Malia is an 11-year-old female orca that lives at SeaWorld Orlando. Malia was born to Taima and Tilikum at SeaWorld Orlando on March 12, 2007. She was Taima's third calf and her name means "calm and peaceful" in Hawaiian. She is learning new behaviors all the time and is used in shows daily alongside the other young orcas at SeaWorld Orlando. Malia's mother Taima died in June 2010 after a difficult labor that resulted in a stillborn male calf. Her eyepatches are long and skinny, and she has no marks, rakes, or chips in her tail fluke. Her teeth have bore holes where the pulp has been drilled to prevent bacterial infection as her teeth are worn down or broken by chewing on tank equipment. In January of 2018, it was noted that Malia had begun to develop what appears to be a phototoxic reaction to unknown medications she is being given, but SeaWorld has not made any public statements regarding her condition. Photographs show her with a brownish lesion extending along her lower jaw, similar to the lesions that Kasatka displayed in the months before her death. This may be a worrying sign that Malia is being treated for a serious infection, and that the illness is being exacerbated by exposure to sunlight in her clear, shallow enclosure with little protection from the sun.
Malia became close with an adult female orca named Kalina, who was one of her mother's closest friends. Kalina often took care of Malia whenever Taima was needing a break. After Taima's death, Kalina helped to take care of her. Sadly, Kalina died in October 2010. Malia is a sweet and playful orca. She is very smart and is learning many complex behaviors now. Although her mother did not do waterworks, Malia had been learning them before they were stopped in 2010. She had learned very basic waterwork behaviors. In mid 2016, Malia was reintroduced to Tilikum and was spending most of her time with him. They also performed together. In November 2016, she was seen more often with the rest of the pod. Tilikum later passed away on January 6, 2017.