On Wednesday, November 13, 2024, the second beluga calf born at the Primorsky Aquarium turned six months. The female baby whale was born early in the morning on May 13 to second-time mother Jessica, age 17. Jessica’s first offspring, named Kalina, was born at the facility in 2021, and it has been almost a year that she has been participating in the marine mammal presentation.
According to Dolphinarium trainers, Jessica’s pregnancy was without complications and lasted for some 12 months. Immediately after birth the calf started swimming on her own, and later that day she began to nurse.
The youngest resident of the Dolphinarium rapidly grows and gains weight, and now she is several times her birth size. Currently, the baby whale is undergoing her second molt, and her skin is gradually getting paler. Marine mammal trainer Elizaveta Chizhova, who cares for the beluga calf, has told us that she is very sociable, playful and curious. The calf hasn’t been officially named yet but Elizaveta calls her Leia after a princess from a well-known science fiction movie.
“When Kalina was as young as Leia, she seemed to me very sociable and fearless, but as far as I can see, Leia possesses these qualities to a greater extent than her elder sister,” said Elizaveta. “The baby beluga constantly wants to be near Kalina, rubs against her body, often swims up to her, attempting to play, and tries to hang out with Kalina as much as possible. She is not afraid of humans and fearlessly approaches me, letting me touch her.”
Now Jessica and her two offspring are being kept in a separate pool. Though in a few months the calf will begin to take fish, she will continue to depend on her mother’s milk until she is some two years old. In about twelve months’ time the baby beluga will start being trained and join the Dolphinarium’s crew of “sea canaries”.
The birth of a baby beluga in an aquarium setting is quite rare. All successful breeding records for this species only came from foreign institutions prior to 2021, when the Primorsky Aquarium became the first public aquarium in Russia to welcome a beluga calf. Aquarium biologists believe the successful breeding is due to the favorable conditions that they provide to these marine mammals and that mimic those of their natural habitat.
