SeaWorld announce birth of endangered Smalltooth Sawfish pupsSource TMX
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00:00 Hi, my name is Becky Orsi and I am a Senior 1 Aquarist here at SeaWorld Orlando.
00:05 We are very, very excited to share the news that we have had three small-to-sawfish pups
00:12 born at our park this summer. This is a monumental event for us and for all zoos and aquariums.
00:18 We are very fortunate and privileged to have these critically endangered animals here with
00:23 us at SeaWorld Orlando. We have a number of different ways that we help care for these
00:27 very incredibly unique animals and make sure that we are doing the absolute best for their daily care.
00:34 One of the many things that we do with these sawfish is we have trained the sawfish to enter
00:40 our medical pool voluntarily for things like feedings and exams. It was in late May this year
00:48 while the female sawfish was getting a medical exam that we did a routine ultrasound. It was at
00:54 that time that we discovered that our female sawfish was in fact pregnant. We were all completely
01:00 thrilled. We had several more exams to check with ultrasound to make sure the development of the
01:06 pups was on track and then the decision was made in early July to move our female sawfish down to
01:15 our Aquarium Health Center so that she could give birth in a quiet and protected environment that
01:21 would be safe and comfortable for her and the pups. The sawfish pups were discovered in their
01:27 pool with their mother on July 11th in the pre-dawn hours of the morning. At about 5 45 a.m. we
01:34 discovered that the pups had joined us. We quickly got a team gathered together and we relocated the
01:41 pups to another habitat very close by to the mother's habitat. The babies in the wild would
01:48 have immediately left the vicinity of the mother and gone off on their own to begin hunting. They
01:53 are born perfect replicas of their parents with one exception. They do not have their signature
01:59 teeth on their saw or their rostrum. The teeth on the saw will emerge within the first few weeks
02:06 of the babies being born. They are not born with those signature teeth so that they do not injure
02:13 the mother. Once we had the pups isolated away from the mother we then took the opportunity
02:18 within a short time of them being born to do full health exams. The pups were weighed, measured,
02:24 blood was taken and ultrasounds were done to check on their hearts, their gills and other
02:29 internal organs. These health checks continue on a regular basis with our vet team and our
02:35 aquarium team to continue to monitor the progress of these pups as they grow and change and become
02:42 ambassadors for their species. The successful birth of sawfish pups in an indoor recirculating
02:49 aquarium environment is a milestone that many aquariums around the world have been working
02:53 towards for many years. These unique and charismatic animals are under threat around the globe and
02:59 scientists around the world are working to better understand their biology and their populations.
03:04 With this birth SeaWorld Orlando has become the first aquarium in the world to have successful
03:09 reproduction of these critically endangered animals in an environment of this nature. This
03:14 birth is the perfect example of what the zoological team at SeaWorld works towards every day. We
03:20 strive to provide the best care possible for the animals in our parks and to make a difference for
03:25 the animals in our world's oceans. This significant birth shows us why zoos and aquariums are so
03:30 important both as a way to bring awareness, understanding and connections to these animals
03:35 with the public and to actively help the well-being and populations of animals out in nature.
03:41 With this birth we have more than doubled the population of small tooth sawfish in aquariums
03:46 in the United States and we are so thrilled to share them and everything they teach us with
03:52 the world. At this time both mom and pups continue to be monitored very closely in our aquarium
04:00 health center. We cannot wait to share these animals with our guests again so please stay
04:08 tuned for updates and look for more information about this exciting event.
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