In Loving Memory of Kyara

On April 19th, 2017 at 2:33PM local time, Takara gave birth to the last "Baby Shamu" in SeaWorld history. I remember seeing the video of the calf coming to the surface for the first time, and having my breath completely taken away. I've seen plenty of videos of killer whale calves being born, but something about this birth just astonished me. It seemed to me, at least, that I'd never seen a calf take off and take their first breath as quickly as Kyara did in just the first few moments of her life.

Photo Credit: SeaWorld

Even today, the footage still takes my breath away.



 The name Kyara was the combination of the names of her two parents: Takara and Kyuquot. In the first few weeks of her life, Kyara showed a strong bond with her mother Takara and her sister Sakari, and was eventually introduced to the rest of the SeaWorld San Antonio pod. She was growing well, and was observed to be nursing well.

Photo Credit: SeaWorld

However, just a few short days ago, things began to take a turn for little Kyara. She began to show signs of pneumonia, and the animal care team at SeaWorld determined the best course of action was to move the calf out of Shamu Theatre and into the animal hospital area of the park. This action was done to ensure the health of the other orcas at SeaWorld San Antonio, and prevent the spread of the illness. In the past, SeaWorld had successfully hand-raised three killer whale calves, but sadly, mother nature decided it was Kyara's time to go. Pneumonia is the number-one cause of death in both wild orcas, as well as their counterparts in zoological facilities.

Photo Credit: SeaWorld

Kyara's legacy, at least for now, is that she will be the last killer whale calf born at a SeaWorld park. She was extraordinarily special to everyone who ever laid eyes on her, even if only on a computer screen, hundreds of miles away from Texas. Kyara touched the hearts of so many people around the world, and will be sorely missed. We extend our condolences to the SeaWorld animal care team during this difficult time.

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