Romania Welcomes First Dolphin Birth in Captivity

In the Romanian city of Constanța, the local dolphinarium has welcomed the first dolphin born in captivity in the country. Romania Insider reports.

The dolphin calf was born on March 8 and was named Baby. His mother is a female dolphin from China named Chen Chen, and his father is a male dolphin from Ukraine named Viterok, who was brought to Constanța two years ago. Baby's birth came as a surprise to the dolphinarium staff, as they were unaware that Chen Chen was pregnant.

"Chen Chen was doing everything. She was performing the day before, with jumps through hoops, with the trainer in the water. She was active until the last moment," said Angelica Curlișca, the dolphinarium's manager.

Currently, the baby dolphin is learning to navigate the aquarium and surfaces to breathe.

"It's still a critical period for Baby. We must ensure he feeds and that other dolphins don't interfere in their relationships to separate them. So far, everything is going great," explained Monica Mandrescu, a dolphinarium trainer.

Previously, The Gaze reported that three lions from Ukraine - one male and two females - were transported to a wildlife park near Dijon in Burgundy, France, as part of an International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) initiative.

The male, a year-and-a-half-old lion named Atlas, was taken from a woman who had cared for him since birth. She explained that the animal began displaying aggressive behavior, possibly due to frequent sounds of bombings. The two females, Luladzha and Quinn, aged two, were rescued from the conflict zone in Donetsk.

The lions were temporarily housed at the Wildlife Rescue Center near Kyiv, and then, with IFAW's support, were transported to the Polish-Ukrainian border and then to France.

Now, the lions reside in Parc de l'Osua, a large natural reserve spanning 40 hectares, home to around 500 animals. As most captive-bred large predators cannot be reintroduced into the wild due to a lack of survival skills, rescue organizations actively seek centres where animals can receive ongoing care, as noted by IFAW. In Burgundy, the Ukrainian lions will begin a new life. After adaptation, they will live together in a 5,000-square-meter enclosure.