Naya's calf was a 28-day-old female Russian transient killer whale calf who lived at the Moskvarium. She was born there on December 29th, 2023. Her mother was Naya and her father was Nord. Naya's calf passed away due to a cardiac malformation on January 26th, 2024 at the Moskvarium.
Pregnancy & Birth[]
In the mid-October, 2023, Moskvarium announced that Naya was 15 months pregnant and due in December. They released a mini-series about Naya and her pregnancy, along with a website detailing the steps they would take when the calf was born. This was a high-risk pregnancy for a multitude of reasons, including the fact that there were no known cases of a killer whale giving birth alone. The calf was conceived naturally by Nord, but he would pass away 6 months before her birth.
On December 29th, 2023, after two injections of oxytocin and a difficult 10-hour labor, Naya gave birth to a healthy female calf: the first captive orca born in Russia. At the time of her birth, she was about 2 meters in length and weighed 150kg. She immediately swam up for a breath and Naya began assisting her instantly. The calf appeared strong and alert and stayed close to her mom. Naya was showing good maternal instincts and seemed protective of her. The two were not put on public display, in order to allow bonding and recovery.
Death[]
On January 26th, 2024, Naya’s calf passed away. The Moskavrium stated that the cause of death was compensation due to a congenital heart defect. The condition was unable to be diagnosed before her death, as the medical team was not able to perform examinations due to the limited access they had to the calf.
Galleries[]
- Photos of Naya's Calf
- Videos of Naya's Calf