Ra whanau is how the Maori, people native to the island of New Zealand, say Happy Birthday!

On any given day as a Wild Arctic keeper, we have the opportunity to work with a diverse group of species, ranging from our smallest animal, the arctic fox (weighing in at approximately 10 lbs), to coming face to face with the largest animal at Wild Arctic (and second largest at SeaWorld San Diego) Obie, our adult male Pacific walrus, weighing in at a whopping 3,400 lbs! That’s right -- he is a big boy. But in walrus terms, Obie is a medium-sized male walrus, as male walruses can weigh as much as 5,000 lbs. SeaWorld San Diego is also home to adult female walrus named Seahook.

Thank you to everyone who supported and participated in the 4^th Annual Special Olympics Florida Polar Plunge at Aquatica. Over 1,000 fearless plungers alongside Special Olympic athletes, families, sponsors, staff, fans and community members came together to make this the most successful Polar Plunge to date. With their generosity a total of $205, 241 was raised.

In conjunction with SeaWorld Orlando’s newest attraction, Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin, opening this spring, we want to give you a real glimpse into the life of someone actually living in Antarctica.

Aquatica is pleased to be hosting the fourth annual Special Olympics Florida Polar Plunge� 2013 on Saturday, February 2. Individuals and teams, alongside Special Olympics athletes, families, sponsors and community members will experience heart-warming and bone chilling-extremes as they take the plunge into the cold Aquatica wave pool to raise money for Special Olympics Florida.

Last week, after several months of planning, SeaWorld Orlando kicked off its “Epic Voyage” campaign in New York City to spread the chill about Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin opening this spring.

I recently had a baby boy and of course my husband and I had to bring him to SeaWorld San Diego to meet Santa during SeaWorld's Christmas Celebration! Unlike ever other visit I’ve had (and there have been thousands of times that I have walked through this park), this visit made me take a totally different look at the park. The first few questions I had were: Where will I nurse him? Where can I change him? What do I do with the stroller? What if I need to warm a bottle?

That old adage is true – there’s a big difference between night and day! If you’ve visited SeaWorld San Diego recently during the day you know how festive the park looks with hundreds of Christmas trees throughout the park and buildings adorned in garland. What looks nice during the day looks spectacular at night! There are hundreds of lighted globes strung in trees around Shamu Stadium and stunning tree displays around Manta and on the hillside of Blue Horizons stadium. And that’s just the start of how the park is decked out.

SeaWorld Orlando is completely transformed once the sun goes down. The Christmas spirit is all around you as the dazzling Sea of Trees comes to life, and all of the Christmas Celebration festivities truly begin. The seasonal shows are one of the many highlights of SeaWorld's Christmas Celebration. From a live nativity scene told from the eyes of the animals that were there to a fireworks and fountains finale, there is something for everyone in the family to enjoy.

I love SeaWorld San Diego’s mission to return rescued and rehabilitated animals to the wild. Looking on as sea turtles, seabirds, sea lions and seals get reacquainted with the ocean is quite a sight.