A Bouncing Baby Boy Killer Whale
BREAKING NEWS Satellite Uplink Notification
B-ROLL UPLINK
Feed Date: Thursday, May 14, 1998
Feed Time: 2:45 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. EST
Satellite Coordinates: Galaxy 6, Transponder 2 (C-band)
STORY SUMMARY: Imagine giving birth to a baby that weighs 350-pounds and
measures 7 feet in length! Today, Taima, an eight-year-old killer whale, gave
birth to a male calf at 9:59 a.m., in SeaWorld Orlando's multimillion-gallon
research and breeding facility, Shamu Stadium.
Taima gave birth to the calf in Shamu Stadium's main pool following a
twelve-hour-long labor. Moments later, the baby whale instinctively swam to
the surface of the water for its first breath of air.
This was the first pregnancy for Taima, a 17-foot-long, 5,000-pound killer
whale. Mother and baby appear to be doing well, and experts are hopeful the
calf is strong and healthy.
This latest arrival marks the twelfth successful birth at the SeaWorld
Adventure Parks - eight at SeaWorld Orlando. Currently, guests may see three
of these moms and their youngsters bonding in SeaWorld Orlando's Shamu Stadium
complex.
SeaWorld's killer whale breeding program is the most successful in the
world. SeaWorld is an Anheuser-Busch Theme Park.
VISUALS
Mom in labor with calf's tail flukes showing
SeaWorld experts monitoring progress and cheering during birth
Mom giving birth to 350-pound calf
Mom and calf bonding, swimming together
SOT
Chuck Tompkins, SeaWorld Vice President of Animal Training
Laura Surovik, SeaWorld Supervisor of Animal Training
THIS B-ROLL IS FREE FOR RESTRICTED USE.
CONTACT: Technical information, Tony Scott of SeaWorld of Florida Photo
Services, 407-363-2296; or story information, Shawna Allen of SeaWorld of
Florida Public Relations, 407-363-2280.
SOURCE SeaWorld Orlando
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