance just off the southern tip of Vancouver Island near Race Rocks. What separated them from all the others was that the lady of the pod was pure white from nose to fin to fin to fin. Named Alice by the local media, she became the first albino orca ever recorded on the British Columbia coast.

"1947::Calling All Coastal Water Watchers"

Clip: The Vancouver Sun (1947)

Vancouver, British Columbia

Although half the size of an average Orca, Alice's body and dorsal fin were as white as snow, making it easy to identify her and her pod wherever they travelled. Dr. G. Clifford Carl of the Provincial Museum in Victoria saw Alice's unique features as an opportunity to study the movement of Orcas along the Pacific coast. He reached out to the public for assistance and received an overwhelming response. Fishermen, lighthouse keepers, and even people standing on the shore, all eager to help, reported their sightings to Dr. Carl. Within ten years, he had recorded at least 50 confirmed sightings of Alice and her pod, who seemed to be encircling Vancouver Island, sometimes twice in one year, and often putting on a show for anyone willing to watch.

"1958::Alice and Her Pod 'Performing' at Harling Point Near Victoria, British Columbia"

Photo Clip: Victoria Daily Times (1958)

Photographer: T.L. Sinclair

On January 19th, 1958, Alice and her pod appeared off Harling Point in Oak Bay, just east of Victoria. They were swimming so close to shore that they surprised several people out walking in the area. They attracted even more attention when they began tipping their tails in the air and spraying from their blowholes. Soon, nearly 60 onlookers had gathered at the point, watching with excitement as the island's favourite pod of orcas delivered its most spectacular performance yet. Alice and her companions jumped, swirled, and rolled for almost three hours, rushing the shore and stopping just several feet from the rocks where they'd pause as if to look up at the crowd, cheering and clapping for more. For those who saw the show, it was a Vancouver Island moment they'd never forget.

"1969::Alice Still Missing"

Clip: Victoria Daily Times (1969) Victoria, British Columbia

Islanders came to love their albino whale Alice, who had become one of the greatest Pacific marine celebrities of British Columbia, second only to Caddy the Cadborosaurus. But in 1965, Alice disappeared. Sightings of a white orca were reported as Alice in the media, but the whale's black dorsal fin proved it wasn't her. Russian newspapers reported that one of their whaling ships had caught a white orca in their nets off the coast of the Queen Charlotte Islands, but the whale's size and description did not match Alice. The Canadian Coast Guard later confirmed that Russian whaling ships were not even in the area at the reported time. Years later, in 1969, after several reports of false sightings, Alice and her pod reappeared just off William Head, not far from where her pod was first sighted over two decades earlier. It would be the last confirmed sighting of Vancouver Island's beloved albino whale, Alice.

"1970::A Second Albino Orca Appears and Is Captured in Pedder Bay"

Clip: Victoria Daily Times (1970)

Photographer: Bill Halkett

The following year, in March 1970, an albino whale and her four black companions were cornered and captured at Pedder Bay just east of Race Rocks, where Alice's first and last sighting was reported. Scientists assured the public that it was not Alice who they had captured and wondered if the young white albino whale was perhaps Alice's daughter. She was given the name Chimo and lasted only two years in captivity. After more than twenty years and the whole world reporting on her sightings, Alice was never seen again.

"1970::Chimo Adjusts to Life In Captivity"

Clip: Star Weekly (1970)

Toronto, Ontario

Chimo's sudden death shocked the world and changed how people saw whales in captivity. British Columbians who had doated on her as she performed in front of thousands of tourists during her two short years in captivity suddenly had a change of heart. Local newspaper editors received letters from concerned citizens pleading for the whales to be set free. It would take a few more decades for their wish to be granted. However, Chimo's death brought about change and protection for albino orcas.

"1972::Chimo's Death Brings About Change"

Clip: Victoria Times (1972)

Victoria, British Columbia

An autopsy performed by her veterinarians revealed that Chimo had died from internal bleeding, believed to be a result of Chédiak–Higashi syndrome, a rare disorder characterized by bruising and oculocutaneous albinism. Two days after Chimo's death, the provincial government banned the capture and captivity of all albino whales in British Columbia waters.