Global Captive Orca Population

As of last month, a video surface on Weibo that appeared to show Cookie at Shanghai Haichang looking heavily pregnant.

She last gave birth in July of 2023 so it's very possible she could be pregnant yet again - factoring in seventeen month gestation she could be very very soon.
 
Jambo said:
As of last month, a video surface on Weibo that appeared to show Cookie at Shanghai Haichang looking heavily pregnant.

She last gave birth in July of 2023 so it's very possible she could be pregnant yet again - factoring in seventeen month gestation she could be very very soon.
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They way things are going maybe she gives birth before Morgan hahahaha
 
Loro Parque has posted the calf and Morgan on Instagram! They believe the calf is a male, but are not 100% sure.
Loro Parque on Instagram: " ¡Tenemos grandes noticias en Loro Parque! Hoy, a las 5:00 a.m., Morgan nos ha regalado un momento inolvidable: ¡ha nacido su cría! El parto fue sorprendentemente rápido y sin complicaciones. Tanto la madre como su pequeñ@ se encuentran en perfecto estado de salud , y aunque todo apunta a que es un macho… ¡aún no podemos confirmarlo al 100%! Cada pequeño movimiento y cada latido son una muestra del amor que los une y del cuidado excepcional que reciben de parte de nuestro equipo. ❤️ Su nacimiento es un símbolo de esperanza y un nuevo paso en nuestro compromiso con la conservación de la vida marina. ¡No le pierdas la pista! Muy pronto te contaremos más sobre su evolución. ✨ Big news from Loro Parque! At 5:00 a.m. this morning, Morgan gave us an unforgettable gift: her baby was born! The birth was surprisingly quick and smooth. Both mom and baby are doing perfectly well , and while we believe it’s a boy… we can’t be 100% sure just yet! Every tiny heartbeat and wiggle is proof of the incredible bond between them and the outstanding care they receive from our team. ❤️ His arrival is a symbol of hope and another step forward in our commitment to marine conservation. Stay tuned — we’ll be sharing more updates on his journey very soon! ✨ Großartige Neuigkeiten aus dem Loro Parque! Heute um 5:00 Uhr morgens hat uns Morgan ein unvergessliches Geschenk gemacht: Ihr Nachwuchs ist da! Die Geburt verlief überraschend schnell und völlig problemlos. Sowohl die Mutter als auch ihr Jungtier sind wohlauf . Wir vermuten, dass es ein Männchen ist… aber zu 100 % können wir es noch nicht sagen! Jeder kleine Herzschlag und jede Bewegung zeigen die tiefe Verbindung zwischen beiden und die außergewöhnliche Fürsorge unseres Teams. ❤️ Seine Geburt ist ein Zeichen der Hoffnung – und ein weiterer Schritt in unserem Engagement für den Schutz der Meereswelt. Bleibt dran – schon bald gibt es weitere Updates über seinen Weg! ✨"
 
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This gives a bit of extra info about the birth
The baby (presumably a male) was born at 5am on Monday, staff was there ready for the birth.
It says that the baby will stay with the mom in an "special pool" separated from the other two (although in the video it looked like the show pool?). I guess they won't separate mom and baby unless it is necessary.
 
LiSom said:
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This gives a bit of extra info about the birth
The baby (presumably a male) was born at 5am on Monday, staff was there ready for the birth.
It says that the baby will stay with the mom in an "special pool" separated from the other two (although in the video it looked like the show pool?). I guess they won't separate mom and baby unless it is necessary.
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All calves have been born in the main show pool I believe - and yes, this calf was too.

I'm assuming by 'special pool' - they mean the show pool. But it's also possible they could move the pair into one of the back pools in the coming days when they want to get shows back up and running.
 
LiSom said:
If they get proper pictures of the ventral area (or just manage to see it through the windows) it should be possible to know the gender.
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Yes the markings differ from males to females.
ZooApollo said:

A video of Morgan giving birth! The calf was born head-first.
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Head first is the norm! Overall, the birth looks really good and it's good to see Morgan responding to her calf straight away. Good signs thus far - let's hope the calf is feeding from Morgan well.
 
Jambo said:
Yes the markings differ from males to females.

Head first is the norm! Overall, the birth looks really good and it's good to see Morgan responding to her calf straight away. Good signs thus far - let's hope the calf is feeding from Morgan well.
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Incorrect, tail first is the norm for cetaceans.

Also Morgan demonstrated excellent maternal skills with her first calf, so it’s no surprise to see that she’s wonderful the second time around as well. The only reason they (her and Ula) were split was because she had inadequate milk production. Fingers crossed the second times a charm with that one, and she actually has the adequate milk supply to support the calf this time!
 
I wonder how Loro Parque are handling this, as Bjossa was never able to produce enough milk for any of her calves.

I also wonder what would have happened if Kohana had gotten to see a positive mothering role model.
 
Sacchi said:
I wonder how Loro Parque are handling this, as Bjossa was never able to produce enough milk for any of her calves.

I also wonder what would have happened if Kohana had gotten to see a positive mothering role model.
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Unfortunately if Morgan is unable to produce enough milk, the only option would be bottle rearing. Hopefully it was just a one off issue since it was her first calf, but some females, but for some females, they simply can't meet the supply to sustain a calf, for whatever reason, sadly.

Also Kohana would have likely been a decent mother, had she been more mature and allowed more time to witness other competent mothers with their calves. Some cows do seem to just instinctively be good mothers, even if their up-bringing was sub-par otherwise, but for others, they definitely benefit from additional time and experience. Kohana was not even four at the time she was split from her mother, and was only 8 when she gave birth to Trua. She was extremely young, in a poor social situation, and had never truly gotten a chance to be around a competent mother and her calf, as I don't think the three months she spent with Takara after she had Trua (when Kohana was only three and a half) left any lasting impression on her. Just a sad situation all around.
 
Loro Parque announced in their website that Orca Ocean is open starting today so guests can see the baby (shows still cancelled).

I understand this is a sign that things are going good between Morgan and the baby and we will start to get pictures of the calf.
 
LiSom said:
Loro Parque announced in their website that Orca Ocean is open starting today so guests can see the baby (shows still cancelled).
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If I understand this right, does that mean the show pool area is open for visitors but no shows are being held?

My big pet peeve with Loro Parque is the lack of a dedicated underwater viewing area outside of the show tank
 
Evo said:
If I understand this right, does that mean the show pool area is open for visitors but no shows are being held?

My big pet peeve with Loro Parque is the lack of a dedicated underwater viewing area outside of the show tank
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Yes, that would be the case with Morgan and her calf likely on display there.

Loro Parque planned an underwater viewing apart of their proposed expansion of the current complex five or so years back, however it's since been shelved due to their being no real need to expand the current facilities. Hopefully once the Antibes pair arrive, and breeding kicks back off, this will be considered again!
 
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