There were 7 calves born into the resident Mandurah dolphin population.
Two are unfortunately deceased
Studies by Dr Krista Nicholson show there is an average survival rate of approx. 75 per cent in newborns in our area. Krista advises "The first year is the most vulnerable for dolphin calves. We have observed a slightly negative overall population growth rate over time in Mandurah. One of the ways we recommend to increase the population growth rate is to ensure calves survive their first year. Ensuring the community understands how to keep our dolphins safe is an important part of preventing further population loss".
The new calves in our waterways are in order of birth and as pictured below
Bilya ( born to River, deceased),
Meeka (born to Malika, male),
Hopscotch ( born to Topnotch, sex unknown at present),
Lou (born to Lucy, believed to be male, aka "Lou Lou or Louie")
Snowpea (born to Sweetpea, believed to be male),
Blaze (born to Coal, female)
Harper (born to Hayley, deceased, male)
Of these mothers Malika, Lucy and Coal have all given birth again, after loosing their previous newborns last year.
There was only one calf born into the Dawesville Cut coastal dolphins, Lyra, who sadly appeared to fail to thrive from birth, and is deceased (last photo).
A small number of calves were born to coastal dolphins off Dawesville & Comet bay.
Important - How can we help our dolphins
See Krista's advice on how the community can help protect our calves here