Sea Life Park invites public to help name baby dolphin
COURTESY OF SEA LIFE PARK
Sea Life Park is looking for the public’s help to choose a name for its new dolphin calf, which was born in captivity at the park in December of last year.
COURTESY OF SEA LIFE PARK
Sea Life Park is looking for the public’s help to choose a name for its new dolphin calf, which was born in captivity at the park in December of last year. The calf is pictured with mom BJ.
Sea Life Park, which is currently closed to the public, is inviting the public to help name its new baby dolphin.
The female Atlantic bottlenose dolphin calf was born in captivity in the early morning hours of Dec. 4, 2019, and remains under the careful watch of its mother, BJ, and the park’s animal care team. The baby dolphin has reaching essential developmental milestones over the past four months, according to the park, and continues to bond with mom.
“Mom and baby are doing very well,” said Sea Life Park general manager Valerie King in a news release. “BJ is a wonderfully caring and attentive mother, and her curious and energetic little calf brings us all a lot of joy right now when we could use it.”
Sea Life Park invites the community to help choose the dolphin’s name, which has been narrowed down to five options:
>> Ho‘oilo Kahaha (Winter Wonder)
>> Kailani (Sea and Sky)
>> Hokulani (Divine Star)
>> Mahina (Moon)
>> Mana‘olana (Hope)
Sea Life Park closed its doors to the public on March 17 as a precautionary response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We are still here day and night ensuring the animals receive the best care we can give,” said park curator Jeff Pawloski in the release. “Atlantic bottlenose dolphins gestate for 12 months, and we were able to monitor the health of BJ and her calf throughout the course of this natural and yet truly incredible journey with the help of medical advances such as ultrasound. It’s awe-inspiring to see the calf growing every day in confidence and strength alongside her mother. We can’t wait to hear what the community names this little wonder.”
The public is invited to see images of mother and baby and vote for their favorite name at SeaLifeParkHawaii.com/babydolphin. Voting is now open and will continue through to Easter.
