Frequently, when swimming with the dolphins at Hawks Cay Resort, guests wonder why our population is all male. “Where are all the females?” Great question! The answer is, “All over the country.”
Dolphin Connection is a founding member of the Bottlenose Dolphin Breeding Consortium, bringing together groups of like-minded institutions to collectively manage a sustainable and genetically-sound population of bottlenose dolphins. Formed in 1999, this pioneering venture has produced more than 20 successful bottlenose dolphin calves to date, nine of them right here at Dolphin Connection. The Consortium is a partnership of skilled marine mammal specialists from zoos and aquariums all across the United States who work closely together to ensure the healthiest and most successful pregnancies and offspring.
Because of the close attention paid to genetics, the current population of bottlenose dolphins in zoos and aquariums is strong enough to sustain itself through healthy breeding for over 100 years. That’s over 100 years with no need to collect animals from the wild! In this country no facility has collected dolphins from the wild since the 1980s, and Dolphin Connection has never collected animals from the wild. We are very proud of this fact, but it is not just a product of good luck. Members of the Breeding Consortium collectively and voluntarily adhere to the highest of standards with regards to animal care. It is this care that is responsible for the unprecedented success in bottlenose dolphin reproduction and we are honored to be establishing excellence for the future.
Because dolphins in zoos and aquariums are living such long lives - the oldest is 58 years old – you can still find animals at facilities who were originally collected from the wild back when this was still occurring in the 1960s and ‘70s. These animals are frequently referred to as “founders” because their genetic material is the foundation of the breeding population currently thriving in zoos and aquariums. Through advances in husbandry training, including semen collection, founder males are able to contribute to a “frozen zoo” which will allow them to continue to father calves for years to come. Just one more example of the cutting edge science which, when utilized by animal trainers with vision and heart, leads to amazing progress in the field of marine mammal care and reproduction.
When you come to the beautiful Florida Keys to swim with dolphins at Dolphin Connection, you may be meeting our all-male “bachelor pod”. Just as in the wild populations studied by field researchers, the male dolphins at Dolphin Connection are pair-bonded in groups of two or three individuals. This important relationship is in contrast to that typically seen in females who live in larger, but much more fluid, social groups. Male dolphins will form tight bonds with only one or two other animals and will remain with those animals for their entire lives, hunting, playing and looking out for predators together. When you meet Dolphin Connection’s bachelor pod, you’ll know that they are a part of a very important group of animals who have fathered, and continue to father, healthy dolphin calves around the country.
