When you meet a walrus for the first time they have so many unique characteristics that catch your eye. Large eyes, broad shoulders, lots of blubber, and tusks. A lot of people don’t know both the male and the female walrus have tusks.

One of the questions I get the most is, “What do you do when the park is closed?” Well, we are here taking care of the animals 365 days a year, so the park being closed doesn’t change our work schedule very much. We simply have more time to train new behaviors, train new people, and strengthen our relationships with the animals. For example, today, while the park is closed, we are busy working on several behaviors for the upcoming Jack Hanna show.

Here at SeaWorld San Antonio, we are celebrating something very special as well as the New Year this weekend. Our newest addition to the killer whale family, Sakari, is turning 1! She was born at SeaWorld San Antonio on January 7, 2010 to Takara, our 18-year-old killer whale.

Crissy the beluga whale and her new calf

Crissy, a 25-year-old, 1,400-pound beluga whale, gave birth to a female calf at 5:45 p.m. last night in the main pool of SeaWorld San Antonio's Beluga Stadium. The calf arrived at 5:45 p.m., after a short period of labor.