In honor of Father’s Day, here’s a fun video of Simon, an otter at SeaWorld who is very attentive to his young. He helps them swim, he encourages them, and he cuddles with them!

Watch the video below!

An injured adult sandhill crane and an orphaned crane chick bond at SeaWorld. Photo provided by SeaWorld.

A few weeks ago, the aviculture team at SeaWorld Orlando took into their care an adult sandhill crane with a rubber gasket stuck around his bill. The gasket not only made it impossible for the crane to eat, it impeded upon the proper development of his bill. The SeaWorld team removed the gasket and provided around-the-clock care to rehabilitate the bird.

While caring for the adult, SeaWorld rescued a newly-hatched, orphaned sandhill crane chick. Although older cranes sometimes do not tolerate unfamiliar chicks, the team decided to see if their rescued adult might act as a surrogate for the chick. And to everyone’s delight, the pair bonded!

By taking the orphan under wing, the adult crane has given the chick the opportunity to mimic and learn behaviors needed to survive in the wild. Eric Reece, SeaWorld’s Supervisor of Aviculture, adds, “The fact that the adult crane took to the chick bodes well for the development of the chick. It is now growing and doing well.”

Once the adult crane has recovered from his injuries and the chick learns to fly, both birds will be released into the wild together.

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SeaWorld rehabilitation experts have been working around the clock tending to a baby manatee orphan.  Every three hours, the 3.5-foot, 41-pound marine mammal is bottle-fed with a nutrient-rich formula. Every other day, the animal care specialists weigh the manatee and monitor her progress. Although her condition remains guarded, park veterinarians hope to eventually release her back into the wild.

The manatee, just weeks old, was rescued from the waters of Daytona Beach, Florida and transported to SeaWorld by the Florida Wildlife Conservation Commission.

In the wild, all three species of manatee are considered threatened by the IUCN Redlist. The Florida manatee subspecies is considered endangered.  Threats include habitat destruction, red tide, and boating accidents.

SeaWorld animal care specialist Jeff Braso bottle-feeds a baby manatee, Tuesday, July 27, at SeaWorld’s Rescue & Rehabilitation Center in Orlando, Fla. The park’s animal staff has been providing 24-hour care for the animal since she was orphaned by her mother in Daytona Beach, Fla. on July 24, 2010. (Photo by SeaWorld Orlando)

A tawny frogmouth chick, hatched April 11, 2010 at SeaWorld Orlando, reaches for a bite to eat.

This tawny frogmouth chick, shown being fed by its mother,  is the 24th chick bred by SeaWorld aviculturists over the past 10 years.  In the past,  tawny frogmouth breeding programs were largely unsuccessful, and populations in North American zoos dwindled.  But SeaWorld worked with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) to improve captive breeding methods, and the program has helped strengthen population numbers.  The little guy pictured above is the first chick in the program to be raised by its parents, instead of hand-reared by aviculturists.

Tawny frogmouths inhabit the savannas and open woodlands of Australia. When threatened, they rely on camouflage for protection.

Back in September of last year, we posted a video of dolphins making air bubble rings with their blow holes.  Now, SeaWorld curators in Orlando, FL have noticed a surge in this playful activity in their dolphins at Dolphin Cove.  The dolphins create a perfect bubble ring and then push it with their rostrums (bottlenoses) or bite it.  The dolphins learn the technique by watching other dolphins create rings.

To learn more and see more photos/videos, see DolphinBubbles.com.