A wolphin - a rare hybrid of male false killer whale and female bottle nose dolphin - has died shortly after its birth late last week at the Fushun Royal Ocean World in China's Liaoning Province.
The mother, Yang Yang, took an hour to give birth.
She was unable to push the calf to the surface for its first breath and left it at the bottom of the pool.
A trainer dived into the water immediately to save the calf, but Yang Yang instinctively bit the trainer. The calf eventually drowned.
Yang Yang refused to eat after realising her baby had died and she alienated herself from other dolphins.
The aquarium staff said the most important thing right now is to help Yang Yang recover from this tragic loss.
She gave birth to her first calf in 2011. It was also a hybrid of whale and dolphin that died shortly after birth.
Wolphins, rare hybrids, are within the "toothed whale" suborder. Although they reportedly exist in the wild, it is still rare to see them mating in an artificial environment.
3 News / APTN
source: newshub archive
