Gomafu seal “Futaba” celebrates its first birthday! (Joetsu City Aquatic Museum Umi-no-Tari)

2024.3.12

umigatariゴマフアザラシJoetsu Cityaquarium

Futaba,” a largha seal kept at the Aquatic Museum Umigatari in Joetsu City, Niigata Prefecture, celebrated his first birthday on March 11 with an ice cake topped with his favorite fish.

Futaba is a female largha seal born last year at Umigatari on March 11, 2023. Today, a ceremony was held to celebrate her first birthday, and the staff presented Futaba with a cake filled with her favorite foods: giant cod, horse mackerel, and ice.

Futaba weighed about 11 kilograms when she was born, and now weighs up to 30 kilograms. According to Umiwatari, a largha seal becomes an adult in three to four years and weighs about 100 kilograms.

Futaba performed a trick of waving to the audience as he finished his cake.

About 1,400 congratulatory messages for Futaba, written by visitors, were displayed next to the pool where Futaba is kept.

Visitor
‘It was cute. I wrote four messages.”
I’ve been coming to see her for a year. At first, he was just scurrying around. He seems to have learned some tricks, and we want to watch his growth.

Umitari no staff
Futaba is interested in many things. He has an innocent personality. I want you to see her expression on land and in the water, because they are different.

About 15 minutes from the Joetsu IC of the Hokuriku Expressway.” siteurl=”http://www.umigatari.jp/joetsu/index.html” ido=”” keido=””]