SeaWorld San Antonio Names Killer Whale Calf

Thursday, January 26, 2006
SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS – SeaWorld San Antonio announced today that the female killer whale calf born at the marine life adventure park on Oct. 9 would be named Halyn. The female calf, who continues to grow and thrive under the care of more than fifty SeaWorld animal care specialists and trainers, is now 578 pounds, 7 feet long and has 32 teeth.

“This has been an incredible experience,” said Dave Force, vice president of zoological operations at the marine life adventure park. “In the past three months, Halyn has grown and changed. Our team continues to be surprised and delighted about her advancements. We are so confident in her progress that we are introducing fish and beginning the training process.”

The name, selected by her caretakers, means “unique, unlike any other” and is a name of American origin. The team unanimously selected the name as it reflects her origins.

Since her birth last fall, animal care specialists and trainers have been giving Halyn twenty-four hour care, including bottle feedings of commercial formula every two hours. She now eats approximately 14 liters of formula daily. She is weighed regularly and periodic blood samples are being taken to monitor her health.

Animal training staff are working daily with Halyn to train husbandry behaviors. These are routine procedures like presenting tail flukes for inspection, swimming along a line to take measurements and swimming into a stretcher for periodic weight checks. All SeaWorld killer whales are trained in these procedures as they assist in their physical care.

SeaWorld San Antonio’s Entertainment Department connected an audio system from Shamu Stadium to the zoological support area, where the calf currently resides, that allows the calf to hear the sounds of other killer whales. The calf also has a companion female bottlenose dolphin swimming with her in her pool.

This was the first birth for 17-year-old mother whale, Kayla, who measures 18 feet long and weighs approximately 6,000 pounds. This birth increases SeaWorld San Antonio’s killer whale population to eight. Twenty-one killer whales have been born as part of the SeaWorld parks’ breeding programs.

SeaWorld San Antonio is an Anheuser-Busch Adventure Park. Other Anheuser-Busch Adventure Parks are Busch Gardens in Tampa Bay, Fla., and Williamsburg, Va.; SeaWorld Adventure Parks in Orlando and San Diego; Water Country USA in Williamsburg; Adventure Island in Tampa Bay; Sesame Place in Langhorne, Pa., near Philadelphia; and Discovery Cove in Orlando.

Source: SeaWorld San Antonio