Monkey Mia welcomes new-born dolphins

24/12/02
Local school children and the Yadgalah Aboriginal Group have combined to come up with names for the new baby dolphins at Monkey Mia in the World heritage-listed Shark Bay area.
Two calves were born at the beginning of this month, while a third is expected any time now.
Environment and Heritage Minister Dr Judy Edwards said the calf of Nicky would be called Yadgalah, which means friend, while Puck's calf would be known as Wada, meaning pearl.
The calf of the new-mum-to-be, Surprise, would be called Burda, which means star.
Dr Edwards said this was the first time that the internationally famous dolphins, which regularly came into the beach, had all calved within a short period.
The Department of Conservation and Land Management would be monitoring the progress of the new arrivals and there would be changes to the interaction program.
Because dolphin calves depended totally on their mothers and had to be constantly moving during their first few weeks of life, the new mothers would be fed only by the department's staff and away from the other dolphins.
Visitors would be asked to stay out of the water whenever a mother and calf visited the beach.

Minister's Office - 9220 5050