Brookfield Zoo has a case of baby fever. Dolphin baby fever, that is.
For the first time in 10 years, the zoo is preparing to welcome a dolphin calf to its marine mammal exhibit this summer.
Allie, a 37-year-old bottlenose dolphin, has entered her second trimester of a 12-month pregnancy and is expected to give birth sometime in June, according to Dr. Michael Adkesson, the zoo’s president and CEO.
“They’re so wonderful to watch,” Adkesson said. “Learning from the mothers and from the other animals is one of the joys I have with watching dolphins move from birth to growing up. They’re very intelligent animals, and it’s really cool to see how they grow up.”
The calf will join seven other dolphins at Brookfield Zoo and spend its early years closely following Allie and learning from other dolphins in the exhibit. Before zoo guests can see the new calf, staff will monitor it closely to make sure it’s progressing properly when learning how to nurse and swim alongside its mother, using her wake to propel the calf along, also called a slipstream.
Adkesson said it’s too early to tell when the calf will be ready to be seen by the public in the exhibit, but the hope is by the end of the summer.
Acclimating the calf to the exhibit will involve socializing properly with Allie and the other dolphins. When any new animal is brought into an exhibit, the other animals need to adjust to its presence, Adkesson said, but Allie and another dolphin named Tapeko have both given birth before and are expected to show other dolphins the ropes when it comes to raising a youngster.
“Any new animal is an exciting thing for the people, but it’s also an exciting thing for the dolphins,” Adkesson said.
Last time Brookfield Zoo welcomed a new dolphin calf was 10 years ago. The zoo then paused its breeding program as the dolphins adjusted to having a new calf and kept breeding on pause as it revamped its dolphin exhibit.
“There’s a huge amount of excitement around the zoo right now. The staff is very much looking forward to a new dolphin calf,” Adkesson said.
Allie’s pregnancy has been closely monitored by dolphin care experts and veterinarians, and her health and the health of the calf are progressing as normal, Adkesson said. It’s too soon to tell the gender of the calf.
“Allie herself is in good health — active, happy, energetic,” Adkesson said. “We’re closely monitoring the calf’s health. Exams and bloodwork continue to look great. … It’s very similar to a person as the due date gets closer, the monitoring becomes more frequent.”
The birth of the new calf will also give Brookfield researchers the chance to analyze dolphins on a level that isn’t possible in the wild. The zoo’s dolphin research program based in Sarasota, Florida, studies dolphins in their natural habitat, but some studies are done better in an exhibit, Adkesson said.