The baby killer whale was born at SeaWorld’s San Antonio park on April 19. The calf will be the last one delivered at any SeaWorld.
Its gender and name are still unknown. Both the calf and its 25-year-old mother, Takara, are in good health and being monitored.
“In the next minutes, hours, days we will look for the calf to grow stronger and stronger and their swimming ability, and we will also look for mom to help the calf figure out how to nurse. And that’s super important,” said Amy Mccoy, SeaWorld supervisor. “In the past, Takara, like I said, has been a great mom and the calves learned to nurse and they nurse strong. And it’s just an amazing bond that Takara has with her calves.”
SeaWorld suspended its captive breeding program and killer whale shows last year after widespread criticism. But Takara was already pregnant.
Killer whales are also known as orcas.