Vienna Zoo Schönbrunn Celebrates Sea Lion Offspring

A sea lion was born at Schönbrunn Zoo on July 23. The little one is still housed with its mother in the separated mother-young area of the seal facility. The zoo wants to deliberately give them time and peace until they are integrated with the rest of the lively four-member group, it was announced in a press release on Wednesday. The gender of the offspring is not yet known.

Seal Mom in Vienna Takes Extensive Care of Offspring

Newborn seals weigh between eleven and 15 kilograms and can swim from birth. "Our offspring made its first attempts at swimming on the third day of life. Initially, the mother was always very watchful and tried to keep it in the shallow area of the pool," reported curator Rupert Kainradl. The experienced mother takes care of her young one attentively. At the beginning, the offspring also slept a lot during the day.

Number of Sea Lions Increases Worldwide

The young are nursed for about eight to ten months. "In a few months, it will slowly begin to show interest in its mother's food. Then it will play with the fish and take its first bites more by chance," explained the new area manager Niklas Hörper. Sea lions are native to the coasts of South America. In Chile, Peru, Argentina, and the Falkland Islands, the animals are protected, and the severely depleted populations are increasing again.

(APA/Red)

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