A correspondent from the "AiF" newspaper visited the amazing show to learn more about the inhabitants of the dolphinarium.
According to Roman FEDOTOV, the marine mammal trainer, almost all the animals came to the dolphinarium from a stationary base and were raised in captivity.
THEY ARE LIKE CHILDREN
- Roman, tell us about your pets.
- They are all absolutely different and have their own distinct personalities. For example, the sea lion Bob is not yet three years old. He is still small and is taking his first steps on stage. He is very much like a teenager - playful, curious, and eagerly learning new tricks; he simply adores people. Dandi is a big prankster and a troublemaker; he might splash water, flirt with the girls, or even tug at the hem of their dresses. He might even untie the swimsuits of the lovely ladies. Aisha loves attention, flirts like a real girl, enjoys playing, knows how to be cunning, and can sulk. Flint is the leader of the group, has a friendly character, and can be called the best friend.
- It sounds like you are talking about people!
- I can confidently say that they are even better because they will never deceive or betray you.
ONLY TRUST
- Why are you called a trainer and not a tamer, like in the circus?
- Training and taming are absolutely different things. Usually, the taming process is based on the "carrot and stick" method. Our training is built on play with exclusively positive reinforcement. It is more like training athletes.
- Is it easier to work with a sea lion or a dolphin?
- I took Bob when he was very small and raised him myself, training him from childhood. To bring a sea lion out in public, it is not enough just to know the training techniques; you need to ensure that he does not react to people and does not get distracted by music. Learning tricks with a pinniped is not that difficult, but preparing him for public performance is much harder. Each training session is built on trust, and for him to believe in you and come out with you, you need to come to an agreement with him. If you can do that, then the inhabitant of the water world will perform.
Dolphins, on the other hand, almost do not react to the audience. They are in the pool, and that is enough for them! But they won’t work just for nothing. With these lovely creatures, you first need to find an approach. I remember very well when, during my first training sessions, the dolphins were testing me: they were being cunning, not responding to my commands, trying to feel and understand my character. Despite having six years of practice, I sometimes found myself in difficult situations. For example, when the dolphins enter their mating period. During this time, their bellies turn pink, and the dolphins become very playful and jealous. Once, during a performance, when Aisha and I were swimming, swirling in a slow dance, Flint jumped up to me and began to jealously push me away from my partner. Dolphins also get upset when one receives more attention than the other. Therefore, during the performance, we always try to keep an eye on both marine performers. Regardless of who is performing, we reward both with fish or petting.
I had an unusual case in my practice: after a performance, when a photo session with the dolphins was taking place, I noticed Flint swimming to the opposite side and "hanging" there. I called him, but he didn’t respond; he lowered his nose and was examining something at the bottom of the pool. It turned out that someone from the audience had dropped their keys into the water, and the dolphin was trying to retrieve them all this time! In the end, he somehow managed to grab the bunch in his teeth and brought it to me.
UNUSUAL ABILITIES
- Many people think that a dolphin is a large fish...
- That is not true. Dolphins are aquatic mammals that belong to the order of toothed whales.
Pregnant females carry their young for a whole year and then nurse them with their milk for 12 months. During pregnancy, the veterinarian switches them to a different diet that contains the necessary number of calories. Accordingly, during these times, we do not involve dolphins in work. Usually, they swim calmly and take care of their young, and we do not restrict them.
By the way, dolphins breathe not through gills, but through lungs. From time to time, they need to surface to breathe and avoid drowning. Therefore, they never truly sleep. Thanks to their unusual brain structure, they alternate resting between the left and right hemispheres of the brain. Then they switch roles, and the hemisphere that was active falls asleep while the "well-rested" one stays awake. However, there are times when both hemispheres are active.
The body temperature of a dolphin is the same as that of a human - 36.6 °C.
- What is the lifespan of a dolphin?
- In captivity, these amazing creatures live up to 40 years, while in the wild, only 25.
- Why such a difference?
- First of all, ecology has a huge impact: pollution of the world's oceans and disruption of the overall ecological balance on the planet. Secondly, imagine that a dolphin needs to swim about two hundred kilometers to find food. And it is not guaranteed that it will find it. Thirdly, the lifespan in the wild is greatly affected by viruses, bacteria, and pathogens that exist in nature, which they often get sick from. Here, we provide our pets with a specific diet that is formulated by a veterinarian. Usually, the doctor oversees several dolphinariums at once.
- How much fish is required per day?
- For example, a Black Sea dolphin eats about 15 kg of fish. The daily ration for a polar dolphin, that is, a beluga, is 30 kg per day.
- Do dolphins get tired during training?
- Literally an hour after the performance, they start splashing, jumping, and having fun again. If you observe dolphins in the wild, they are very lively and active. For them, jumping out of the water, spinning, and leaping is a normal state.
A TRUE HUNTER
- Is it true that dolphins live in pods?
- Dolphins have a highly developed social instinct, based on which complex forms of their social behavior have developed, such as mutual assistance, cooperation, and organized hunting. For joint hunting, dolphins have various signals that allow them to communicate information over long distances. For example, high jumps indicate the detection of a school of fish.
Moreover, dolphins have their own specific hierarchy. There is always a leader in the pod. In bottlenose dolphins and common dolphins, groups of "scouts" are formed during the search for food, which swim ahead of the pod, exploring all bays and inlets. When they find a school of fish, another group of dolphins drives it, and the pod begins the hunt.
- How do dolphins handle relocations?
- Our dolphins have relocated several times, so they are physically prepared for it and behave absolutely calmly. For marine inhabitants, there are special baths with soft sides. They contain enough water. The journey to Kyrgyzstan took us less than a day. A deep pool with water that is almost identical in composition to seawater was already prepared here. Our facility is equipped with 8 filters, so the water is cleaned every second.
- There is a belief that dolphins are the last Angels on Earth. What do you think?
- I can say for sure that they are very kind, friendly, and loyal. As soon as I jump into the pool, they immediately swim up and will accompany me wherever I go.
Elena Skvortsova