Published: Thu 13 Sep 2012 at 10:57
Updated: Thu 13 Sep 2012 at 10:59
Families booking cheap flights to Tenerife with Jet2.com may want to make a bee-line for the award-winning zoo and oceanarium of Loro Parque, which recently announced the safe arrival of its second baby killer whale.
Loro Parque, a 33-acre animal and plant reserve on the outskirts of Puerto de la Cruz was originally conceived as a parrot enclosure, but has grown to become one of the Canary Islands’ leading tourist attractions.
While the performing sea lions, dolphins and orcas are a major attraction, the park also plays a major role in conservation, housing endangered creatures from across the world. As well as the famous parrots, visitors can see sharks, gorillas, lions and many other animals - including the world’s largest colony of captive penguins.
A major accomplishment at Loro Parque has been its in-house orca breeding programme, managed through its purpose-built Orca Ocean facility. Working in association with Sea World USA, the first adults were introduced in 2006, with the first calf, named Adan, born two years ago.
He has now been joined by a new sibling, as the centre recently delivered a second calf, yet to be named. Almost 1.5 metres long, and weighing in at an arguably impressive 152 kilos, it was nonetheless dwarfed by its mother, Kohana, who delivered her baby following a two-hour labour. Moments after being born, the youngster was at the surface of the birthing pool, taking its first breaths of air.
Loro Parque may be entertaining, but the animals enjoy the highest standards of welfare - something you can see for yourself by booking cheap flights to Tenerife with us at Jet2.com.
