Beluga Kalina celebrates her birthday
On Tuesday, August 1, 2023, Kalina ̶ Russia’s first captive-bred beluga ̶ turned two.
In August 2021, beluga Jessica became a mother, and she was the first white whale to give birth in the dolphinarium setting in Russia. Little Kalina immediately became a favourite of our aquarists, and this Tuesday they wished her happy birthday.
Elizaveta Chizhova, Kalina’s trainer, told us that the baby beluga had started to be trained at the age of nine months. Initially, training aimed at helping Kalina grow and develop properly, which was very important, but not at preparing her for the marine mammal presentation. At 1.5 years old, when the calf began eating larger portions of fish, the trainer included some behaviors from the program in Kalina’s training sessions.
“They were not that easy for her to perform but her interest in the process of training was obvious,” said Elizaveta.
“When Kalina learned her first behavior, she constantly practiced it, demonstrating to everyone what she had learned to do. Sometimes she repeats new behaviors when not asked to do so, as if trying to improve her performance. Kalina also enjoys interacting with a trainer in the water ̶ since her very birth I have always swum with her and Jessica, and it has always been of great interest to the young.”
We are pleased to announce that on Friday, August 4, Kalina ̶ for the first time in her life ̶ will demonstrate her skills to the public.
Happy birthday and good luck, Kalina!