Bevy of bystanders beholds birth of baby beluga in BC

And now for the very best kind of “exploding” whale…

After 15 months of pregnancy, Qila the Vancouver Aquarium’s 12-year-old beluga whale has given birth to her first calf.
The birth was captured live by television cameras.
Qila was the first beluga whale to be conceived and born in a Canadian aquarium.
She has remained in the aquarium with her mother Aurora, who is 21 years old.

BBC news also has a great video of the birth.

Next, Jon Murray of The Province has a nice gallery of photos:

Finally, the Vancouver Aquarium has posted an official announcement of the birth as well as their own video on YouTube:

And if you just can’t get enough of this baby beluga, tune into the Vancouver Aquarium’s “belugacam” — not to be missed!