When Tiqa was born at the Vancouver Aquarium on June 10, 2008, she made history. Her mother, Qila, is the first beluga
born in a Canadian aquarium. Tiqa herself
is the first second-generation beluga born
in a Canadian aquarium.

Vancouver Aquarium researchers are
studying how beluga calves learn their calls. Studying belugas at the Aquarium provides them with valuable information that would be difficult to obtain in the wild.

Nala is the newest addition to the Vancouver Aquarium’s beluga family. Born on June 7, 2009, she has almost caught up to Tiqa in size.

There’s still so much we don’t know about
belugas. So Aquarium staff and researchers are excited to have this opportunity to watch two calves growing up together − their growth and interactions will teach us a lot about them.