January 21, 2010 by KellyMorales •

SeaWorld San Antonio becomes such a different place when we’re not open to the public. At first glance it seems peaceful and serene, but once you look a little closer, it is still a bustle of activity!

During winter months, our Aquarium Department has the opportunity to refurbish, enhance and maybe even change the smaller aquariums in our Sharks/The Coral Reef habitat.  They also are working on expanding their facilities to propagate and grow very fragile live coral species and build a space to raise frogs.

Even though we are closed and there are not any shows or guests at the community pools, the animal trainers and keepers stay busy as well.  They still work with, feed and care for the animals, work on animal behaviors for shows in 2010, welcome guests on the Sea Lion and Beluga Interaction Programs, and now they are busier than ever after the arrival of the killer whale calf on January 7. As the calf swims alongside its mother, the trainers observe and record behaviors such as nursing, breathing, swimming patterns and bonding.

Did you know that it is the middle of summer for our penguins? Since penguins are naturally found in the Southern Hemisphere, they are on an “austral” season cycle, which is the opposite of what we experience.  If you visited the park in July, you may have noticed that it was dark inside the Penguin Encounter.  This is because July is the middle of winter in the Sub-Antarctic, where our species are naturally found. Now that we are in January, the penguins are experiencing their summertime, and are busy caring for their eggs and raising chicks recently born in the habitat.

The Education and Conservation Department is busy as well. Not only are we preparing for camp, tours and school programs for the coming year, but we recently hosted a special Adventure Camp for students from Texas A&M University at Galveston.

We also offer a special tour called Seafari, which gives our guests an opportunity to see the park when it’s not open to the public. If you have ever been curious about seeing what it would be like to visit SeaWorld and have the park to yourself, feed dolphins and sea lions away from the crowds, and get a behind-the-scenes peek at what it is like to care for the animals during our winter months, then click here to begin planning your SeaWorld experience.

Related posts:

1. My New Year’s Resolution is to Act More like a Penguin.
2. Check Out These Cool Chicks! Penguins at SeaWorld Are Breeding
3. Celebrate World Penguin Day at SeaWorld!
4. SeaWorld Starts Weekends-Only Schedule, But Not the Animal Trainers!
5. Animal Connections: Meet Nurra the Wallaby!

Tags: killer, Killer Whale, killer whale birth, penguins, seafari, seaw, SeaWorld San Antonio, tour

Posted in Adventure Camp, Around the Park, animals