Last week, Brookfield Zoo in Chicago announced the birth of a male dolphin calf, born to the zoo's 31-year-old dolphin Tapeko. The zoo has currently suspended its dolphin presentation, giving the young calf time to bond with his mother and get acquainted with the other dolphins at the zoo.
Tapeko, a 31-year-old dolphin at the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago gave birth to a male dolphin calf last Thursday, the Chicago Zoological Society announced. The new born dolphin weighs 40 pounds and is 3.5 feet long. The zoo officials are hopeful about the calf as it is in good health.
However, they're being very cautious and hence the calf and its mother are off exhibit until further notice. The first 30 days of a dolphin calf's life are crucial as even a small change in health can drastically affect their well-being, leading to death in extreme cases. According to statistics, the death rate of dolphins, both in captivity and in the wild is highest during this period than the rest of their lives.
The calf is currently unnamed and officials claim there's ample time to name the dolphin because they are optimistic that it will survive its first one month. It has already exhibited several key development milestones, including nursing and slipstreaming. This is very crucial as a baby dolphin needs to achieve several milestones in its first one year in order to survive.
Tapeko has successfully reared four calves, one of which was her grandson. "This is an important time for our breeding group of females," said Rita Stacey, marine mammal curator for the Chicago Zoological Society. "As an experienced mom, Tapeko is able to demonstrate to the younger females how to care for a newborn calf."
Spree, another 11-year-old dolphin in the zoo will give birth to her first calf later this year. Other dolphins at the zoo include 30-year-old Chinook and 26-year-old Allie. In August, Allie, who already has two offsprings, gave birth to her third calf, which unfortunately died after six days.
Initially the calf was healthy but in a few days it started nursing less frequently. Allie reportedly took good care of her calf but it wasn't enough to prevent the calf's death.
"Young calves can fade extremely quickly, so milestones are tracked around the clock," said Michael Adkesson, vice president of clinical medicine for the Society. "We became increasingly concerned this morning when we noticed that the calf was showing signs of weakening."
The society also announced that Brookfield Zoo's Dolphin Presentations have been temporarily suspended so that Tapeko gets time to bond with her new born calf as well as give her time to get it acquainted with the other dolphins at the zoo.
