Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter Subscribe CHICAGO, Sept. 29 (UPI) -- A Pacific white-sided dolphin has become the first animal to give birth through artificial insemination at Chicago's Shedd Aquarium, a newspaper said Monday. Tique, an 18-year-old dolphin delivered a 25-pound male calf Sunday, aquarium officials said. Advertisement And with another white-sided dolphin at the aquarium expected to deliver any day, officials hoped it would mark a breakthrough in such births. Shedd officials said they are holding off on naming the aquarium's newest addition because the calf still has the important milestone of nursing to reach before the birth can be declared a complete success. "We're excited, but there is still quite a bit ahead of us," said Ken Ramirez, Shedd's vice president of marine mammal husbandry. As of late Sunday afternoon, the 3-foot long calf seemed to be bonding with his mother, but had yet to nurse, Ramirez said. The Whale Harbor section of the aquarium, where all the dolphins are kept, was closed to the public Sunday and is expected to remain shut for several weeks, if not months.
