110-pound baby beluga whale born at SeaWorld San Antonio

Officials at SeaWorld San Antonio have put out baby announcements. They are letting the city know of the newest birth.Early Wednesday morning Luna, a 10-year-old, 1,400-pound beluga whale gave birth to a 110-pound female calf. The newborn is 4 feet 10 inches long.


SeaWorld's Zoological Operations is in charge of monitoring both mom and tot round-the-clock.“The first days and even weeks in the life of a cetacean (dolphin or whale) are critical, so we are cautiously optimistic about this new addition to the SeaWorld family” said Chris Bellows, SeaWorld San Antonio’s vice president of zoological operations.

According to Canadian researchers in British Columbia, first-year mortality rates for beluga whales in the wild is as high as 50 percent.“We will be monitoring nursing, respirations and other vital indicators which, thus far, have been positive,” Bellows said.While the mother and her new baby are bonding, the park has temporarily canceled the beluga whale "Azul" shows.Visitors to the park will be able to observe the Luna and her calf at Beluga Stadium.

Source: http://www.kens5.com/news/local/110-pound-baby-born-at-SeaWorld-97171294.html

Oiled Dolphin Rescue Attempt Failed

Earlier this week rescuers cleaned oil off of a baby bottlenose dolphin, but the dolphin died while enroute to a rescue facility called Gulf World Marine Park in Panama City, Florida. A necropsy will be performed to determine the cause of death.

The distressed baby dolphin was in shallow water in the Florida Panhandle at Fort Pickens National Park. Upon seeing the dolphin, rescuers tried to save it.

Among the people who found the dolphin and helped scrape oil off of it was Christy Travis, 41, a resident of Arkansas who was on vacation. Travis told local reporters, “It was heartbreaking. Everyone was crying. We had oil all over us.”

Efforts were made to clean the oil off of the dolphin and officials were contacted to transport it to a rehabilitation center in Panama City. However, the dolphin died on the way to Gulf World Marine Park.

David Cole Rescuers clean oil off of baby dolphin.

Courtnee Ferguson, a spokeswoman for the Unified Command in Mobile, Alabama, was quoted as saying, “A necropsy will be performed to determine the exact cause of death.”

Authorities with the Unified Command indicated that the dolphin “had some oil on it,” but it is thought that the results of the necropsy will help to determine the precise reason the dolphin “beached itself.”

http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/293874

Rescued Orca Doing Well

Morgan swims around basin dolphinarium

Harderwijk - Orca Morgan swims around in its pool of 25 by 10 meters in the Dolphinarium Harderwijk. They now eat dead fish (oa.haring) but when they aansterkt will have to get used to hunt live fish. Doing well under the circumstances Foppen said Marten, general manager of the Dolphinarium. Unfortunately, the situation may deteriorate suddenly. Fool does not mention the place where Morgan could be restored.

`` It could be weeks or even months before that happens, now we focus on the stronger and we see daily how she goes.''Morgan takes a team of staff 24 hours a day in which gaten.Medewerkers at Morgan may not be allowed to work with the dolphins all risks as to exclude infection.

http://www.inc-nieuws.com/algemeen/83457.html (translated from Dutch)

orka komt eerste nacht goed door

HARDERWIJK The killer whale on Wednesday from the Wadden Sea is transported to the Dolphinarium is a good first night back on. The young and weakened animal after its arrival in Harderwijk first fish eaten. Veterinarians and caretakers are hopeful but take account of a setback. Veterinarians have the killer after arrival at the Dolphinarium investigated. There is blood and is drained through a scan looking for possible internal injuries. The initial results are positive about this. Tuesday the animal was discovered by fishermen in the Wadden Sea. The Ministry has followed the animal and then quickly turned out to be a young killer whale was severely weakened. The expertise of the Dolphinarium was called in and after consultation it was decided that the animal would not survive without help. A dozen dolphins trainers and veterinarians by boat on the Wadden Sea has gone through the staff of Agriculture orca transported safely to the Dolphinarium. A return to the open sea, the physical condition of the animal much too weak. "Our priorities now lies with the health of killer whales," said a spokesman for the Dolphinarium. In the coming days will vets and trainers of the dolphins Dolphinarium 24 hours a day watching the young female. 'We view the situation hour by hour. That they have eaten fish is a positive sign but we remain alert and the situation could still worsen. For the killer whale as much rest will give the audience not currently in the animal may come. http://www.dolfinarium.nl/nl/dolfinarium/dierenpark/nieuws/geredde_orka_komt_eerste_nacht_goed_door.html

Orca summer, "Nami" to meet the Nagoya Port Aquarium

25 min at 10 June 15, 2010

　Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium (Minato-ku, Nagoya) female killer whale be transferred from the town of Taiji, Wakayama Prefecture, the "Nami" (estimated 26-year-old, 5.6 meters in length) have to be held on 17 transport. 運Bi込Mi aquarium pool early to June 18, aims to made the public familiar with the environment over the summer.

　According to officials, off the coast of Taiji Nami left on Wednesday morning, the north sea in the ship with a swimming pool. After arriving late at night off the port of Nagoya, said waiting to begin bringing brighter.

　Nami originally planned to transfer in April, the schedule was also affected Zure込N bad weather.Make up the pool water temperature during transport, the final decision expected before the summer was prone to affect the health of orcas.

　If Nami arrived safely, he died in September 2008 "Coo" Since rare species can be seen orcas in nearly two years in Nagoya.

(Chunichi Shimbun)

http://www.chunichi.co.jp/s/article/2010061590102221.html

LINK TO VIDEO

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20100617/t10015175371000.html

Owner remains confident of success as dolphins arrive in Hisarönü, Ölüdeniz

International protests against the opening of a dolphinarium in Ölüdeniz have apparently been to no avail as two male Mediterranean bottle nosed dolphins, Misha and Tom, arrived in Hisarönü on Tuesday at 11 a.m. They are now acclimatizing to their new home in the mountain resort above Ölüdeniz in the province of Muğla in southwest Turkey.

The dolphins were transported Tuesday morning from Kaş in a refrigerated van, sedated, smothered in an aqueous cream to keep their skin moist and wrapped in foam and surrounded by ice. A Kaş based vet signed the necessary paper work and the two traveled slowly to their new home in Hisarönü, in the mountains above Ölüdeniz.

The relevant authorities have visited the site and owner Aleksandr Kuznetsov expects the approval required to open for business before long. The National Park manager in Fethiye, Sedat Kalcaz, has been reported as repeatedly saying that no license would be forthcoming until the dolphins were in the pool and their condition had been observed by the appropriate officials.

The manager of the dolphinarium, İbrahim Dilek said: “The animals will take some time to acclimatize to their new surroundings, maybe up to two weeks. In the mean time, they may be a little stressed but eventually they will calm down. At the moment they are bobbing up and down vertically but this behavior is normal. They need to adjust to their surroundings.”

Cathy Williamson, Captivity Program Manager at The Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society is concerned the behavior may be symptomatic of a more serious problem. “The bobbing behavior may be a demonstration of the dolphins behaving stereotypically or listlessly,” she said in an e-mail. “This may be the result of the stress of the transport and adapting to a new situation. Transportation can be very risky for cetaceans and adaptation to a new environment takes its toll on their health.”

The pool was prepared in previous weeks: leaks and subsidence were repaired and the sea and fresh water mix has now reached a temperature of 21 degrees Centigrade. According to the dolphin’s owner, Aleksandr Kuznetsov, this is considerably cooler, and thus more comfortable, than the sea temperature they tolerated in Kaş, which at the height of the summer could reach 31 degrees Centigrade.

Workmen are presently building a large, blue fabric tent to protect them from the sun as well as curious passersby, in part because it will be at least another two weeks before the dolphins are ready to swim with paying customers.

To help the dolphins relax, colleagues of the owner swam with them and stroked them, saying that “dolphins do not make a special bond with anyone in particular, but they benefit from the company of people and enjoy swimming with them as a sort of way to pass the time.”

Not every one is happy with the arrival of the dolphins. Bayram Salman, a local business owner, believes his views are representative of many businesses in Hisarönü. “Personally, I wish the whole dolphinarium project had been handled differently. No one knew it was happening and the business community weren’t involved in the decision making process at any stage even though it has been done in their name. Personally I would have been happier if they hadn’t come. If the business don’t sell any tickets, maybe it will close.”

Doğan Eraslan, another business owner, said: “Now the dolphins are here and I wish they were still free in the sea. We must prepare to educate people about them. I mean, a dolphin always appears to be smiling, even when it is suffering. It is the natural shape of their mouths, but we humans misread their expressions.”

Meryem Tekin, a marine biologist and Fethiye representative of the Izmir-based Underwater Research Society, or SAD, has adopted a pragmatic approach. “Despite all the protests and promises from officials, the dolphins have now arrived in Hisarönü.

“It is not something I approve of as a scientist and animal lover but as they are here I think it is important to maintain contact with both the dolphins and the people running the concern to ascertain the working conditions of the animals, the quality of the pool and of course the well-being of the dolphins themselves.”

It is still unclear how the dolphins have adapted to their new surroundings; and the mixed reactions by local businesses and the public further obscures the future of the development. The following weeks will be an anxious time for the dolphinarium owners, local businesses and the more than 5,000 protestors.

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=owner-remains-confident-of-success-as-dolphins-arrive-in-hisaronu-oludeniz-2010-06-10

Shedd's Beluga Named

Exactly six months after its difficult breech birth, the Shedd Aquarium's youngest and most inquisitive beluga whale has a name.

An adoring public can start referring to the 400-pound calf as Nunavik, the Inuit name for friendly, beautiful and wild.

"It seems like an especially fitting name for the little guy," senior trainer Jessica Whiton said. "He's independent and really enjoys interacting with us."

Nunavik was far and away the most popular of 10 possible names fans could choose as part of a sweepstakes Shedd Aquarium held in partnership with the Daily Herald and ABC 7. Nearly all of Shedd's eight beluga whales derive their names from the Inuit language of the native people who live in the Arctic region, which is the animals' natural range.

The announcement came early Monday near the 3-million gallon Oceanarium's Pacific Northwest coastal setting with several suburban officials in attendance including the mayors of Des Plaines, Hanover Park, Naperville and Prospect Heights.

"It's just a fun thing that gives us the chance to get out of the political arena and into nature," Naperville Mayor George Pradel said, watching Nunavik gracefully glide alongside 23-year-old mom Puiji.

More than 3,200 votes were cast and the winner, James Slack of Valparaiso, Ind., will enjoy a Shedd family VIP pack and an up-close encounter with a beluga featuring an opportunity to try a few training techniques.

Shedd staff reflected on the last six months with Nunavik, who beat the odds by surviving at all.

Most belugas are born tail-first but Nunavik's head was the first thing to emerge from the 1,500-pound Puiji, a potentially deadly complication. In that case, the cartilage in the soft, fleshy tail has no chance to stiffen in the cold water and can't propel the calf toward the surface. It was crucial for Nunavik to breathe within minutes of birth, so four divers in the frigid 55-degree water helped guide the slippery 154-pound newborn upward.

Only 50 percent of beluga newborns in the wild survive and 10 percent born to first-time mothers live. Shedd's record is a little higher than half, and the aquarium now boasts five successful beluga births.

Nunavik began nursing a day after his birth and continues to do so with Puiji and Naya, another female beluga who's still lactating after losing her calf on Dec. 22. He won't be completely weened until between 12 and 18 months, but trainers have already started introducing fish into Nunavik's diet.

"He seems to like the fish but he plays with it a lot and spits it out of his mouth, which is what a lot of little kids do, I guess," Whiton said.

Ken Ramirez, senior vice president of animal collections and training, said even a beluga expert would never know Nunavik experienced a challenging birth. He's a talented swimmer for his age since former deficiencies in his tail forced him to adopt and do unique maneuvers. And Shedd staff are confident his curious and playful nature will be sure to amuse onlookers for years to come.

He has said the sweepstakes that ultimately named Nunavik can help raise awareness about the need for aquariums and zoos and the plight animals face as devastation to wild places like oceans and forests continues. He wants to ensure people care for animals like beluga whales so that they never end up on the endangered species list.

http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=387701

Five Dolphins moved to Palmitos Park

Every day at one o'clock and half past three p.m. Palmitos Park, San Bartolomé de Tirajana, offers two separate shows in his new dolphin pool, a pool of four million liters of saltwater in the that 'Roque', 'Naye', 'Cris', 'Sargon' and 'Sunset' offers a catalog of impossible leaps and layering that leave the public without air.

They are too smart to work only for food and if they get bored they decide that maybe do not work today. "Pep Lara is the head of the brand new Dolphin which premieres Palmitos Park, San Bartolomé de Tirajana, in which a group of five bottlenose dolphins, trained by the kids still Naye-Roque and six-year, Cris, five, and veterans Sargon and Sunset, 13 and 15 years, offers two spectacular daily sessions at one and three and a half afternoon.

In the three pools of four million liters of salt water for about 25 minutes, the quintet manages to dazzle by far the hundreds of people pass daily for the first dolphin of Gran Canaria, and the park director, Pedro Cantero , is among the six best in Europe, in a bid in which the company owns Aspro-Ocio has 20 years experience and has invested in this, his fifth such facility.

Somersaults, layering the sound speed, jumps strung on a ring and a range of exercises including Pep surfing on the back of one of the dolphins cause they fly in the 25th minute as they flew dolphins when coaches, Pep also includes Javier Gutierrez, Paula Fornas, José Miguel Romero and Nayra Peláez, they are showing the way forward and that changes each time because theirs is the game, innovation and real magic.

And when you are not working as a domestic life that begins with a medical behavior training first thing in the morning in which they learn to be auscultated or to be putting a tube. Luego más juegos para aprender cosas nuevas y, cuando se tercia, un baño con todos los entrenadores para darse "cariño, compañía y disciplina, porque cuando hay que trabajar, se trabaja muy en serio". Then more games to learn new things, and when the opportunity arises, a bathroom with all the coaches to be "love, companionship and discipline, because when you have to work, work very seriously."

The fact is that dolphins, which have been bred in captivity at the facilities of Aspro-Ocio de Tenerife, the park Aqualand, it seems to go squid Palmitos Park.

And when they see behind closed doors, a stranger walking along the edge of the pool to follow him out to the edge of the sink to poach one hugs, as is a person without shoes.

In addition, Palmitos Park provides a discount to residents in the Canary Islands, programs with schools and a series of educational and pedagogical activities to meet these near relatives "and the threats they face."


Translated with Google Translator
source: http://www.laprovincia.es/gran-canaria/2010/05/11/quinteto-mar-salada/301193.html

SeaWrold Orca Dies whilst giving birth

A killer whale at SeaWorld Orlando died Sunday from complications that arose while she was giving birth, officials said.

The park said Taima, a 20-year-old orca born at SeaWorld Orlando in 1990, died late in the afternoon, approximately 20 hours after going into labor Saturday evening.

The calf was stillborn.

"Everyone is very saddened by the loss … Everyone is reeling," said Dr. Chris Dold, vice president of veterinary services for Orlando-based SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment. "Ty was a member of the family."

Taima was one of eight killer whales at SeaWorld Orlando. She had successfully given birth to three calves in the past.

Dold said Taima's fetus was in an unusual position in the birth canal during the delivery process. The orca also experienced a condition in which the placenta was delivered before the fetus itself.

After Taima was unable to deliver her calf, park veterinarians attempted to assist. But SeaWorld said the complications ultimately proved too severe.

Dold said SeaWorld has not had a mother killer whale die while giving birth in more than 25 years. The company, which operates SeaWorld marine parks in Orlando, San Diego and San Antonio, says it has recorded 26 successful killer-whale births since its first in 1985.

Losses of the fetus are more common, although Dold said the rate of killer-whale stillbirths is significantly lower in SeaWorld's parks than it is in the wild. The park considers it a successful birth when the calf has reached one year of age.

"There are lots of these kinds of complications that can occur … We know they happen in the wild, we know they happen in collections," Dold said. "We know they happen everywhere."

SeaWorld says it will not know the definitive cause of Taima's death until a full post-mortem investigation is completed, a process that is expected to take up to six weeks.

A second orca at SeaWorld Orlando is also pregnant. The 32-year-old orca Katina is due to have her seventh calf in late October. Both Taima and Katina were impregnated by Tilikum, the six-ton orca who drowned trainer Dawn Brancheau earlier this year.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/attractions/os-sea-world-killer-whale-dies-20100606,0,7721751.story

SeaWorld adds three more dolphins

Killer whales aren't the only animals making magic at SeaWorld Orlando. Three Atlantic bottlenose dolphins have been born at the park this year, with a fourth on the way, park officials say.

All three babies were born at Discovery Cove, SeaWorld's boutique theme park where visitors can swim with the animals. "That's a pretty active social group," said Dr. Chris Dold, vice president of veterinary services for SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment.

SeaWorld says it has recorded more than 100 successful dolphin births in company history. It has 94 dolphins at its Orlando parks and 170 companywide. The dolphin births come even as two of SeaWorld Orlando's eight killer whales are expecting. One is due later this month or early next month, and the other is due in October.

Source: http://articles.orlandosentinel.com