The first offspring from the Atlantis family of dolphins born at Dolphin Bay at Atlantis, The Palm resort have been named by HRH Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, wife of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of UAE, Ruler of Dubai. Princess Haya gave the new dolphins their place in Dubai history, as the first dolphins to be born in the United Arab Emirates.

Princess Haya named the first born calf, Liwa, after the oasis where the Maktoum family originated from near the Empty Quarter. The male calf was born to Butters on the evening of the 23rd August 2008 at 19:20 in a special maternity pool within the habitat. Princess Haya named the second calf, a female, Salam, meaning peace. She was born on 8th September 2008 at 17:14 to mother Lisa.

“I am proud to welcome the first dolphins born in the United Arab Emirates,” said HRH Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein. “Dolphin Bay provides a unique opportunity for residents and visitors alike to learn more about dolphins and the world’s oceans. This is another excellent example of how Dubai is providing education through interactive experiences.”

“The calves are developing on schedule and are thriving in their nurturing surroundings. Both are interacting with our team of marine mammal specialists while their development continues to be monitored 24 hours a day. They are proving to be quite inquisitive and of course, playful,” said Al Kordowski, Vice President, Dolphin Bay. “These first births for our Dolphin Bay family are an expression of the successful acclimation of these incredible animals.”

In addition to the interactive lagoons, Dolphin Bay will also serve as the first marine mammal rescue and rehabilitation centre in Dubai. It will be the only centre for stranded animals in the Arabian Gulf. Every year, many injured marine mammals are stranded and need assistance. Now with Kerzner’s marine life expertise and new facility, some of these animals can be rescued, rehabilitated and returned to the wild. The centre will also provide a broad range of educational opportunities including graduate and undergraduate programming, currently being developed in conjunction with universities and local educational institutions.

The dolphins who call Atlantis home have their own dedicated facilities and highly experienced team to ensure their health and well-being. Dolphin Bay is a 4.5 hectare environment with three interaction lagoons complete with sandy beaches in a tropical setting. The habitat provides the dolphins with seven interconnected resident pools, sheltering from inclement weather and 26 million litres of crystal-clear seawater, which exceeds all marine mammal regulations in the United Arab Emirates. The state-of-the-art medical laboratory and quarantine facility allows Dolphin Bay to safely care for stranded animals and pregnant and nursing mothers.

The residents of Dolphin Bay are all Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphins, who breathe air out of a blowhole located on the top of their head. The average gestation period for Bottlenose Dolphins are 10-12 months. At the end of this period, they give birth to live young, called calves. The calf, born with sparse hair on its snout, is a mammal and will nurse from its mother for 12-18 months. The calf will begin to eat fish at 4-5 months of age. At birth, the average Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin is 70 cm long and weighs about 15 kg.