Beethoven and trainer Valerie Carleton Get AcquaintedWe all huddled around the pool to witness his arrival. So many months of planning, preparing, and anticipation and now he's here. The very first baby beluga whale born at our park. So cute! So tiny! So special that we even had a contest in which a guest named him. Beethoven is here!
That was the early 90's. Fast forward over 15 years later and we were in the same boat. Months of planning, preparation, and anticipation finally were over as we welcomed Beethoven back home. The scene yesterday morning looked very similar to the day he was born. Trainers, animal care specialists and veterinarians were huddle around the pool waiting for him to arrive. He looks a little different today though. Now over 10 feet long and over 1500 pounds, Beethoven is back home at the White Whale and Dolphin Stadium. He'll eventually participate in our VIVA show as well as our Beluga Interaction Program, but he will be an important addition to our breeding program.
But where has he been for a decade and a half? Well, in the zoological community it's very common for animals to travel to different facilities. Beethoven spent time in our sister park in San Diego and most recently was at the Point Defiance Zoo in Washington. And now you're probably wondering how we get a whale from Washington to Texas. Let's just say that SeaWorld animals are flown first class! That's right we fly them on a plane! It's a pretty impressive sight. While the seat may not recline and there's no in-flight movie, Beethoven and other whales that are being transported are comfortably lowered into a customized transportation unit, eased into a cargo plane, and accompanied by a team of people who are committed to their care, flown to their destination. Quite an impressive accomplishment when you think about it.
So now Beethoven has returned home to a facility where he'll get to know 8 other beluga whales (including a few that were here when he was born). In addition to that, he'll have 21 new human friends to learn and get love from. Can't wait to get reacquainted.
Continued success and blessings,
Chuck
Editor's Update: Check out more photos of Beethoven interacting with Valerie Carleton, one of our animal trainers on our Flickr site.
