© 2026 WGCU News
PBS and NPR for Southwest Florida
Donate
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Check Out Those Cute Little Whiskers: First Baby Walrus Born At Sea World Orlando

WLRN Public Media | By Catherine Welch
Published June 14, 2017 at 7:57 AM EDT
Mom Kaboodle with her baby at Sea World Orlando.
Courtesy of Sea World
Mom Kaboodle with her baby at Sea World Orlando.

Sea World has welcomed its first baby walrus.

The baby walrus was born June 3rd, and it’s the first calf for mom Kaboodle.

Sea World veterinary teams are keeping an eye on mother and baby, who are bonding and snuggling as they sleep.

They are not currently on display, but Sea World says they will be used to teach guests about the plight of walruses due to climate change and a thinning ice pack.

There are about a quarter of a million walruses in the world.

Copyright 2020 WLRN 91.3 FM. To see more, visit .

Tags
WildlifeSea WorldLocal
Catherine Welch
Now that she manages a full newsroom she files less regularly for NPR’s All Things Considered, Morning Edition and Weekend Edition. In 2009 she was part of an NPR series on America’s Battalion out of Camp Lejeune, NC following Marine families during the battalion’s deployment to southern Afghanistan. And because Wilmington was the national test market for the digital television conversion, she became a quasi-expert on DTV, filing stories for NPR on the topic.
See stories by Catherine Welch
Trusted by over 30,000 local subscribers

Local News, Right Sized for Your Morning

Quick briefs when you are busy, deeper explainers when it matters, delivered early morning and curated by WGCU editors.

  • Environment
  • Local politics
  • Health
  • And more

Free and local. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.

More from WGCU
  • Winners mezzo-soprano Simona Genga, soprano Luna Park, tenor Minghao Liu and bass Camhur Gorgun stand with Opera Naples Executive Director Melanie Kalnins at last year's finals.
    Arts & Culture
    Competitors and jurors announced for 2026 Luciano Pavarotti Foundation Opera Naples International Voice Competition
    Tom Hall
    Opera Naples has announced the contestants and jury members who have been selected for the 2026 Luciano Pavarotti Foundation Opera Naples International Voice Competition. Out of 430 singers from 19 different countries who applied to compete, 20 contestants were selected.
  • Choreographer Sami Doherty
    Arts & Culture
    Choreographer Sami Doherty believes young dancers can do much more than they realize
    Tom Hall
    While Sami Doherty choregraphs to the strengths of her cast, she generally finds that young performers are capable of much more than they realize.
  • Environment
    Introduction to Loggerhead Shrikes when they are at their peak abundance in Florida
    Dr. Jerry Jackson
    The Loggerhead Shrike is found in Florida year-round, but reaches its peak abundance in mid-winter with the arrival of more-northern migrant birds.Shrikes feed extensively on insects, small mammals, birds, reptiles and other prey that they capture on or near the ground. As snow begins to cover the ground to the north, shrikes head south – joining the human “snowbirds” and our resident non-migratory population of shrikes.Little is known of interactions between the migrant and the resident shrike populations – providing a difficult, probably long-term, research opportunity. Both resident and migrant shrikes occupy open habitats both in cities and in the country-side.Roadsides with close-cropped vegetation and bordering fences are favored sites because of the presence of road-killed or injured animals and the ease of seeing animals crossing the road.Their flight in pursuit of prey is often within 3-4 feet of the ground. This, of course also makes shrikes vulnerable to getting hit on the road. Thus far Loggerhead Shrikes remain across their continent-wide range, but they also remain very vulnerable.