Baby Killer Whale Born on Valentine's Day

An adult killer whale at SeaWorld in San Diego gave birth on Valentine's Day to her fourth calf, making this the sixth successful killer whale birth in the park's history.

Published

4 months ago

Categories

Science

Topics

Wildlife, Science

Places

San Diego

Transcript

Chocolates are nice on Valentine's Day but a baby killer whale is even better. Kasatka, a 37-year old killer whale at SeaWorld in San Diego, gave birth on Thursday to her fourth calf after about an hour of labor. SOUNDBITE: Kristi Burtis, Animal Training Supervisor saying: "We've been given the best Valentine's Day present ever. I'm happy Kasatka has given birth to a baby killer whale this morning at 6:33." The calf's sex will be determined later but it's estimated to weigh nearly 350 pounds and is almost 7 feet long. SOUNDBITE: Kristi Burtis, Animal Training Supervisor, saying: "Now from here, we're going to have round the clock care with our veterinary team and animal trainers to monitor both Kasatka and the calf's health." This is the sixth successful killer whale birth in the park's history. The zoological team reports mother and baby look healthy, but as with any newborn, these next few days will be critical.