LUNA
Luna is a female bottlenose dolphin born on May 12, 1995 at the Rimini Dolphinarium. Her parents are Alfa and Speedy. She's originally known as "Luna II", named in honor of her older sister, Luna, who died the same year she was born. Luna's childhood focuses on the small dolphinarium with her parents, siblings and two other dolphins such as Beta and her daughter, Blue. When Beta was transferred to the Genoa Aquarium to receive better care following a serious accident that resulted in a rostrum injury, Luna was seen sharing the maternal attentions of her mother Alfa with her half-sister, Blue. Two years younger, Blue was constantly trying to fill the void of her mother's absence by turning all her attention back to Alfa, although Luna continued to harass her, likely to prevent her from creating a relationship with Alfa.
Following Blue's transfer to the Genoa Aquarium shortly after, Luna continued to lead her life at the Rimini Dolphinarium until the "forced" transfer to the Genoa Aquarium in September 2013, after the Rimini Dolphinarium was denounced for crimes of animal maltreatment and failure of the structure to meet European and national standards. The mother Alfa and her two brothers, Sole and Lapo, were also transferred with Luna. While the two brothers were in rehabilitation and adaptation following the turbulent relocation, two years later Luna mated with an adult male named Robin, giving birth to a perfectly healthy calf on August 9, 2015. Baptized "Indy", this little one was an important challenge for Luna as she found it difficult to breastfeed him. The trainers took over by feeding the baby with a special formula from the United States, in which structures such episodes are much more frequent. Fortunately, as the weeks went by, Luna adapted to her son's presence and began to care for and breastfeed him.
In October 2016, following strong pressure from the former owners of the Rimini Dolphinarium, who however still own the property of their dolphins, the little Indy of just two and a half years of age was transferred to the ZooMarine of Torvaianica together to his father, Robin
How to recognize Luna
- Luna's rostrum is almost identical to that of the mother, with the only difference being that it is more linear. Alfa's has a steep line on the left side.
- The dorsal fin is sickle-shaped and turned to the left.
- Luna's body is small and elegant.
Luna can be a very curious dolphin towards people, but she has a strong and determined character within the group of dolphins.
Photo Credit: © Unknown