The original Shamu was a female orca captured in October 1965 from the wild near Seattle, Washington. She was brought to SeaWorld San Diego, where she quickly became the park's star attraction due to her size, strength, and the novelty of seeing an orca perform up close. Shamu was around 14 feet long and weighed approximately 2,000 pounds when first captured. Her performances included behaviors like leaping out of the water, allowing trainers to ride on her back, and interacting closely with humans, which helped to popularize SeaWorld. However, her tenure in the spotlight was relatively short-lived; Shamu was retired from shows after she became aggressive with a trainer, an incident that led to broader discussions about the implications of keeping such wild and intelligent animals in captivity. She lived at SeaWorld until August 1971, when she passed away. This first Shamu set the stage for what would become a series of orcas bearing the name "Shamu," each contributing to the legacy of orca performances at SeaWorld.