The first time Brookfield Zoo’s dolphins saw the new 18-foot LED screens inside their home, they were enamored.
“They were just staring, like what is this?” said Dr. Rita Stacey Vondra, Senior Vice President of Programs & Impact at Brookfield Zoo Chicago. Vondra, who began her career at the zoo in 1990 as an animal care specialist in the very same dolphin habitat, noted, “Sometimes they still get distracted watching the images.”
The dolphins’ fascination with the giant new screens sets the backdrop for Dolphin Discovery, a new show opening Oct. 4 inside the renamed Dolphin Bay. The habitat once known as Seven Seas, has been updated to give visitors a closer look at the dolphins, the people who care for them, and the science that protects them in the wild.
Connecting Chicago to Sarasota
“The AV screens give us a unique opportunity to showcase our program with bottlenose dolphins in Sarasota,” said Vondra. She explained the goal is to show how research in the wild and care at the zoo inform one another.
“What we’ve learned from scientists in the wild helps us care for dolphins here, and what we’ve learned at the zoo supports the science in Sarasota, guests get to see both sides.”
Dr. Randy Wells co-founded the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program in 1970, now considered the longest-running study of its kind. His team has spent decades following six generations of dolphins in Sarasota Bay, documenting dolphin society – such as how mothers form nursery groups – while also studying human impacts like boat traffic and fishing gear. Vondra said these discoveries help inform how Brookfield manages dolphins in their care.
“It’s an amazing opportunity to show guests what dolphins face in the wild, what our staff do to protect them, and how even choices made here in the Midwest can affect dolphins in the Gulf of Mexico,” Vondra said.
Life-Changing Work
Brookfield’s animal care staff are trained to assist the Sarasota program during dolphin health assessments.
“For our staff, it’s a life-changing experience,” Vondra said, “To see the animals we love and care for here at the zoo, but in the wild, and to see the challenges they face,” she added.
Those experiences inspired the new show, which combines live demonstrations with underwater views, trainer perspectives, and interviews with Wells himself.
Meet the Dolphins
At the center of the pod is Tapeko, the 43-year-old matriarch who has lived at Brookfield since 1991. “When she came to the zoo, I was a marine mammal care specialist,” Vondra said. “I’ve worked with her for over 30 years, and have watched her become a mom, raise her daughters Noelani and Allison, and now we keep them together because that’s what we see in the wild – mothers and daughters stay close for life.”
Her daughters Noelani (turning 22 on Oct. 30) and Allison,(turning 20 on Nov. 3), are a dynamic pair. “They keep Tapeko on her toes,” Vondra laughed, “and the rest of us on our toes as well.”
The pod also includes Lucky, the 51-year-old patriarch, and Kai who was born at Brookfield in 1994. Spree, who is 23 and arrived from the Minnesota Zoo in 2010, rounds out the group with her “sassy” personality.
“They all have different personalities,” Vondra said. “Every dolphin has a story, and that’s what we want people to connect with.”
Why it Matters
“Dolphins are amazing ambassadors for their species,” Vondra said. “People in the Midwest don’t get to see dolphins every day.” She added, “To come to the zoo, hear their stories and see their personalities inspires people to care about animals and habitats everywhere.”
Dolphin Discovery opens Oct. 4, with shows daily at 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. through Nov. 19. From late November into December, the schedule shifts to one show a day on Mondays through Wednesdays.
If you go, you’ll see not only the dolphins in all their splashy, wet-nosed charm but also why the zoo renamed the habitat Dolphin Bay, a nod to the decades of research in Sarasota Bay that continues to shape how these animals are cared for.
