Inside Conservation Blog

Happy Mother’s Day to All, Especially Our Killer Whale Moms!

Emily Winterhalter — Fri, 10 May 2013 20:17:37 +0000

This Mother’s Day weekend we celebrate moms everywhere – and of every kind. Even after witnessing more than 20 killer whale births at our parks, we're always amazed at the care killer whale calves receive from their mothers. Here are some fast facts on killer whales and why we think they are such fantastic moms.

Big baby!

Killer whale calves start out life bigger than most human adults! From our experience, SeaWorld estimates newborns are about 8.5 ft. (2.6 m) long and weigh approximately 350 lb. (160 kg).

Got (lots and lots of) milk?

Killer whale calves nurse for one to two years. The milk people drink contains about 2% to 3% milk fat…how much fat do you think is in the milk that killer whale calves drink? Try up to 43%!

Heads or tails?

Most calves are born tail-first, but we’ve also seen head-first deliveries here at SeaWorldOrlando.

No rest for the weary

Mom, how much sleep do you get? SeaWorld sleep research discovered that the killer whale moms and calves didn’t appear to sleep or rest for the entire first month of a calf’s life!

Marvelous moms

Hey moms! Killer whales are pregnant for about 17 months–nearly twice as long as people!

They grow up fast, don’t they?

Thought your kids grew fast? Killer whale calves gain about 1,000 lbs. (454 kg) in their first year of life.

Wishing all of the Moms out there a very special Mother's Day from SeaWorld Orlando!

Turning the Lights Off to Turn Earth Hour On

Kathryn Danganan — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 17:22:30 +0000

Saturday, March 23 marked the seventh year that Earth Hour took place across the globe. It also marks the very first year that SeaWorld San Diego held an official Earth Hour event. Created by the World Wild Fund for Nature (WWF), Earth Hour challenges everyone around the world to turn their lights off for one hour to help raise awareness about the need to take action against climate change.

I was thrilled that we were able to join millions around the world and go dark for one hour at SeaWorld to shed some light on a very real issue: climate change. This year, my fellow team members and I met at the park and turned the lights off at Wild Arctic for Earth Hour.

We camped out at our walrus underwater viewing area and had some coffee, cupcakes and a conservation conversation. It was that night that I learned that even a handful of people can make an impact. As we sat in the dark, with flashlights of course, and watched one of our walruses swim in the underwater viewing windows, I couldn’t help but think about how special and important every species is to our Mother Earth and how taking an hour or just a moment to conserve is so worth it in the long run.

Speaking of running….What was next on the conservation agenda? On Saturday, April 20, I joined approximately 700 people at SeaWorld’s second annual Pole to Pole 5K Fun Run, benefitting the non-profit Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute.

Running through Shamu Stadium

Our arctic fox animal ambassadors at the Pole to Pole Gift Shop, interacting with participants

Me and some of my fellow Wild Arctic team members who ran in the race – our shirts say “Don’t Be Trashy Reduce Reuse Recycle”

Team members in the park also celebrated Earth Week and Day (April 22). So now we’ve celebrated the earth for an hour, a day and an entire week here at SeaWorld San Diego. Please join us in the celebration and host your own earth week at your company, school or home. It doesn’t just have to happen on Earth Week or Day – why not celebrate it on your own once a month? You just might be pleasantly surprised how many people genuinely want to learn how or what to do to conserve our planet.

SeaWorld Orlando Now Caring for Orphaned Manatee Calf Rescued Near Merritt Island, Fla.

Emily Winterhalter — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 20:16:21 +0000

An orphaned manatee calf was rescued yesterday afternoon by the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission, and then transported to SeaWorld Orlando late yesterday for rehabilitation and long-term care. The young calf was spotted swimming alone by a private citizen prior to its rescue from Sykes Creek in Merritt Island, Fla.

Measuring approximately 36 inches long and weighing approximately 35 pounds, the male manatee was rescued due to its young age -– the calf is only estimated to be between one and two weeks old, and his mother was nowhere to be found. The white markings on his nose resemble rub marks that typically occur when manatees are searching along shorelines or near trees for food.

Upon arrival at SeaWorld Orlando, animal care experts took blood samples, gave the manatee antibiotics and observed his condition overnight. The calf will receive regular tube feedings, and will continue to be monitored closely during the next few days.

So far in 2013, SeaWorld has rescued eight manatees and returned one back to their natural habitat. In collaboration with the government and other members of accredited stranding networks, SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment operates one of the world’s most respected programs to rescue ill and injured marine animals, with the goal to rehabilitate and return them to the ocean. SeaWorld animal experts have helped more than 22,000 animals in need - ill, injured, orphaned and abandoned - for more than 40 years.

All manatee rescue footage produced by SeaWorld under FWS Permit Number MA7701911.

If you see an injured marine animal, you can help by calling the FWC hotline at 1(888) 404-3922 or by dialing *FWC on a cellular device.

Celebrate World Penguin Day at SeaWorld San Diego!

Kathryn Danganan — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 16:20:54 +0000

Happy World Penguin Day from the globe’s benchmark penguin exhibit, SeaWorld San Diego’s Penguin Encounter! Today is a special World Penguin Day for us, seeing as in another month, the Encounter will celebrate its 30th anniversary, officially becoming comfortably middle-aged.

The Penguin Encounter is not the only one surpassing the three-oh mark. Our Encounter’s perhaps most famed ambassador, King Tut, had 31 candles decorating his birthday cake this year. He hatched on February 28, 1982, and has reigned over the Encounter ever since. With chest proudly puffed, you can most likely find him near the entrance of the Penguin Encounter exhibition (out on the ice). There, he greets guests and keepers alike with a boisterous trumpet, bill pointed proudly to the ceiling.

Today he trumpets “Happy World Penguin Day!” Take the time today to celebrate our planet’s web-footed friends and learn best you can how we can help penguins in their icy environs. As Tut would say, “Wings out! Let’s celebrate!”

And for more penguin fun, SeaWorld Orlando’s Antarctica: Empire of The Penguin, opening this spring, will transport you into the world of the penguin like never before with a thrilling family ride and up-close penguin encounters. Experience the chill now at SeaWorldOrlando.com/Antarctica and download the world’s coolest app,SeaWorld’s Antarctica.

SeaWorld San Diego’s Penguin Encounter: 30 Years in About 30 Days

Kathryn Danganan — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 22:34:31 +0000

This May, the SeaWorld San Diego Penguin Encounter celebrates its 30th anniversary. For three decades, the Penguin Encounter weather hasn’t wavered much. It’s always been an unwelcoming brisk 25 degrees, with 100 percent chance of snow. These are temperatures that would keep your ice cream at proper set, but temperatures that keep emperor penguins at the casual.

It’s a little slice of Antarctica, we like to say.

To say so, however, requires some perspective. And a bit of a history lesson. With the 30th anniversary on the horizon, any talk of the Penguin Encounter necessitates a look back — much further back, really, than 1983 — back when photographs were sepia-toned and there was no such thing as a penguin in San Diego. I, of course, refer to the days of one Sir Ernest Shackleton, Antarctic explorer.

Recently, photographs of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s early 20th century expeditions to Antarctica surfaced on the Internet: ghostly pictures of the English admiral’s three-sailed barquentine vessel impinged in ice, its last voyage stopped and anchored forever along the South Continent’s frozen shelf. There were happier photographs: tongue-lolling sled dogs seeming to smile at the camera and bearded gents sporting icicles in their remarkable whiskers.

At the time, there was an international campaign — a race, even — to reach the South Pole, and Shackleton was among the competitors. Unfortunately, he never quite made it to 0 degrees S latitude, but in his pursuit of the Pole, he scaled mountains, traversed ice plains and otherwise made history at the bottom-most part of the world for famously surviving a shipwreck in the Weddell Sea.

Imagine being suddenly homesick, roughly 15,000 miles away from your bed, as your ship fast sinks to an icy grave in an eruption of splinters. Shackleton surely felt this on a winter’s day in 1915, as his vessel — the Endurance — failed its namesake and surrendered to Antarctic waters. Shackleton and his crew watched this spectacle from a nearby ice floe. The word ‘despair’ probably seemed grossly inadequate at the moment; the world was meanwhile at war and an ice floe at the bottom of the world must’ve seemed a pretty inconvenient place to be.

Shackleton and his crew amazingly survived this. Over 400 days adrift, keeping company only with emperor penguins and the frozen landscape, the crew landed on Elephant Island some 300-odd miles distant from where the Endurance sank. It was almost another 200 days before the crew was rescued, Shackleton having to navigate the stormy South Sea some 800 nautical miles to South Georgia Island in a makeshift boat crafted of tarpaulin, wood, and seal-blood. It was at South Georgia, famous home to king penguins, that Shackleton gathered a rescue party for the return trip to Elephant Island.

Save for three, everyone returned home alive. Shackleton suffered frostbite. He had given up his mittens to an ailing crew member.

End all, with ten years of life-experience excruciatingly packed into two flips of the calendar page, Shackleton found his way back to the UK. Were he to summarize Antarctica in a few short sentences, he perhaps would’ve said: ‘The Southern Continent is a really hard place to be. Dark half the year, and colder for much longer than that.’

Seventy years later, and the United States’ own National Science Foundation was still echoing the sentiment. American research stations were built on old landing harbors; scientists were still snowshoeing ground trod by early-century explorers like Shackleton. And the NSF was still curious about so many things, particularly the life cycle of the emperor penguin. There’s only a small window, though, in which the Antarctic continent and its penguin inhabitants can really be studied before all is too dark, and too cold. As Shackleton could have attested, it’s hard surviving the highest, driest desert in the world.

Many national flags have been planted in Antarctica’s terra firma since Shackleton made his gallant escape 100 years ago. Among them, American scientists finally raised a white one. Why not move a piece of Antarctica to American soil instead of weathering the Southern Continent year-round? Preferably a piece including emperor penguins. This is where SeaWorld San Diego finally enters the picture. The National Science Foundation approached SeaWorld San Diego and The Hubbs Research Institute in 1972 with this challenge: construct a facility that can appropriately house emperor penguins — birds built to withstand the coldest environs in the world — in sunny San Diego.

The bird curator at the time was Frank Todd. Though not a Sir like Ernest Shackleton, Todd nonetheless demands respect from his peers. He is a giant in his field, an expert on penguins and waterfowl alike. When the National Science Foundation laid down their challenge, Frank Todd famously accepted. He designed the now-famous Penguin Encounter, the benchmark Antarctic exhibit in all of the world and home to more than 350 black and white birds.

Check back here, on Inside SeaWorld, on World Penguin Day, Thursday, April 23 as we continue our exploration of the Penguin Encounter’s history.

Help Discovery Cove in Orlando Name the Newest Addition to its Family

Sharon Moore — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 15:37:25 +0000

Help us name the newest dolphin calf born at Discovery Cove on Monday, February 25, 2013. Each birth is exciting to us, and this time we have an added surprise! We are leaving the naming up to our fans. Our fans must “Like” the official Discovery Cove Facebook page and click on the “Discover Paradise” tab in order to participate. The name with the most votes wins.

Fans can choose between the following names:

FINN– Means finder. Dolphins are exceptional finders and use echolocation (echoes) to find fish and other objects.
DALLES- kenDAL +LESter – a combination of mom and dad’s names
KENT- Kendall is the Valley of the river Kent

Voting starts today and goes through May 1, 2013.

The Story of SeaWorld San Diego’s Sina the California Sea Otter

Kathryn Danganan — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 18:03:25 +0000

California sea otters are found off the coast of central California from half Moon Bay to Point Conception. They live in or near kelp beds and rarely come ashore. They are a threatened species, with the population count at just about 3,000 animals. Unfortunately, sea otter populations face many threats, including oil spills, entanglement in fishing nets and disease. Today, national and international laws protect sea otters. Every year, our colleagues at the Monterey Bay Aquarium rescue several orphaned sea otter pups with the intent of returning as many as possible back to the ocean. The aquarium staff weans the pups quickly and then introduces them to an adult female otter, hoping that they will mentor the orphan and act as a surrogate. Many of these introductions have been successful, reducing the human interaction and allowing these pups to learn skills such as swimming, diving and eating live food from another otter so that they may be returned to the ocean. If there aren’t any available surrogates, many of the orphaned pups will be transported to other facilities. In these cases, they will not be returned to the ocean, primarily because they will be fully raised with human interaction.

(Photo credit: Monterey Bay Aquarium/Randy Wilder)

In August 2012, the Monterey Bay Aquarium received another orphaned pup that was rescued from Del Monte Beach in Monterey. Estimated to be about a day or two old and only 3.3 lbs, this little female pup, named Sina, was raised by the Aquarium staff.

In the fall of 2012, when Sina was only weeks old, the Aquarium wanted to add another zoologically-raised female sea otter to try in their surrogacy program. Sina was the perfect age to allow a new otter some mothering practice. SeaWorld San Diego stepped in to assist this conservation effort by transporting a five-year-old female, named Abby, to the Aquarium.

Abby was an orphaned pup rescued just hours old in Santa Barbara in 2007 and was immediately brought to SeaWorld San Diego for care. She was in critical condition and the youngest otter SeaWorld has raised. Although it was tough to see her go, the SeaWorld team recognized Abby’s mothering potential and was thrilled to find out that she did a fantastic job as a surrogate for the Aquarium. She successfully raised Sina in the winter of 2012.

(Photo credit: Monterey Bay Aquarium/Randy Wilder)

At that point, the SeaWorld team planned for Abby to stay in Monterey and continue as a surrogate for their rescue program. This move also opened up a space in San Diego. At the same time, Sina was about five months old, eating on her own, and able to be independent of Abby. The decision was then made for Sina to be transported to SeaWorld. As you can imagine, the SeaWorld animal care team was thrilled to not only receive a new member to their otter team, but it was a unique circumstance for the team to care for Abby’s first pup. Although Abby was one of the orphans that cannot be returned to the ocean, she has come full circle now in that she can help save and mentor other orphans. Perhaps Sina will follow in her footsteps. Abby and Sina’s story comes full circle and reminds us about the importance of conservation and teamwork.

Sina is currently six months old and has acclimated well to her new home at SeaWorld. She will be introduced to our other three female sea otters in the upcoming weeks. Come stop by Otter Outlook to visit Sina. Follow her amazing story and many others on insideseaworld.com and insideconservation.com!

A Busy Week for SeaWorld Orlando Animal Rescue Team as They Return 16 Sea Turtles to the Ocean

Sharon Moore — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 17:18:49 +0000

After months of rehabilitation, SeaWorld Orlando’s Animal Rescue Team returned a total of 16 sea turtles to their ocean home this week. Of these sea turtles, 15 were rescued Dec. 14, 2012, off the coast of Cape Cod, Mass., as part of a massive rescue of animals suffering from cold stress.

A loggerhead sea turtle named Trey (above) was returned to Flagler Beach, Fla., on Saturday, April 6, 2013, as a part of the sixth annual Turtle Fest. Trey is now 20 inches long and weighs 40 pounds - a 13% increase from when he first arrived at SeaWorld.

The other 14 sea turtles were returned on Wednesday, April 10, to Canaveral National Seashore in Titusville, Fla., of which 11 were Kemp's Ridley (shown above) and three were loggerhead (seen below) sea turtles.

Kemp's Ridley sea turtles are the rarest sea turtles and are critically endangered. The loggerhead sea turtle is an oceanic turtle given its name from their relatively large heads.

The 16^th turtle, Cupid, was returned to Lori Wilson Park in Cocoa Beach, Fla., on Thursday, April 11. Cupid was rescued from Jetty Park, Port Canaveral, Fla., on February 13, 2013, after being discovered with fishing line wrapped around its neck and front flippers. After arriving at SeaWorld Orlando, tests revealed that a fishing hook had become lodged in Cupid’s throat. Surgery was performed soon after to remove the hook.

Prior to returning any animal to their home, SeaWorld’s Animal Rescue Team performs a final medical examination. The Kemp’s Ridley sea turtles ranged in length from 9 to 13 inches and weighed between 5 and 13 pounds. The loggerhead sea turtles were about 2 feet long and weighed between 65 and 85 pounds. Cupid was 12 inches in length and weighed 7.5 pounds.

Pictured above is a dinner-plate sized Kemp's Ridley sea turtle in the crate the Animal Rescue Team uses to transport the animals back to the sea.

In collaboration with the government and other members of accredited stranding networks, SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment operates one of the world’s most respected programs to rescue ill and injured marine animals, with the goal to rehabilitate and return to the waters. For more than 40 years, SeaWorld animal experts have helped more than 22,000 animals in need - ill, injured, orphaned and abandoned.

To learn more about SeaWorld Orlando's animal rescue efforts, check out our B ehind-The-Scenes Tour where you can see rescued sea turtles and manatees and talk directly to the team responsible for their rescue, rehabilitation and return.

If you see an animal that needs help in Florida, please contact the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission at (888) 404-3922. Outside of Florida, please contact your local Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Behind the Scenes with SeaWorld’s Rescue Team: My Afternoon with Jody Westberg

Kathryn Danganan — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 21:13:01 +0000

It was a bright sunny day and business as usual at SeaWorld San Diego. I grabbed my things and quickly ran out to meet Jody Westberg, our Stranded Animal Coordinator. I had never ventured that far into that area of SeaWorld, and as relatively new team member this was a novel experience to me. As I hurried over, I spotted Jody walking along the path, I called out to her, she greeted me and off we went— into the hustle and bustle of the animal care world!

On our way we passed a rescue vehicle that had just arrived. Several team members were hurriedly working to accommodate the newly arrived rescued animals. Jody quickly communicated a few things with them and we kept walking past the rush of things. We arrived at the center’s headquarter and were immediately greeted by a flurry of activity. A few conversations and a flight of stairs later, and we had made it inside. The room was large and open, with all the things a well equipped Rescue Center would need. On one side, several team members were on the phone taking down information about other pending rescues. Jody and I continued into another room lined with desks and computers and finally took a seat. I felt as if I had just walked through a scene of an action-packed movie.

Among the many things Jody and I talked about, she explained that typically the number of rescues SeaWorld encounters depends largely on what is going on with the oceanographic environment’s impact on local marine mammal populations. She told me that one of the greatest advantages SeaWorld has is that “we have access to fill whatever needs these animals have immediately.” During my time with her, she emphasized that “SeaWorld never says no to any animal. We have the knowledge and the knowhow and will do anything we can to help.” Throughout our conversation she explained “There is always something that we can each do. None of it is hard; it’s just a matter of taking time to be aware and conscientious, and to think about the choices that you are making and the impact they will have later on.”

During my time with Jody, it was very evident just how passionate she was about her role with SeaWorld’s rescue and conservation efforts. I would never expect anything less from SeaWorld but I was left feeling very proud to be an extended part of such a special team of individuals who literally save lives every single day. In a world where unfortunately many individuals find themselves removed from some of society’s bigger problems, I left feeling empowered that I too could make a difference. Next time you think there is nothing you can do in your own life that can benefit the health of our oceans, remember Jody’s wise words, “Everybody is a part of SeaWorld’s rescue team and together we can all make a difference!”

These New Animal Ambassadors are Hoppin’!

Kathryn Danganan — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 17:59:39 +0000

With Easter just around the corner, rabbits are enjoying their “holiday spotlight”. The same goes for two of SeaWorld San Diego’s newest animal ambassadors: Bigwig and Clover. They’re both Flemish Giant Rabbits, which is one of the largest domesticated breeds in the world. How large, you ask? Well, it isn’t unusual for males and females (bucks and does) to average between 16 to 20 pounds. That is a lot of fluff and cute to love!

These rabbits truly are “gentle giants” with a very mellow nature, but they still require a dedicated and knowledgeable owner. This is where Bigwig and Clover hop in -- educating and exciting guests on the benefits of being a Flemish Giant owner, but also raising awareness on the necessity of preparing to be one. As with any animal companion, we emphasize that potential owners research diligently so they know what type of commitment is needed. Often times, an animal companion’s biggest threats come from the people who care for them. For example, due to their large size and mellow nature, they can be great with children, but the Giants still need consistent, proper handling, and should never be left unattended with a child. Their large size also means that they are going to eat more, produce more waste, and also require a different type of housing compared to other breeds. A proper diet and environment are huge factors that determine an animal’s well-being. In short, their extra fluff and cuteness means extra love and care are needed.

Guests can often find Bigwig and Clover out for walks and interaction sessions outside Animal Connections. If you’re considering becoming a Flemish Giant owner, we would love for you to come visit these two to learn more about them; and remember, a great owner is a knowledgeable and dedicated one!