SeaWorld’s last captive killer whale born in San Antonio

SeaWorld Entertainment has welcomed what’s expected to be the last killer whale born at its theme parks.

The calf was born Wednesday to 25-year-old Takara at SeaWorld San Antonio. Veterinarians and animal-care specialists are monitoring mother and baby around the clock.

“Guests at SeaWorld San Antonio will have the opportunity to visit and observe Takara and her calf in the near future during select times,” SeaWorld said in a news release. “Although this will be the last opportunity for SeaWorld guests to see a baby killer whale up close as it grows and matures, SeaWorld will continue to care for the orcas at its parks for decades to come.”

SeaWorld’s killer whale collection has increasingly become a source of controversy for the company. So last March, SeaWorld announced it would no longer breed its killer whales. Takara was already pregnant at that time.

The calf ’s gender has not been determined yet.

“Takara will continuously swim with her calf as it begins to nurse and learn,” assistant curator Julie Signman said in a news release. “We take our lead from mom; Takara will let us know when she is ready for us to meet the calf and at that time we should be able to determine the gender.”

Takara, born at SeaWorld San Diego, has had four other calves, ranging in age from 3 to 15 years. Two are with her in San Diego, one is in Orlando and another is on loan to a theme park in Spain.

Seaworld described the birth of Takara’s calf as the last chance for researchers to study killer whale development in ways that can’t be done in the wild. SeaWorld said the knowledge would contribute to studies of the endangered Southern Resident killer whale population off the coast of Washington.