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Brookfield Zoo prepares to welcome 2 dolphin calves

suntimes.com · 20h · first reportShare

On the heels of the sudden death of a newborn bottlenose dolphin last year, Brookfield Zoo is now expecting two dolphin calves later this year. Two adult female dolphins, Allison and Allie, are both pregnant, zoo officials announced Wednesday. Allison is due late this summer or early fall, while Allie is due later in the winter. An exact due date hasn't been determined, but the dolphins are being closely monitored through blood tests and ultrasounds, and the fetuses look healthy and are developing normally, said Sathya Chinnadurai, Brookfield Zoo's senior vice president for animal health, welfare and science. Last year, Allie gave birth to a male dolphin, the zoo's first birth in more than 10 years. But the 4-day-old calf died suddenly after a meconium aspiration, meaning he inhaled fluid into his lungs, zoo officials said. Now that both Allie and Allison are expected to give birth around the same time, the habitat will further simulate a wild environment, according to Rita Stacey, the