Baby beluga born at Marineland Canada
On June 11, 2012, Marineland Canada witnessed the birthing of a beautiful baby beluga whale at their Arctic Cove aquarium. Both the young beluga mother Sierra, and her baby calf are recovering nicely.
You can watch the actual birthing below:
Visitors and trainers gathered around Arctic Cove to watch the birth and, after a few tries, the baby emerged to cheers from the crowd. It was a moving moment for the staff and although they couldn’t verify the gender 100 per cent, they believe it to be a male.
For newborn marine mammals, the first weeks of life are a critical period to ensure long-term survival. The pair need to be kept together under close supervision to allow for vital bonding and nuturing between mother and calf.
Arctic Cove, home to the beluga whales at Marineland, is carefully designed to replicate the belugaās natural habitat. Like Friendship Cove, Marineland has built several viewing areas throughout the habitat for great whale watching. The underwater viewing panels allow visitors to watch the belugaās up-close as they swim and engage with each other.
Kids really enjoy feeding the friendly beluga whales during the touching and feeding sessions, which happens regularly throughout the day.
Checking on the Baby Belugas at Marineland
Last week on a bright sunny day, travel blogger, Denise Howe, checked in on the brand new baby beluga whale, while touring Arctic Cove. She started off on the surface, watching the trainers feeding the Belugas, and according to Denise “they like to eat (around 40-60 pounds of fish a day) but they are adorable to watch”. After snapping a few pics of their suppertime feeding she moved down below to see the main attraction: the brand new baby beluga!
After walking up to the glass “the baby was easy to spot and clinging closely to momma, but relaxed and enjoying life” according to Denise. They are still young so they have to be watched daily for their breathing intakes and feeding habits. “You just can’t get over how cute they are, and they seem to wear permanent smiles as they glide through the water so gracefully” reflected Denise.
How amazing would it be to witness one of these beautiful mammals being born, and guests may be able to as we are told the park is expecting more calves to be born over the summer. What a great reason to take a trip to Niagara Falls this summer!
