Loro Parque in Tenerife, Spain has welcomed its first ever baby orca. Weighing in at just over 150kgs, the energetic young male instinctively swam to the surface to take his first breath moments after his arrival.
The calf is currently being hand-raised as first-time mother, Kohana, unfortunately did not bond with the baby. The adorable offspring is being cared for in a specially designed nursery pool and bottle-fed milk expressed directly from its mother in order to maintain his growth and development. The veterinary team at the park are continually observing the progress of the new addition and are hopeful that they will be able to reunite the calf with his mother and the other three orcas shortly.
To mark this momentous birth, the baby has been aptly named Adan, Spanish for Adam -- the first man. Deputy Manager of the Loro Parque Foundation, Dr. Javier Almunia, commented on Adan's arrival saying "this birth is a major milestone for our breeding programme and is confirmation of the wellbeing of the orcas who have been at the park since 2006".
Milking Mom:
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