Marineland Dolphin Adventure welcomes dolphin calf

Palm Coast Observer
Neighbors

On Sunday, July 12, one of Marineland Dolphin Adventure’s resident Atlantic bottlenose dolphins, Casique, successfully gave birth to a female calf. Shortly after birth, the calf took its first breath and then began to swim with its mother. Both mom and calf are doing well, and Marineland’s animal care and training teams will continue to monitor the pair in the coming months. The calf joins three other generations of female dolphins all descendants of great grandmother Betty, who is more than 40 years old.

First-time pregnancies in cetacean mothers are often unsuccessful in both natural habitats and in human care. This is Casique’s first pregnancy. For this reason, Marineland’s animal care team is guardedly optimistic about the calf’s survivability.

“In the coming months, as Casique’s confidence in the calf’s independence grows, our relationship with the baby can begin to develop,” said Stacey Spong, senior supervisor of animal training at Marineland Dolphin Adventure. “Our attention is focused on providing Casique the calories needed for her and the calf, as well as providing the best overall care for her and the calf during this critical time.”