Back Stage at Seaworld - Sully the Pilot Whale

Sorry for the kids (especially the excited boy asking questions lol) and the trainer talking - I was just trying to grab some footage of him. =]
Some footage of Sully the rescued Pilot Whale taken June, 2011 at Seaworld San Diego
He is currently in a raised backstage pool which not even the behind the scenes tour goes to, so this is really rare!
He is three years old, and almost 100% deaf. Trainers are hoping in the future he can be with Seaworld's other Pilot Whales, Bubbles and Shadow.

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• seaworld
• san diego
• sully
• bubbles
• shadow
• pilot whale
• whale
• rescued
• trainer

[MissDeizibug]

Almost 100% deaf...Training must be tough, if they can't properly bridge him...Unless he can head the whistle?

[coley4evr]

@MissDeizibug He can't hear the whistle unfortunately =[ They have been trying to use other types of bridges, from what I've heard none have been too successful yet.

[RukatheBlackfish]

Did he do any behaviors while you were watching him?

[coley4evr]

@RukatheBlackfish Nothing more than targeting to the trainer's hand as she fed him, and basic hand following. Since he can't hear they are trying to figure out creative ways to bridge him. =]

[RukatheBlackfish]

@coley4evr

Thanks for the info! It's nice to see good video of him. I think it's funny the person said he was almost 3. He was 3 when he was rescued in January 2009.

[coley4evr]

@RukatheBlackfish That's hilarious! The trainer we were talking with said he was a tiny baby when he came in, but I wasn't actually sure if he was right. He was a backstage dolphin trainer who was just showing him to us so he wasn't one of his main trainers.

[realswa]

Sully was rescued at Jan Thiel Beach, just about a mile from where I used to live on the Island of Curacao.