Although SeaWorld announced its departure from breeding orcas as a result of the negativity it has brought about from animal rights activists, one final calf has been born in San Antonio, Texas, and it will be the last orca born at a SeaWorld facility.
Image Credit: SeaWorld
The calf was officially brought into the world at 2:33 P.M. central time on April 19th, and is so young that it doesn't even have a name just yet.
Being that the 25-year-old mom, Takura, was pregnant at the time SeaWorld announced it would discontinue orca breeding, this was an expected event. The newborn orca is going to be the last captive orca in a chain of many that nostalgia-filled SeaWorld park-goers have watched grow up over the years.
“This is an exciting and emotional day for us at SeaWorld and we are all so proud to share this new killer whale calf with the world, after a year and a half of planning, and observing and providing all the special care,” said Chris Bellows, Vice President of SeaWorld’s Zoological Operations.
“Takara is a great mom and immediately began bonding with and caring for her new baby. Every day she inspires SeaWorld’s guests to learn more about and do more to protect animals in the wild. She is a true ambassador.”
Takara also has two other offspring, making the newborn her third. Time has shown that Takura is a great mother and spends a lot of time with her offspring. SeaWorld staff have no doubt that she is going to do a great job with the newborn calf, raising it until it’s a full-sized orca like herself.
At this point in time, the gender of the calf is unknown, but it will be re-visited in the future when need-to-know arises. Because the calf is so young, it’s not available for guests to view just yet, but it will be during select times within just a few days.
In the meantime, veterinarians are on standby to help the calf just in case of any emergencies.
Source: SeaWorld
