- April 25, 2024
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Nellie was born at Marineland on Feb. 27, 1953. Dwight Eisenhower had recently been inaugurated as America’s 34th president, and Walt Disney’s original animated film, “Peter Pan,” had just been released.
Later that year, the first James Bond novel was published, the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II occurred, and the first color televisions went on sale.
Nellie has lived through the beginnings of rock music, manned space flight and the rapid advancement of communication through technology.
Now, Nellie is the world’s oldest dolphin in human care, according to a public relations representative at Marineland.
Nellie will celebrate her 58th birthday at 11 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 27, at Marineland’s Dolphin Conservation Center, 9600 Oceanshore Blvd.
The celebration will include a fish-and-ice cake made especially for the birthday girl, along with a round of “Happy Birthday” performed by all of her friends and fans. Cake more suitable to the tastes of her human party guests will follow. General admission rates apply.
“Nellie’s 58th birthday is not only an exciting event for our staff at Marineland, but more importantly a milestone for the zoological community,” said Curator Kevin Roberts. “Every staff member who gets to work with Nellie on a daily basis realizes how lucky they are. While we have four other dolphins in their 40s here at Marineland, Nellie still stands out as an icon for geriatric dolphins. Each birthday that we celebrate with her means that much more to everyone in our field, and we hope to celebrate many more.”
Marineland’s Dolphin Conservation Center was acquired by the Georgia Aquarium in January and operates as a subsidiary of the world’s largest aquarium.
Visit www.marineland.net or call 904-471-1111.
