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MIAMI — The last orca has been born in captivity at a SeaWorld park in San Antonio just over a year after the theme park decided to stop breeding orcas following animal rights protests and declining ticket sales.
The Orlando-based company said the orca — the last in a generation of whales bred in confinement — was born Wednesday afternoon. SeaWorld did not immediately name the calf because the park’s veterinarians had not yet determined whether it was male or female.
The mother, 25-year-old Takara, was already pregnant when SeaWorld announced in March 2016 that it had stopped breeding its orcas. The gestation period for orcas is about 18 months.
Earlier, SeaWorld’s chief zoological officer, Chris Dold, told The Associated Press he expected the birth to be bittersweet, the last such event at any of the parks. But hours after the birth Wednesday afternoon, Dold said, SeaWorld staff only felt like celebrating.
SeaWorld said mother and calf both appear healthy.
“These are extraordinary moments,” he said by phone while traveling to the U.S. from Abu Dhabi, where SeaWorld is developing its first new park without orcas.
SeaWorld decided to stop breeding orcas and phase out its world-famous killer whale performances by 2019, after public opinion turned against keeping orcas, dolphins and other animals in captivity for entertainment. The backlash intensified after the 2013 release of “Blackfish,” a documentary critical of SeaWorld’s orca care. It focused on the orca Tilikum, which killed trainer Dawn Brancheau in Orlando in 2010, dragging her into the pool before shocked visitors after a “Dine with Shamu” show.
Tilikum, which sired 14 calves over nearly 25 years in Orlando, died of bacterial pneumonia in January.
The newborn calf was sired by Kyuquot at the San Antonio park by natural means. It brings SeaWorld’s orca population in the U.S. to 23. All the orcas are expected to remain on display and available for researchers for years to come in Orlando, San Diego and San Antonio.
SeaWorld has said it will introduce new “natural orca encounters” in place of theatrical shows. This summer, the San Diego park will unveil a new, educational attraction in a revamped pool, and new orca attractions eventually will follow in San Antonio and Orlando.
Dold said veterinarians at the San Antonio park told him the calf was born normally — tail first — after about an hour and a half of smooth labor. Both orcas were swimming calmly and trainers were watching for the calf to begin nursing.
“Mom generally will rest but she can’t rest too much .... mom’s not holding onto the calf, but it’s riding in her slipstream, and that’s how it gets around,” Dold said. “Our expectation is that all of this will go smoothly, but we take none of that for granted.”
Birth control and “social management” will prevent future orca pregnancies, said spokeswoman Suzanne Pelisson Beasley. SeaWorld has not collected a wild orca in nearly 40 years, and most of its orcas were born in captivity.
Researchers have said they worry that SeaWorld’s decision to stop breeding orcas will slowly reduce their ability to study orca health, growth and behavior, limiting them in coming years to collecting data from a small pod of aging whales.
Heather Hill, a St. Mary’s University comparative psychologist who plans to monitor the sleeping habits of Takara and the calf over the coming year, said it was frustrating to see research opportunities at SeaWorld undermined by public opinion amid federal cuts to science funding.
“This will be one of the first times we’ll be able to see not just a mother with a newborn calf but also a newborn calf with siblings,” Hill said.
In a statement, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman said the mother and her calf should be retired to a seaside sanctuary.
“Throughout her life, Takara the orca has been artificially inseminated many times, separated from her mother and two of her children, and shuffled from theme park to theme park at SeaWorld’s whim,” PETA’s statement said.
This is Takara’s fifth calf. Two of her other offspring remain at the San Antonio park, one lives at SeaWorld Orlando and another has been loaned to a park in Tenerife, Spain. SeaWorld has no current plans to separate Takara and the newborn in the future, or to move any of its other orcas, Dold said.
Dold said in March that SeaWorld remains committed to orca research and conservation, calling the last orca birth in captivity “a solemn reminder of how things can change and how things can be lost.”

Morgan City Police Department will be participating in the "Buckle Up in Your Truck" campaign from Friday through April 27, Police Chief James Blair said in a news release.

Officers will be conducting patrols focusing on and assuring that both driver and passenger are properly restrained, the release said.

Pick-up trucks comprise 25 percent of the vehicle fleet in Louisiana. State observation surveys and fatality data show that pickup truck drivers and passengers fall well behind occupants of other kinds of passenger vehicles when it comes to wearing seat belts, the release said.

Pick-up trucks are two times more likely to rollover than cars in fatal crashes. The Louisiana Highway Safety Commission is funding a high-visibility enforcement and awareness campaign to encourage seat belt usage and reduce unrestrained fatalities among our pick-up truck drivers and passengers.

Taking the time to buckle up before every trip is the single most effective thing you can do to protect yourself in a crash, the news release stated.

Central Catholic extended its winning streak to nine games with a bigtime victory Monday as the Eagles defeated Division 1 power Jesuit High School, 3-1, in Metairie.
Central Catholic pitcher Blake Hidalgo had a no-hitter going with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning before Jesuit strung together two hits. The Blue Jays, who entered the game ranked No. 4 in Division 1 according to the latest Louisiana High School Athletic Association Power Rankings, scored their lone run in the bottom of the seventh.
Monday’s win also was the 100th career prep baseball victory for Central Catholic’s senior class.
Central Catholic, Division IV’s top-ranked squad, took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning, and the score remained the same until the Eagles score a run in the top of the seventh for a 3-0 advantage.
Hidalgo earned the win as he pitched seven innings and surrendered one run (unearned) on two hits with four walks and fanned 11.
Offensively, Central Catholic collected seven hits, led by Drake Angeron’s 2-for-3 performance with a double, a triple, an RBI and a run scored. Other top offensive contributors included Samarick Paul, 2-for-3; Bryce Grizzaffi, 1-for-4, with an RBI and a run scored; and Thomas Garber, 1-for-3, an RBI. Central Catholic (22-7) will return to action Thursday when it travels to face Ascension Episcopal in district play. First pitch is set for 6 p.m.
The Eagles, who already have clinched at least a share of the District 7-1A title with a 12-0 mark, can clinch the crown outright with a win Thursday or Saturday if it beats Ascension Episcopal at home.
Berwick sweeps DH with Franklin
The Berwick Panthers swept a doubleheader with Franklin Thursday as the Panthers won 10-0 and 11-1 in Berwick.
In game 1, Berwick scored two runs in the bottom of the second, three more in the bottom of the third and five in the bottom of the fifth to end the game via the 10-run mercy rule.
Berwick’s Cameron Wiley and Collin Kulka combined to hold Franklin to a hit. Wiley earned the win as he pitched the first four innings and surrendered one hit while fanning 10. Kulka pitched an inning and surrendered two walks.
Offensively, Kyle Pitre led Berwick with a 1-for-3 performance with a double, three RBIs and a run. Other top Berwick offensive contributors included Austin Price, 1-for-1, a double, an RBI and a run; Andrew Askew, 1-for-2, an RBI, a stolen base and three runs; Cody Roberie, 1-for-3, an RBI, a stolen base and a run; Grant Oubre, 1-for-3, an RBI; Mitchell Sanford, an RBI, a stolen base and a run; and Lucas Hatch, an RBI.
In game 2, Berwick scored a run in the bottom of the second, and after Franklin tied the score at 1 in the top of the third, Berwick countered with six runs in the bottom of the frame and four more in the bottom of the fourth for an 11-1 lead.
The game was called after five innings due to the 10-run mercy rule.
Berwick stole 12 bases in the win.
Offensively, Pitre and Price led Berwick. Pitre was 2-for-3 with two RBIs, three stolen bases and two runs, while Price was 2-for3 with a double and two RBIs. Other top Berwick offensive contributors included Wiley, 2-for-3 with four stolen bases and two runs; Hatch, 1-for-2, an RBI and two runs; Askew, an RBI, two stolen bases and two runs; and Bradley Gray, an RBI, a stolen base and a run.
Price earned the win. In four innings, he surrendered one run (one earned) on six hits with one walk and fanned six.
Gray pitched an inning of relief and surrendered one hit and fanned one.
Berwick (19-8 overall, 8-2 in district) will return to action Tuesday when it hosts North Vermilion in district play. First pitch is set for 5 p.m. Berwick is ranked No. 3 in the latest Class 3A power rankings, while North Vermilion is ranked No. 4.
The two-game series, which will be played Tuesday in Berwick and Thursday at North Vermilion, is key to both teams’ district title hopes as North Vermilion enters the series also 8-2 in league play.E.D. White is right behind at 7-3 in district.
If either Berwick or North Vermilion sweeps the series, they will win the district, while if the teams split their contests and E.D. White wins its two games with Patterson this week, there will be a tri-district champion as all three will share the crown. A loss by E.D. White in either of its contests to Patterson will knock the Cardinals out of the district title contention.

(Photos above)