Pilot Whales and SeaWorld's Rescue Team

Hey, it's Alberto, your Self-Proclaimed Cetacean Whisperer.

I'm writing to talk about SeaWorld Orlando's Pilot Whales: Ava, Ace, Piper and Freddi.

These four whales were rescued years ago from two separate mass strandings, and being so young, they were deemed non-releasable. The government asked SeaWorld to take care of them, and for years, they lived over at SeaWorld Orlando's Dolphin Theater. In mid 2017, they became too big, so they got moved over to Shamu Underwater Viewing.

Every once in a while, I stop by to play with them. They're just so cute and funny.
 

Freddi

Ace





Ava







Piper



These whales are just one of the many stories from SeaWorld's rescue team. For over 50 years, SeaWorld has been dedicated to rescuing and rehabilitating, sick, injured, or stranded wildlife, and releasing them back to the wild when possible. Whenever an animal is deemed non-releasable, chances are that it'll have a home at any one of SeaWorld's 3 parks. SeaWorld has rescued over 33,000 animals so far, and they're still counting. I'd say SeaWorld's biggest rescue (literally) is J.J. the orphaned gray whale (https://seaworldcares.com/2016/09/The-Story-of-JJ/).

Every ticket guests buy at SeaWorld goes directly towards helping animals worldwide...

From Park to Planet!!!

First Day of College

Hey there, it's Alberto, your self-proclaimed Cetacean Whisperer.

Today, August 20th, was the first day of courses at the Penn State World Campus. I'm just gonna study well, work hard, and most importantly, work smart. I will get that degree, and eventually work with my killer buddy Trua.

In between study sessions, I'll still have time to work, chill out, and play with the animals at SeaWorld.

Graduation and Enrollment

Hey everyone, it's Alberto, your Self-Proclaimed Cetacean Whisperer. Some exciting news: I finished my last course at Animal Behavior Institute (an online school), and now I'm waiting for my Animal Training and Enrichment certificate in the mail. This will push me closer to my dream of becoming a trainer.

I'm also enrolled in Penn State University World Campus. I'll be able to work and study with ease. I'm majoring in Psychology. I already have lots of credits, so that's gonna give me a head start.

The Baby Dolphins of SeaWorld Orlando

Hey everyone, it's Alberto, your Self-Proclaimed Cetacean Whisperer.

I'm writing this blog post to talk about SeaWorld Orlando's Dolphin Nursery. This is where pregnant female dolphins go to have their babies. Trainers take care of the mothers and their calves here; monitoring their health, and keeping them physically and mentally stimulated. There are also a few babysitter dolphins to help the moms with their babies. In 2017, Dolphin Nursery was revamped to have underwater viewing windows, which means baby dolphin playtime!!!


I tend to go to there during work breaks, or even when I'm off duty and just want to play with the babies.

Currently, there are 2 mom and calf pairs: Hailey with Storm and Damara with Delilah. There are also 5 babysitter dolphins: Dash (who happens to be Damara's mom), Yar, Ariel, Tinker, and Naia.

The babies are just so cute. I love how they almost always come to play with me. Sometimes, the older dolphins jump in too. They love to see bubbles and colorful stuff. They also love to play chase and follow stuff.

Delilah

Hailey and Storm

Yar

Damara


And of course, there are training sessions to keep the dolphins physically and mentally stimulated every day.





Totally Trua

Hi everyone, it's Alberto, your Self-Proclaimed Cetacean Whisperer.

Even before working at SeaWorld, I've loved the animals there. However, since I got hired, I've been starting to have favorites. One of them is my buddy Trua.

I first saw Trua in a video where someone was playing with him. He was just a calf in the video. Then over the years, I saw more videos that showed his personality.

When I visited SeaWorld in 2012, I saw Trua in person. In 2016, a few weeks after I got hired, I went to SeaWorld to play with the whales. Trua came to play with me; the first the time I was one on one with a killer whale.

Since then, I've had more interactions with him.

 

So Funny


He made my 26th birthday special

Someone loves bubbles

Into the eyes of Trua...

Just recently, I had a Killer Whale tour with Trua. It was so much fun.







Alberto and Trua for the win!!!

Trua is my favorite killer whale. He's such a curious, interactive, and playful whale, and he sometimes hangs out with Makaio. Trua is the best, and I really want to work with him someday.

Trua and Makaio

Big Hug!!!

Some blog changes and an update

Hello everyone, this is Alberto. It's been forever since I made a blog post.

I have been changing my blog a bit. First of all, this is the only blog I have now; I deleted the others because I found them to be excessive. Also, I changed the name, so I'm now your Self-proclaimed Cetacean Whisperer. I'll explain below.

I tend to try and play with dolphins and whales at marine facilities that have public underwater viewings, so that's why I gave myself the title and changed the name of this blog. Whether or not the animals come over is entirely up to them, but I keep trying, and when they do come over, it's just lots of fun.

I'm currently employed at SeaWorld Orlando in Park Operations. I basically keep everyone in their seats at Dolphin Theater, and I clean up after shows. I help the park operate! And then after work (if I have time before closing), and between shifts, I play with the animals; I just love that my employment gives me free admission.

Outside work, I'm working towards my dream job; exercising, volunteering at the animal shelter, and taking courses. It's a long road, but I'll get there.

As always, the blog will be about my passion for the ocean and cetaceans, interesting ocean stuff, conservation, my journey to be a trainer, and whatever highlights I can post about when I get there.

Final Countdown, CMA Style

Hey guys, Alberto here, and I'm entering the last week of my internship (can you believe it?).

It seems just yesterday that I was getting started with my internship at CMA. Hard to believe that 4 months have already come and gone. But one thing for certain, they have left me with everlasting memories.

I'll never forget those amazing Sea Life Safari net pulls. I still remember that one time when we caught a small Atlantic stingray (at first, I thought it was a Southern ray) that was then quickly thrown back. There was also that time when we caught a school of spade fish, and those times where we caught large amounts of either mojarra or pinfish; both really common in the bay (did you know that the pinfish are a favorite of the wild dolphins in the bay?). And every now and then we'd come across a huge live lightning whelk (one of the only snails to have a counterclockwise shell).
I also remember when we'd pull up random pieces of debris, from a crab trap to a lawn chair. Both were cut up and either tossed or thrown back in water (since they became artificial reefs).

And on Dolphin Adventure Tour, those times when we'd see 4-6 dolphins; sometimes as many as 8.

And I could never forget my playtime with my dolphin pals Winter and Hope. I'd play with Hope a lot at the window, and I'd talk to Winter at the Winter Zone. She does come to the window, but not as often as Hope.

Nicholas is also a nice dolphin to hang with.

Just last Wednesday, I did a Winter's Trainer Assist. I got to help with Winter's prosthetic tail. I was a lot of fun. On Saturday, I got to sit on the submerged platform for some cute moments with her.

So, plans for the summer:

I don't think I can raise enough money for DolphinLab at the Dolphin Research Center within the time I have left before the program starts or fills up, but I'll try anyway. I would really like to go to Advanced Training and Enrichment. If not there's next summer. Plus I have the College of Marine Mammal Professions, for which I am planning to look into the scholarships.

I'm gonna try to get my job back at Home Depot (I resigned in order go to the internship. If not, there's PetSmart just across the street.

In the meantime, I'll find other ways to raise funds. I'm also gonna keep exercising to do well in the animal trainer swim tests.

As an Intern, CMA has given me a lot of experience these past 4 months, and I look forward to what the future will bring.