Tenerife’s Loro Parque is celebrating what has been billed a world first in whale research following the successful application of an electrocardiogram in a pregnant orca
The park’s team has been working closely with colleagues from with France’s world-leading National Centre for Science Research (CNRS) to collect data on the heart function of Morgan, its most famous resident, in the final weeks of her pregnancy.
Morgan, who has been in Loro Parque since 2012 after she was rescued when she was separated from her pod and became stranded on the Dutch coast, hit the headlines last month when it was revealed that she was expecting her second calf.
The close relationship enjoyed by park staff with Morgan made her the ideal candidate for a groundbreaking study of her heart as the moment of birth draws closer. Part of the study of the physiological adaptations undergone by cetaceans in the late stages of gestation involves taking readings of her heartbeat and other elements, for which an ECG has been used – an activity which would ordinarily prove extremely difficult without the whale’s cooperation.
“This study provides unprecedented insights into her metabolism and the extra energy demands required for a successful pregnancy, which is crucial for species conservation,” says Javier Almunia, director of Loro Parque Fundación.
Photo: Loro Parque
