Baby killer whale born at SeaWorld San Diego

SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- A baby killer whale was born at SeaWorld San Diego Tuesday, the park announced.

A 10-year-old killer whale named Kalia gave birth to the calf at 12:34 p.m. after a little more than an hour of labor. The baby whale almost immediately swam to the surface to take its first breath.

This is the seventh successful killer whale birth in SeaWorld's 50-year history.

"I've been so fortunate to see four of them," said Kristi Burtis, supervisor of animal training. "It gets more and more exciting each time.

The baby killer whale is estimated to weigh between 300 and 350 pounds and measures between 6 and 7 feet. It is not yet known what the calf's sex is.

Vets and trainers will monitor the calf and mom around the clock to observe signs of bonding, the park said.

SeaWorld has been battling negative publicity surrounding its treatment of killer whales after the 2013 documentary "Blackfish," which suggested that captivity and SeaWorld's treatment of the whales provoked violent behavior.

In August, SeaWorld announced that it plans to build new first-of-its-kind killer whale environments that will double the size of the whales' tanks.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.