Healthy beluga whale calf born at Aquarium

Whisper delivers 174-pounder; mom, baby doing well.

The Georgia Aquarium has a new 174-pound beluga calf.

Although the whale was born May 17, officials didn’t announce the birth until Monday.

The full birth story, behind-the-scenes moments, and some surprise details will air in an Animal Planet special at 10 p.m. Saturday.

The birth comes five months after officials announced in January that its 20-year-old beluga whale Whisper was expecting.

“We are so proud of Whisper and overjoyed to welcome her calf to our Georgia Aquarium family,” said Dennis Christen, senior director of zoological operations, mammals, and birds at Georgia Aquarium.

“We will be there right alongside the calf as it continues to grow and learn from Whisper.”

According to a press release, Whisper had a long labor, but both she and her calf are getting much-needed rest and time to bond.

Animal care and health teams are monitoring them around-the-clock.

Dr. Tonya Clauss, vice president of animal and environmental health at Georgia Aquarium, said the coming weeks are important for the calf ’s development and there are yet milestones to meet.

The aquarium has four other beluga whales — Qinu, Maple, Nunavik and Imaq — who are being kept in a separate area of the exhibit.

They will be introduced to Whisper and her calf at the appropriate time, the release said.

Atlanta’s Georgia Aquarium currently is closed to the public because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Eric Gaglione, the aquarium’s vice president of zoological operations, said the birth is important not only for the Georgia Aquarium, but all accredited zoological facilities.

“Our hope is to sustain the beluga whale population in North America so future generations can learn about them,” he said. “Throughout Whisper’s pregnancy we tracked important data about beluga whale gestation that could hopefully make informed conservation decisions about belugas in the wild and their offspring.”

For updates on the calf ’s growth, follow Georgia Aquarium on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

ALYSSA POINTER / ALYSSA.POINTER@AJC.COM Eastside Medical Center paramedic Kenneth Craig (left), with his son, Kentez Craig. “I’m so impressed and so proud that he would work on something that’s so needed,” Kenneth said.

CONTRIBUTED BY EMORY UNIVERSITY Dr. Cinnamon Sullivan and her colleague Dr. Jeremy Collins demonstrate how the box can be used to help perform procedures such as intubating a patient while creating a protective barrier for health care workers.

CONTRIBUTED Whisper, a 20-year-old beluga whale, gave birth to this 174-pound calf on May 17 at the Georgia Aquarium.