Ping the dolphin gives birth at Coral World | News
Coral World Ocean Park has announced the first dolphin birth since the facility began receiving dolphins from stateside facilities in 2019.
Ping, a 23-year-old Atlantic bottlenose dolphin, gave birth to a calf at 9:12 pm Friday, according to a news release from Coral World.
“We are so proud of Ping and thrilled to welcome her calf to our Coral World family,” Kristine Tartaglio, assistant curator of mammals and birds at Coral World, said in a statement. “Ping and calf are both doing well. We are hopeful that their good progress will continue but will remain vigilant in monitoring them both day and night to ensure they have everything they need.”
Trudie Prior, Coral World general manager, added that, “this is an exciting moment for Coral World and our community.”
“Our dolphins have been thriving in their ocean habitat in Water Bay and this birth is a product of their being healthy and doing what comes naturally,” she said.
Dr. Natalie Noll is Coral World’s consulting marine mammal veterinarian, and visits the facility regularly.
“After their arrival in 2019, our aim was to get the dolphins acclimated to their new home, an ocean habitat that was very different from their previous home. This birth is an indication that they are doing extremely well,” Noll said in the news release.
Coral World’s General Curator Lee Kellar noted that “there are still key milestones to meet that are important for the calf’s development and bonding with her mother and later her social group.
“We will be here to support Ping in every way we can as her calf learns and grows alongside her,” Kellar said.
Ping was in labor through Friday, with “assistance from the animal welfare specialist and veterinary team every step of the way. Both calf and Ping are getting some much-needed rest and time to bond,” according to the news release.
The of dolphins breeding in Coral World’s underwater enclosure in Water Bay had been a point of controversy since the facility first sought possibility permits from the Coastal Zone Management Committee in 2019.
Coral World first accepted four dolphins from Dolphinaris Arizona in Scottsdale, Ariz. in Feb. 2019 — including Ping, who had previously birthed three calves.
The facility currently houses eight dolphins, including three males in their 20s, a 50-year-old male at the end of his reproductive life, Ping, and three other female dolphins reaching reproductive maturity.
According to the news release issued Saturday, “Coral World’s other dolphins are all doing well. Ping has a support system in Noelani, an 11-year-old female who has been with her every step of the way. The other dolphins are separated from Ping, calf and Noelani and will be introduced to them when the time is right. For now, Ping and her calf need to rest and bond in relative quiet and privacy.”
Coral World Ocean Park is accredited by the Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums, according to the news release.
– Contact Suzanne Carlson at 340-714-9122 or email [email protected]dailynews.vi.
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