Motherless whale finds acceptance at Shedd

CHICAGO, Dec. 26 (UPI) -- The first beluga whale raised entirely by humans at Chicago's Shedd aquarium has been accepted by her fellow whales, the Chicago Tribune reported Sunday.

Kayavak's mother died at the aquarium the morning after Christmas in 1999, leaving the female calf, just under 5 months old, alone. Kayavak depended on her mother's milk for survival; she was a year away from eating whole foods.

For the next year, aquarium trainers made sure she had at least two humans with her 24 hours a day. Following the long isolation from her fellow belugas, Kayavak had a difficult time earning acceptance from the other whales.

"It was tough watching her get beaten up on repeatedly," said trainer Tracey Kihnke. "But that's how whales establish hierarchy in the wild."

Five years after her mother's death, Kayavak is healthy, and the other belugas have accepted her. However, they have established her position as the lowest animal in the pecking order.

"She didn't have a mother to teach her how to be a beluga whale," said chief marine mammal trainer Ken Ramirez, who designed Kayavak's survival plan. "I'm really proud that we were able to train her to be one."