She’s the star of the moment at SeaWorld Abu Dhabi. Two-month-old Kaya has made history, becoming the first walrus to be born in the Middle East or North Africa.
The park’s senior zoological director,Scott McCoy, says the calf’s birth is a huge milestone,not only for SeaWorld but for the zoological industry as a whole.
Kaya may be small for now, but under the care of staff and her watchful mum, she will gain nearly a kilo per day, with walruses typically weighing up to 1.5 tonnes as adults.
The marine mammal has a gestation period of around 15 months, and specialists monitored her mother, Smooshi, closely throughout her pregnancy.
"Smooshi is 23-years- old, and prior to Kaya's arrival, her life here at SeaWorld Abu Dhabi was very different. She's part of a population of walruses that are in total are five,” says McCoy.
