SAN ANTONIO, Texas — For the third time in two weeks, SeaWorld San Antonio experienced the birth of a new member of its whale and dolphin family. Arriving on the heels of the births of a beluga whale and a Pacific white-sided dolphin in late June, the new calf, another Pacific white-sided dolphin, was born under the watchful eyes of animal care specialists and the park’s veterinary team. Upon birth, the calf instinctually swam to the surface of the water for its first breath of air and began swimming alongside its mother.

“Our team has been waiting on this moment for months and it’s finally here,” said Katie Kolodziej, Curator of Zoological Operations at SeaWorld San Antonio and manager of the facility in which all three calves were born. “With three new babies now in our habitat, the team is looking forward to providing the best possible care and enrichment for the calves and their mothers, as well as watching them grow and become a part of our existing pod.”

All three calves have had access to each pool in their two-million-gallon facility, including the main presentation pool. Guests can catch a glimpse of them at various times throughout the day and hear updates about their progress from the zoological staff during special educational chats.

The mother, 17-year-old Ohana, gave birth to the female calf estimated to measure 19 inches long and weigh 21 pounds. For a month prior to the birth of the calf, animal care specialists watched the expectant mother around the clock looking for signs of birth that include changes in the mother’s eating and behavioral patterns, temperature monitoring, and the emergences of the tail flukes. Round the clock observations will continue for at least a month, and data is being collected and compiled to help monitor the well-being of these calves and to share with other zoological facilities.

In late June, the same habitat welcomed a beluga whale calf as well as a Pacific white-sided dolphin calf within 48 hours of each other. In the two weeks since those births, both of those calves have been introduced to each other as well as to other members of the pod that now includes 10 beluga whales and nine dolphins. The SeaWorld zoological team is encouraged that these births are a sign of a healthy marine environment and successful species management.

The “baby boom” at the marine park began earlier this summer with the arrival of a harbor seal, a California sea lion, and an endangered radiated tortoise. All newborns are showing signs of good health and SeaWorld officials are cautiously optimistic that all of the babies and mothers will continue to thrive and integrate well.

• «Previous Post
• Next Post »

---