New Bremer Bay Orca calf Gabriel made for a most wonderful surprise today as proud mumma Akama surfaced with her newborn right alongside her and the family pod. It was a beautiful morning as we arrived in The Patch and blows were observed as Cheryl and her family pod appeared. The family was relaxed but a flash of black and white accelerated towards us as cheeky Eddie was thrilled to come over for morning greetings and playtime. Swimming around our stern and then up to the bow excitedly we smiled to see Eddie having such a wonderful time and what a special greeting from this lovely young male calf. Soon the rest of the family pod appeared and to our great surprise and delight a brand new calf surfaced right alongside Akama, a baby no more than a couple of days old! The little one moved strongly and swam right alongside mum as baby was pulled along in mums slipstream. It was such an exciting moment to see this new calf with the family as the last calf born to this pod was little Milli whom we first observed back on the 17th January 2021. It was wonderful to see not only Milli today but also the newest member of the family who will soon be a perfect playmate for Milli, Eddie, Dart and Dash.
The name for this new baby was inspired by another very special event that occurred at a similar time to the birth of this calf and only a day ago. Our wonderful Pod Member Alex became an Aunty again and celebrated the birth of her nephew whose name is Gabriel. Meeting this new Bremer Bay Orca calf today we knew exactly the perfect name and are proud to introduce new Bremer Bay Orca calf Gabriel! It will always be a precious memory to look back and celebrate the birth of two very special babies born across the world from each other but with a very special connection. Family is everything for Orca just as it is to us and we are so grateful to celebrate such an important time in the life of Alex and also Akama with much excitement ahead for both families. Throughout the day the Orca youngsters enjoyed plenty of wrestling, spy hops and silliness as they played away from Akama and new calf who remained a little further away. It was a perfect opportunity to meet Gabriel but we also wanted our interaction to be brief in these early days as mother and calf bond. It appeared the rest of the family are of a similar mindset as they played and socialised away from Gabriel but it was clear to see the excitement amongst the family. A beautiful day with the Orca as the winds eased and a big blue sky reached out to meet the Southern Ocean on the horizon as we wished Akama, Gabriel and family a most wonderful time ahead until we meet again.
