Belugas transferred from Khorkov to Valencia begin to interact with residents
The two belugas evacuated twelve days ago to the Oceanogràfic de València from the NEMO Dolphinarium in the city of Kharkiv (Ukraine), devastated by warcontinue to adapt ‘successfully’ to their new home and have begun to interact with the two resident specimens through several hatches.
The animals, a 15-year-old male named Plombir and a 14-year-old female named Miranda, arrived at the Oceanogràfic on the night of June 18 in delicate health conditions, after a long journey from the conflict zone.
The director of Zoological Operations at Oceanogràfic, Daniel García, has reported that the two Ukrainian belugas are in the acclimatization phase after transport, “which is a very stressful time for the animals.”
He machohe reported, began eating from the first moment while the female took a little longer, although they have been ‘quite stable’ for a week and have already begun to play with toys and respond to stimuli, aimed at making them perceive their new environment as positive.
Garcia has also specified that the two animals They have already had the first contacts with the two belugas of the OceanogràficYulka and Kylu, through the floodgates, and the caretakers are now working to get them across and into another pool. “We are working to get them to know their new habitat until they are integrated with the rest of the animals,” he says.
Regarding your healthhas indicated that the analyses and samples that have been taken from them “are coming out well.”
Water contributions
The animals, he explained, arrived at the Spanish aquarium ‘a little dehydrated’ Therefore, they are given water supplements such as gelatin, so that the kidney eliminates the excess creatinine and urea that they had initially.
García has also reported that possible infectious diseases have been ruled out and they have also undergone training and veterinary tests to see if they had pulmonary pathologies. Diagnostic tests performed include the detection of possible respiratory pathogens using blowhole plates and oral examination with a thermal camera to identify possible dental inflammation or infections, the aquarium reports.
They have also been given a thermography of the mouth, where the temperature is taken to check for any inflammation, infection or ulcer, which have not appeared either. García points out that belugas are gregarious animals, that live in groups, so ‘the socialisation part is important’, although the moment of possible contact in the same pond ‘will be given to us by the animals’.
The caretakers have placed microphones in the pools to learn how they communicate, since they have different dialects, and whether their relationship is affectionate or aggressive with the resident specimens. “The female has a very good affinity and we believe that she could integrate earlier,” While the male “seems like he’ll need more time, but we understand that it shouldn’t take too long,” he said.
