Trainer Mike Pool has a good time with new mom Crissy and her calf.
It’s been nine weeks since our family of beluga whales welcomed the newest addition, a beautiful baby girl. In those nine weeks, our Animal Care, Animal Training, and Education and Conservation teams have been very busy.
For the first four weeks both mom and baby were on 24 hour watch. It was a great opportunity to observe and learn about mother/calf bonding, as well as calf behavior and growth rates. She now weighs over 190 pounds, which is almost double her birth rate in just a month and a half! Our new bundle of joy is doing very well!
Where do we go from here?
We have begun the process of introducing the baby to the other belugas. It’s fun to watch the others interact with her, particularly the younger ones. They often approach her with an inquisitive curiosity as if to say “Finally I’m not the smallest one!”
At this point, the baby follows her mother around and sometimes mimics her. Eventually this mimicry will be an aid to teaching her some of the same things her mother knows. We’ve also begun the process of getting her mom, Crissy, back into our beluga interaction program and eventually the VIVA show.
Many of our guests have asked about her name. The way we normally go about naming an animal is to have team members make suggestions and then vote on them. For this baby we decided to do it a bit differently. We made a list of name suggestions (including some that came from readers of our blog) and narrowed it down to these…
*Bella – “beautiful” in Italian. It has a nice ring to it “Bella the beluga.”
*Nuka – “younger sibling” – The calf is the younger sister of another of our beluga whales, Whisper.
*Valluk – “first time” – This calf is the first beluga calf born as a result of artificial insemination.
Here’s where YOU come in. We want our blog readers to choose her name. Simply let us know which name you like by clicking your response on the poll below. On Sunday August 9th, 12 midnight CT, we will tally the votes and let you know what her name is.
Hurry and vote. We are tired of calling her “Crissy’s calf”! : )
Continued success and blessings,
Chuck
Related posts:
- Beluga Whale Born Last Night
- Baby Beluga Update
- It’s official! Bella is her name.
- I’m a New Dad… Sort of
- Baby Belugas Grow Up So Fast!
Tags: baby beluga, Beluga Interaction Program, Mike Pool, VIVA show
Posted in Around the Park
Twitter Comment
RT @seaworldcomm Exciting Opportunity: What should we name our new baby beluga whale? Vote here: [link to post] #swsa
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Mr. Cureau,
Crissy’s calf being the result of A.I., who is her sire?
- Jenna
Sired by a wonderful beluga named Nanuq.
As I thought. Thank you very much Mr. Cureau!
Twitter Comment
RT @seaworldcomm: Exciting Opportunity: What should we name our new baby beluga whale? Vote here: [link to post] #swsa
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Thanks to our friends at the Fairmount for the ree-tweet. Be sure to send your guests our way for a day of fun.
Oh darn, Quade’s choice of Quadico and Suki Bonjo didn’t make the cut, but we voted for 1 of the three.
LOL! I actually put them on the list for team members to vote on. Tell them sorry it didn’t make the final three.
I’ll tell him. He’ll be sorry, but he’s already ready to come back to SeaWorld to see the baby. Any news on a baby Shamu?
Quade voted for Nuka. Said it was the closest to Suki.
Twitter Comment
Exciting Opportunity: What should we name our new baby beluga whale Vote here: [link to post]
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Yamilet, thanks for following our blog. Do you minds sharing which name you voted for?
Twitter Comment
Exciting Opportunity: What should SeaWorld San Antonio name our new baby beluga whale Vote here: [link to post]
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I placed my vote RT @seaworldcomm:Exciting Opportunity:What should we name our new baby beluga whaleVote here: [link to post] #swsa
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@TheEllenShow What should SeaWorld San Antonio name our new baby beluga whale Vote here: [link to post]
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Wow! Wouldn’t it be great if Ellen mentioned our baby on her show? Thanks for forwarding the tweet to her.
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RT @seaworldcomm What should we name our new baby beluga whale Vote here: [link to post] #swsa
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Thanks for the re-tweet, Cathy.
Twitter Comment
Swsa# vote today and help us name our baby beluga [link to post]
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Help SeaWorld name our new baby beluga! #swsa [link to post]
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RT @seaworldcomm What should we name our new baby beluga whale Vote here: [link to post] #swsa
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Thanks for the re-tweet, Denny. Be sure to vote and continue to pass it along.
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What should we name our new baby beluga whale Vote here: [link to post] #swsa RT @seaworldcomm via @colleenpence
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Dinner
Thank for letting us vote! The kids and I made our choice.
Thanks for participating!
Thanks for making it a family affair, Christina.
[...] Sea World whale needs a name You can vote here: SeaWorld Asks You to Help Name Baby Whale | SeaWorld San Antonio Blog Bella, Nuka, or Valluk. I’m betting Bella [...]
Twitter Comment
You can name SW San Anotonio’s baby Beluga! [link to post]
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Ugh, please don’t name the poor thing after some vampire’s girlfriend. Don’t let the Twilight fans sway you, Inuit names prevail!
LOL! We prefer to think the name is in reference to the Italian word that means “beautiful”. Our guests/blog followers have the final say!
Chuck, there already is another beluga whale named Bella at Shedd aquarium, She was born in 2006.
My granddaughters said she should be called Bella
I love the name Bella, but there is already a calf at Shedd Aquarium named Bella. So, its not as unique as people would think.
I think Bella would be prefect!!
Twitter Comment
Help name new beluga whale at SeaWorld here: [link to post] via @seaworldcomm and #swsa. I just did!
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Bella is a good name, but not a really original one. This name has to be something really special in order to mark the occasion, like Hope or Destiny. But since you have given us a choice of three, then Nuka would be my choice.
Be sure to take the poll and click on your choice.
She is SO CUTE!
I’m glad you learned how to do AI on belugas. Last time I heard it looked like it wasn’t going to work.