Community Corner

Baby, Baby, Baby: Three Dolphins Pregnant at Brookfield Zoo (PHOTOS)

The babies are due this summer and fall. Look through the photo gallery of the expectant moms, including the most incredible ultrasound picture you'll ever see.

Just a little more than a week after Mother’s Day, the Brookfield Zoo announced Monday it has three new moms to be.

Dolphins Allie, Tapeko and Spree are expected to give birth during the summer and fall, according to a zoo release.

“Allie, Tapeko, and Spree are all healthy and their pregnancies are progressing well,” said Jennifer Langan, associate veterinarian for the Chicago Zoological Society.

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Allie, 26, and Tapeko, 31, are experienced mothers, having raised five babies between them, including Tapeko’s two daughters, Noelani, 9, and Allison, 7, who also live at the zoo.

This will be the first baby for Spree, 10, who is at the zoo from Minnesota as part of the Bottlenose Dolphin Breeding Consortium. The cooperative focuses on building a sustainable dolphin population for member zoos.

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First-time dolphin moms are at a higher risk of complications, but Langan said that the water-bound mammals undergo ultrasounds and blood tests, just like humans, to help maintain a healthy pregnancy.

“The care we provide to the pregnant dolphins is facilitated by the trusting relationships the dolphins have with their trainers and the veterinary staff,” said Rita Stacey, curator of marine mammals for CZS.

The zoo is also home to Chinook, 30, in addition to the three expectant dolphins and Tapeko’s daughters.


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