Allie, a 26-year-old bottlenose dolphin at Brookfield Zoo with her female calf that was born on August 2. Credit: Jim Schulz/Chicago Zoological Society
It’s a girl! And a big one at that.
Brookfield Zoo’s bottlenose dolphin Allie gave birth to a 40-pound, 3-foot-long calf on August 2.
The zoo’s Seven Seas exhibit is closed while mother and baby, who hasn’t yet been named, bond.
Allie, 26, previously birthed two calves. Also pregnant in the Seven Seas exhibit are Tapeko, 31, and Spree, 10. Both are due to give birth in the fall.
“Allie’s pregnancy progressed normally, and she has been provided proper nutrition and veterinary care throughout her pregnancy,” said Rita Stacey, curator of marine mammals for the Chicago Zoological Society, which manages the zoo, in an email. “However, we remain cautiously optimistic as the first 30 days are extremely critical in the calf’s life.”
Marine mammal staff are helping monitor the baby’s early days with EthoTrak, a computer program designed at Brookfield Zoo that is now used at other zoos and aquariums. The program helps collect data on the calf’s growth, nursing habits and slipstreaming, when the baby swims using a wake created by the mother.
Click here for updates on the calf and when the Seven Seas dolphin shows will resume.
