Dramatic dolphin birth at Brookfield Zoo captured on camera — see the beautiful moment

Brookfield Zoo Chicago is celebrating the birth of a bottlenose dolphin calf — its first in more than ten years. The calf was born recently to 38-year-old Allie, a longtime resident of the zoo’s Seven Seas habitat.

Video released by the zoo shows the 35-pound newborn emerging underwater, then instinctively darting to the surface for its first breath. Nearby, 43-year-old Tapeko, an experienced dolphin mother, stayed close to Allie throughout the hour-long labor. In the footage, Tapeko follows the calf as it rises, offering support — a behaviour experts say mirrors dolphin births in the wild.

Shouts of encouragement from zoo staff — ‘Push, push, push!’—can be heard as Allie swims in circles, the calf’s tail fins briefly visible before its full delivery.

Zoo veterinarians say the calf is already bonding with its mother and learning essential survival skills, including "slipstreaming," a drafting technique that allows the newborn to swim efficiently alongside Allie.

Staff will closely monitor the calf over the next 30 days, focusing on nursing, swimming strength, and behavioral development. A paternity test will later determine which male dolphin at the zoo fathered the calf.

Officials have not yet announced a name, saying the calf will be named later this summer.

The successful birth marks a major milestone for the zoo’s dolphin program, which hasn’t welcomed a new member in over a decade and highlights the collaborative and maternal instincts of dolphins under human care.

— With inputs from AP