第52回 New Dolphins for Kaikyokan
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| On March 9th, 2005 Kaikyokan transported two young dolphins from the fishing port of Taiji, in Wakayama Prefecture to Shimonoseki. The dolphins had been at Taiji for 4 weeks, resting in sea pens to ensure that they were eating well and were healthy before the 16-hour transport to Kaikyokan. |
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The dolphins are both female and they have not been given any nick-names, however we refer to them as "Yong-yong" and "Ichi-hatchi", which is a short expression referring their lengths of 244cm and 218cm.
Yong-yong and Ichi-hatchi both ate 4kg of mackerel within a few minutes after being lowered into the pool. They were hungry after the experience because they could not be given any food 12 hours before starting the transport process from Taiji. This is a normal precaution to ensure that dolphins undergoing transport do not get motion sickness while they are being moved. Four staff members from Kaikyokan cared for the dolphins throughout the journey, which started at 4pm on the afternoon of 8 March and finished at 8am on the morning of 9 March. Both dolphins were very relaxed during the transport, floating on foam beds in seawater and surrounded with foam cushions to prevent any injuries. The attending staff worked 2-hour shifts caring for the dolphins, keeping them cool and wet. After arriving at Kaikyokan, the dolphins were weighed and their body weight will be checked every 2 weeks for the next few months to ensure they are eating enough fish to maintain weight and grow. "Ichi-hatchi" was 137kg and is the younger of the two dolphins, estimated to be between 1.5 ~2 years old. Yong-yong was 157kg and is estimated to be 3 years old. At present, visitors to Kaikyokan cannot view the new dolphins as they are in a quarantine pool until they have undergone a series of medical checks including, blood tests and parasitology tests. It is also important that they are not subjected to crowds of people and noise while they are acclimatizing to the new environment at Kaikyokan. Trainers are working with the dolphins every day to help them relax, develop a strong bond with their trainer and overcome any fear they might have of the new environment. Yong-yong and Ichi-hatchi will be maintained in quarantine for approximately 3 months before consideration will be given to moving the dolphins to the Aqua theatre, where they will join the other dolphins and start more advanced training. |
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| Kaikyokan is looking forward to introducing these two new dolphins to the public in the near future. Please watch this site for further news about the progress of Yong-yong and Ichi-hatchi! |
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Yong-yong and Ichi-hatchi eating from trainer
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Curator for Marine Mammals Grant Abel |
