Mirage puts baby dolphin on display

By Amanda Finnegan

Friday, Sept. 12, 2008 | 7:26 p.m.

At 10:41 a.m. on Sept. 6, The Mirage welcomed a 20-plus pound, healthy baby girl to its family. A baby dolphin, that is.

The slippery bundle of joy is the newest addition to the dolphin pool and completes three generations of dolphins at Siegfried & Roy’s Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat.

The Mirage announced the birth of the calf late this week, although her name hasn't been determined. Employees of The Mirage will name the dolphin as part of a contest.

The calf is spending her first few days bonding with her 8-year-old mother, Huff n Puff, her grandmother, Dutchess, and Sgt. Pepper, Dutchess’ son.

The birthing process started back on Aug. 20, when Huff n Puff went on 24-hour watch with an expected birth late that month. Jim Hudson, curator of animal care at The Mirage, received a call at 8 a.m. on Sept. 6 that the first-time mother was beginning to give birth.

The unnamed calf emerged at the surface only minutes later for her first breath with mom and grandma at her side.

The family is spending some quality time away from the other dolphins in the Birthing and Research Pool, where visitors can see the newly born calf.

Trevor and Charlene Barnes, who are on vacation in Las Vegas from Alberta, Canada, stopped by the pool Friday to catch a glimpse of the family.

“It's really neat to see," Trevor Barnes said. "You never get to see a dolphin that small, especially in captivity.”

Mom and grandma protect the new calf -- and often mom and calf swim side-by-side with grandma trailing behind. Meanwhile, Sgt. Pepper, who is only a year old, shows off for the crowd, beaching himself on the ledge and waving his tail.

“We’ve been getting a lot of visitors and a lot of people asking questions," Hudson said. "Having this baby here and getting all the information through observations, we are able to educate the public and other facilities."

Below the tank, curators and trainers monitor nutrition and development in the new mother-daughter pair around the clock.

"It’s pretty common among all species of mammals that the mother takes control of everything," Hudson said. "There’s an extended period when mother and baby spend time bonding, vocalizing, touching, nursing and just being together."

The calf will spend the next few weeks at Huff n Puff’s side until she is ready to swim without supervision. But even at 6 days old, she is venturing out on her own, senior trainer Colleen Ast said.

“She’s been adventurous, taking small independent swims but only for a few seconds before getting scooped up by mom,” Ast said. “She’s very vocal when she does, too, almost saying ‘Hey! Look at me!’”