A baby dolphin born earlier this month at the National Aquarium has died. Aquarium officials said the 11-day-old Atlantic bottlenose dolphin calf died early Sunday.
A necropsy was conducted to determine the cause of death. Results are expected in a week or two. Dr. Brent Whitaker, the aquarium's deputy executive director for biological programs, said infection is the likeliest cause of death, although a genetic abnormality is also possible. The female calf was born on March 10.
Aquarium officials noted that one-third of dolphin calves don't survive their first year, either in the wild or in captivity. The calf's mother remains in good health. The mother gave birth to another calf that survived and is now 3 years old.
Source: www.wbaltv.com
Saturday, 27 March 2010
Monday, 22 March 2010
Dolphins will be moved to Attica Zoological Park
This week four young dolphins from Lithuanian Sea Museum will travel to Greece. Bite, Lima, Nojus and Gile, who were born in captivity, will live for at least five years in Athens' zoo called Attica Zoological Park. Trainers and vets from Lithuania will monitor their health and train them in Greece. The dolphins will leave their home on March 24.Because of 3 dolphin births in the last two years, Lithuanian Sea Museum keeps 11 dolphins at the moment and ran out of place. Constructions for the dolphinarium are already planned and after the move of the four young dolphins, the remaining seven animals will be moved to another zoo in Europe, most likely the Spanish park on Tenerife.
NOTE: It's unknown which park on Tenerife they will be transferred to, there is Aqualand in the South of the Island and Loro Parque located in Puerto de la Cruz.
Sources: http://jurumuziejus.blogas.lt/ & http://klaipeda.diena.lt/ (Language: Lithuanian)
Translated by Google & Takulover.
Saturday, 13 March 2010
Dolphin calf born at National Aquarium in Baltimore
There's a new dolphin calf at the National Aquarium in Baltimore.
An Atlantic bottlenose dolphin named Jade gave birth to the calf Wednesday night. The newborn dolphin was about 30 pounds and 2 to 3 feet long at birth.
Aquarium staff haven't been able to determine the sex of the calf yet. But they say the calf appears to be healthy. It has started to nurse and has been swimming alongside Jade and another female dolphin.
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The aquarium notes that even with a successful birth and an experienced mother, about one-third of dolphin calves don't survive their first year of life -- either in the wild or in captivity.
Jade's first calf survived and is now three years old. The birth brings the aquarium's dolphin population to 11.
All dolphin shows have been temporarily suspended.
Source: http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2010-03-12/news/bal-dolphin-aquarium0312_1_dolphin-calf-female-dolphin-bottlenose
An Atlantic bottlenose dolphin named Jade gave birth to the calf Wednesday night. The newborn dolphin was about 30 pounds and 2 to 3 feet long at birth.
Aquarium staff haven't been able to determine the sex of the calf yet. But they say the calf appears to be healthy. It has started to nurse and has been swimming alongside Jade and another female dolphin.
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The aquarium notes that even with a successful birth and an experienced mother, about one-third of dolphin calves don't survive their first year of life -- either in the wild or in captivity.
Jade's first calf survived and is now three years old. The birth brings the aquarium's dolphin population to 11.
All dolphin shows have been temporarily suspended.
Source: http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2010-03-12/news/bal-dolphin-aquarium0312_1_dolphin-calf-female-dolphin-bottlenose
Thursday, 4 March 2010
Nami moves home
The Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium of the killer whale be transferred 5 million yen "nami" = February 25, Taiji Whale Museum, Wakayama Prefecture town Town
Orcas "nami" reproductive transfer of 5 billion yen, to Nagoya
Female orca whale in captivity in the Municipal Museum in the town of Taiji, Wakayama Prefecture, "Nami", the Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium for Breeding Research (Nagoya) to be transferred 5 million yen found in two days. The number of horses bred in the country just eight killer whales in a situation where very little head and is expected research results.
Nami has been captured off the coast of Taiji, Wakayama 1985 years, the current length of 5.60 meters, weight 2.7 tons. Farming is estimated at 23 years of age was 26 years old.
Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium Whale Museum for seven years from five years ago a million females in 1000, "Koo" had rented a mating partner is not able to Boulogne died in the year 2008. The aquarium had been approached to continue the transfer of Nami.
Orcas is the sole purpose of academic research, it can be captured with the permission of the Agency, is alive requires advanced technology and large-scale facilities. According to the agency, it can take years to catch on that we were allowed.
Source
Friday, 26 February 2010
National Aquarium in Baltimore awaits dolphin birth
A baby dolphin is on the way at the National Aquarium in Baltimore.
Aquarium officials say an Atlantic bottlenose dolphin named Jade is expected to give birth by mid-March.
Aquarium staff and a group of 50 trained volunteers have begun around-the-clock observations for signs of labor so they can provide an ideal setting for Jade and the newborn calf following delivery. Careful preparation is important, they say, because in captivity and in the wild about a third of all calves do not make it past their first year.
Aquarium officials say labor signs include reduced appetite, back flexing, side-to-side motions, speed swimming and excretion of milk.
The calf will be the second for Jade, who gave birth to a calf named Foster two years ago.
Aquarium officials say an Atlantic bottlenose dolphin named Jade is expected to give birth by mid-March.
Aquarium staff and a group of 50 trained volunteers have begun around-the-clock observations for signs of labor so they can provide an ideal setting for Jade and the newborn calf following delivery. Careful preparation is important, they say, because in captivity and in the wild about a third of all calves do not make it past their first year.
Aquarium officials say labor signs include reduced appetite, back flexing, side-to-side motions, speed swimming and excretion of milk.
The calf will be the second for Jade, who gave birth to a calf named Foster two years ago.
Grand Bahama school students to name baby dolphins
FREEPORT, Grand Bahama – The International Underwater Explorer’s Society (UNEXSO) is looking to creative young minds to name two baby dolphins they welcomed to the Dolphin Experience family in 2009. UNEXSO has launched a competition within local schools to find unique ‘Bahamian’ names for the two young calves born at the Dolphin Experience.
All elementary schools throughout Grand Bahama are eligible. Each class is being asked to collectively submit a name for consideration. Operations Manager for The Dolphin Experience Dr. Robert Eiser said this way of naming the dolphins has become tradition. “Most if not all our captive bred dolphins have been named by school children. It’s our way of not only giving something back to the community, but a very special way of getting kids more involved with The Dolphin Experience and possibly generating interest in marine life.” The Dolphins at UNEXSO are currently named after Bahamian Islands and Eiser suggested that contest participants should stick with the Bahamian theme.
General Manager at UNEXSO Linda Osborne is excited to see what names students come up with. “Kids by nature are very creative. We are happy to give them an outlet to express their creativity and name our two bundles of joy at the same time.”
Dolphins Taino and Robala are the proud mothers to the baby calves. Fourteen (14) year old Taino gave birth to a healthy calf on September 24, 2009; she is the largest of the younger dolphins at the Dolphin Experience. Robala, twenty-eight (28), is the largest female and had her baby one month later on October 23rd. The two babies bring the dolphin count at UNEXSO to sixteen.
The Dolphin Experience Neo-Natal Team has determined both calves are male, and that mothers and babies are doing well. The Neo-Natal Team is comprised of The Dolphin Experience senior staff with specific personnel assigned to feed and care for each dolphin mother and calf throughout each day.
This latest competition to find great names for UNEXSO’S two dolphin calves is just another way to show the company’s commitment to education. “UNEXSO and The Dolphin Experience remain committed to educating children of all ages about our most valuable resource; the ocean and all creatures within it,” said General Manager Linda Osborne. She highlighted, it’s not just about the competition. “We hope that in asking the school children of Grand Bahama to help us name our newest additions at The Dolphin Experience, we pique their interest in marine mammals. Several of our current dolphin trainers have come through local schools and we want to continue that tradition.”
The class with the winning baby dolphin names will receive a free dolphin encounter with group photo. All entries should be sent via e-mail to \n This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it " target="_blank" style="color: rgb(255, 130, 0); text-decoration: none; ">contest@unexso.com or via fax to 373-8956 attention: Dolphin Experience. Each entry should include: name of school, class and teacher, contact number, name they suggest and why they suggested it. Deadline for entries is March 31, 2010.
Photo 1: UNEXSO Dolphin Experience Mother Robala and Calf – Robala spends some quality time with her baby calf at the UNEXSO Dolphin Experience enclosure. Her calf was born on October 23rd last year. UNEXSO has decided to host a local school competition for elementary students to name the baby dolphin.
Photo 3: UNEXSO’S Jumping Dolphins – Five well trained dolphins showing off their skills as part of UNEXSO’s Dolphin Program. These dolphins can be seen daily. Students from the winning class in this latest baby naming competition will take part in a dolphin encounter as part of their prize package.
(Photos taken by Dr. Robert Eiser)
Thursday, 25 February 2010
Another Article about Tilikum's attack
What led the killer whale Tillikum to attack and kill one of his SeaWorld Trainers in Orlando will not be known until behavioral records from the days and weeks preceding the incident are examined. But one thing is becoming clear. The attack was violent and bloody, perpetrated with a viciousness by one of the smartest of ocean species.
Tillikum did not just knock Dawn Brancheau and drag her down to drown at the bottom of the pool. According to a source, he rose out of the water to snag Brancheau by her ponytail, yanking her into the water for two brief but shocking episodes in the pool. After grabbing her by her hair, he toyed with her underwater for two minutes as she struggled to use trainer signals to calm him down and get him to release her. He knocked her about and, according to some reports, had her by the waist, her blood spreading through the clear water, in full sight of members of the public that had been watching Tillikum with another trainer through a glass underwater window.>
She was still alive at the end of the first take-down when Tillikum let her go. But he watched as she tried to get to safety and then grabbed her again for another minute under water, this time apparently killing her. He then settled at the bottom of the pool, keeping her in his mouth. She apparently remained in his mouth until the staff at SeaWorld managed to beach him as they moved him to a separate pen. No one at SeaWorld was available to confirm reports that Brancheau's body was very badly mangled.(A 2006 killer whale attack in San Diego.)
Killer whale trainer fatalities tend to be drownings, when the human is pushed down and kept underwater. In such situations, experienced trainers know to try calming the whale with signals even as they try to control their own panic. But the violence and abrupt nature of the attack on Brancheau has stunned many in the profession. She was one of the best and most experienced in the field, featured in many of SeaWorld's promotions and advertising.(See a photoessay on sharks.)
Whales like Tillikum that have gotten violent are likely to be separated from the rest of the performing troupe, kept in isolation and trained only by the most senior of staff. But the policy is generally not to destroy such animals — a policy that most trainers agree with. The trainers know the dangers they are in when they enter the water, fully aware that killer whales are dangerous animals. They point out that entertainments like those at SeaWorld are minutely choreographed, primed with long-practiced signals and rehearsed with great care, with constant attention to the whale's psychology before and after the performances. The interaction between trainer and whale is key — with the onus on the human to notice how cooperative the animal is being. The word constantly heard is "love" — that the trainers love the whales. And they will bet their lives on them.
Read more: http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1968071,00.html#ixzz0gZg2kkHq
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