Eda the sea lion is already a teenager | PRAGUE | News
He manages to check his teeth, let himself be examined even on his stomach and also manages to say hello and even be shy. This already entertains the others in the pack, including the sea lion Ed. He is currently three years old. However, according to the breeders, he is already showing the strength of adolescence.
“They become sexually mature around the age of five or six, so he’s actually in the middle of puberty right now. But he is very clever, interested in exercise and of course he is gradually outgrowing the female. They are currently testing it on females. He doesn’t have such an advantage yet, sometimes he catches it from someone, but there is a certain hierarchy in that group, and as he will gradually grow up and get stronger, he will actually overpower them in a moment, and the females will know that there is no point in messing with him.” says breeder Helena Rosypalová.
The Prague Zoo unexpectedly kept the sea lion Edu, he will serve as the breeding alpha male in the group. Before the holidays, Ed’s father – the male Melon – left the sea lion line. Ed demonstrates his skills almost daily together with others during commented training.
“We mainly train obedience, because with age it is also related to his behavior. It’s like with children. So we just set the rules that he will understand. Disobedience has a little to do with it, so we keep repeating it with him and teaching him new things. As I say, he enjoys it and he doesn’t get angry at anyone who plays,” adds breeder Rosypalová.
Eda is the grandson of the well-known sea lion Gaston, who died during the floods in 2002 and thus became their symbol. His mother Abeba and the females Ronja and Daisy are part of the group of four sea lions.