A baby beluga whale became the first born to parents that are bred in captivity at the Georgia Aquarium that also celebrated a special occasion on Mother's Day last week.

The baby whale was born at around 1:25 A.M. local time and weighs 126.5 pounds, measuring 59 inches at the time of its birth. The staff at the Aquarium were relieved to know about the condition of its mother named Maris who was in healthy, stable condition after giving birth to its baby. 

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The staff was previously concerned about Maris' condition as the mother whale apparently failed to give birth to a health baby whale in 2012 when she had a calf that was underweight at 82 pounds. After several days, the calf died despite the staff conducting medical efforts and life saving attempts to the frail baby whale.

According to Greg Bossart who is the senior vice president and chief veterinary of the Aquarium, there were challenges indeed for female whales going through the process of giving birth.

He adds that this has been a difficult challenge since whale birth occurs under water where the baby beluga whale needs to take its first gulp of air for their first breath in order to survive. This process involves a dangerous risk of drowning since the beluga babies are expected to swim fast enough the moment after they escape from their mother's womb.

Fortunately, the staff at the Aquarium were all professionals, handling the birth of the beluga whale efficiently and safely in order to make sure that this latest calf from Maris will reach the surface water in time.

According to Eric Gaglione who is the director of zoological operations at the Aquarium, Maris was already attempting to nurse its baby only after four hours after the baby was born which is a strong and healthy sign.

Apart from this, the staff offers supplementary milk feedings to the baby where they are obtained by using this special massive breast pump for Maris to extract the milk. To date, the calf is looking healthy and the staff are optimistic about the calf's survival. Over the next month, the baby beluga will begin swimming around the aquarium to become familiar with its new home with the help of the staff.

Tagsbaby beluga whale, beluga whale, Georgia Aquarium, baby beluga whale born georgia aquarium, US