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The last orca to be born at one of the SeaWorld\u2019s parks<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
The last orca to be born at one of the SeaWorld\u2019s parks<\/h3>\nThe last orca to be born at a SeaWorld park, which popularised killer whale shows in the 1960s but faced growing opposition in recent years, has been born at SeaWorld San Antonio in Texas.<\/p>\n
Veterinarians at the park have not yet determined the gender of the calf, but said the baby and its mother Takara were in good shape and being monitored closely.<\/p>\n
Attendance at SeaWorld’s theme parks has been falling amid negative publicity and criticism from animal rights activists\u00a0upset by the treatment of captive marine mammals<\/a>.<\/p>\n Takara was already pregnant when the company said last year that it was suspending its captive breeding program and\u00a0phasing out killer whale shows at its three parks<\/a>\u00a0in Orlando, San Diego and San Antonio.<\/p>\n “This is the last one, and that makes this a particularly big deal,” SeaWorld chief zoological officer Chris Dold said of Wednesday afternoon’s birth.<\/p>\n “It is a bit bitter-sweet. We love these killer whales.”<\/p>\n The calf was born after an 18-month gestation; it weighs between 140 and 160 kilograms\u00a0and measures about\u00a0two metres\u00a0SeaWorld said. It was 25-year-old Takara’s fifth birth.<\/p>\n SeaWorld’s vice-president of veterinary services, Dr\u00a0Hendrik Nollens\u00a0said it would be the last chance for researchers to study orca development in ways that cannot be done in the wild.<\/p>\n