LOS ANGELES : 3 Dolphins Transferred to Chicago Aquarium
Packed in water-filled carriers and tucked away in a bright yellow rental truck, three dolphins have completed their journey from the coast of California to the John G. Shedd Aquarium in Chicago.
The Pacific white-sided dolphins arrived at Shedd to the accompaniment of protests by animal rights activists.
The dolphins were collected in the waters off Catalina Island on Nov. 27 and had been kept in a holding tank in San Diego to acclimate them to captivity before they made the five-hour trip in a chartered plane.
They will live in the Shedd’s Oceanarium along with four other dolphins, beluga whales, seals, sea otters and penguins.
“They seem to be doing just fine, and one of them was eating already,” an aquarium spokeswoman said.
Activists, who named the dolphins Faith, Hope and Freedom, said they will continue to fight dolphin captures.
“The war is not over,” Peter Wallerstein of Los Angeles said. “We’re still gaining momentum. We’re going to make sure that Hope, Faith and Freedom are going to be the last victims that this happens to.”
Shedd officials said they want the animals for breeding and research.
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