SeaWorld San Antonio marks the last birth of an orca at the company’s parks.
The last orca has been born in captivity at a SeaWorld park in San Antonio, just over a year after the theme park decided to stop breeding orcas following animal rights protests and declining ticket sales.
The Orlando, Fla.-based company said the orca — the last in a generation of whales bred in confinement — was born Wednesday afternoon. SeaWorld did not immediately name the calf because the park’s veterinarians had not yet determined whether it was male or female.
The mother, 25-yearold Takara, was already pregnant when SeaWorld announced in March 2016 that it had stopped breeding its orcas. The gestation period for orcas is about 18 months.
Preparing late last month for the event, SeaWorld’s chief zoological officer, Chris Dold, said he expected the birth to be bittersweet, because it would be the last such event at any of the parks. But just hours after the calf was born, Dold said, SeaWorld staff only felt like celebrating. SeaWorld said mother and calf both appear healthy.
“These are extraordinary moments,” he said, speaking by phone while traveling to the U.S. from Abu Dhabi, where SeaWorld is developing its first new park without orcas. “It’s a tempered celebration only because we’re focused on the health of these guys.”
SeaWorld decided to stop breeding orcas, and phase out its world-famous killer whale performances by 2019, after public opinion turned against keeping orcas, dolphins and other animals in captivity for entertainment.
The backlash intensified after the 2013 release of “Blackfish,” a documentary critical of SeaWorld’s orca care.