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Last year, SeaWorld said it would no longer breed killer whales
Gestation period for killer whales is between 17 and 18 months
A three-month old killer whale, the last to be born in captivity at SeaWorld, died Monday after serious health problems, including what’s likely to be pneumonia, according to the park.
SeaWorld announced last year that it would end its killer whale breeding program.
Takara, the mother of the newborn calf, already had been pregnant through natural breeding when SeaWorld made that announcement in March 2016, the company said. The gestation period for killer whales is between 17 and 18 months.
Kyara died surrounded by SeaWorld staff. She had been under 24-hour watch and had been hand fed to supplement her nutrition, according to SeaWorld.
“Takara will let us know when she is ready for us to meet the calf and at that time we should be able to determine the gender,” said Julie Sigman, an assistant curator at SeaWorld San Antonio, in a statement.
Takara began bonding and caring for her new baby immediately, according to the park. She previously gave birth to four other calves – two of them are at SeaWorld San Antonio.
Last year, SeaWorld announced it would phase out killer whale shows. The park had come under fire for its treatment of killer whales since the 2013 CNN documentary “Blackfish.” That film profiled one of its whales, Tilikum, who has been involved in the deaths of three people, including SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau in 2010.
Recently, SeaWorld had seen attendance at the parks and its stock struggle.
“The birth of Takara’s calf is also the last chance for researchers to study orca development in ways that cannot be done in the wild, helping to benefit wild whales as well as those in SeaWorld’s care,” the company said in a statement Wednesday.
PETA has called for Takara and her newborn to be sent to a seaside sanctuary.
CNN’s Jeremy Grisham contributed to this report.