Bottlenose Dolphin at Brookfield Zoo Chicago is Pregnant!

Happy news! Allie, a 37-year-old dolphin at Brookfield Zoo Chicago, is pregnant! Photo credit: Brookfield Zoo Chicago.

The Brookfield Zoo in Chicago announced that Allie, a 37-year-old bottlenose dolphin in its care, is pregnant! 

Allie is currently in her second trimester, and the zoo expects a calf to be born as early as May. Dolphin pregnancies last 12 months altogether. This is the first dolphin pregnancy at the zoo in 10 years!

Allie has been participating in voluntary medical check-ups, including routine ultrasound examinations and blood tests. Ultrasound exams allow the veterinary staff to see inside Allie’s womb.

Veterinary staff at Brookfield Zoo Chicago perform a voluntary ultrasound exam on Allie. Photo credit: Brookfield Zoo Chicago.

In addition to ensuring the health of Allie and her calf, these check-ups build on scientific knowledge of dolphin gestation.

Vets look at an image of the calf inside Allie’s womb during the ultrasound exam. Photo credit: Brookfield Zoo Chicago.

In the wild, many bottlenose calves do not survive their first year. With this current research, Brookfield Zoo aims to improve upon care practices for dolphin calves, as well as to promote conservation efforts for marine mammals, both at zoos and in the wild.

For more information about Allie, see the Brookfield Zoo website.

To learn more about bottlenose dolphins, see our article, Bottlenose Dolphin.