Saturday, Oct. 9 (ORLANDO, Fla.) -- Katina, a 34-year-old killer whale, gave birth Saturday, October 9, at 7:28 p.m. in SeaWorld Orlando’s multimillion-gallon Shamu Stadium.
Katina gave birth to the 7-foot-long, 350-pound calf in Shamu Stadium's main pool following a 45-minute labor. Moments later, the baby whale instinctively swam to the surface for its first breath.
This is the seventh calf born to Katina, an 18-foot-long, 5,400-pound killer whale.
“It’s a terrific day for all of us at SeaWorld,” said Kelly Flaherty-Clark, curator of animal training. “Katina is an experienced mom and she appears to be bonding quickly with her baby.”
SeaWorld veterinarians and trainers remain cautiously optimistic about the progress of the baby and her mother and are encouraged by the bonding they’ve already seen. The gender has not yet been determined.
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