Brookfield Zoo Chicago reopens Seven Seas habitat after 15 months
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A fan favorite returns to Brookfield Zoo Chicago on Friday.
Its seven bottlenose dolphins will be back on display after being more than a year away from the crowds.
How are they settling into their habitat after a massive renovation, and what's behind the change?
When the doors to the dolphin habitat re-open this weekend, the show inside will surely make a splash.
"I might get emotional, but I'm so happy to have them home. It's been a long 15 months. It's just been so great to have them back," said Brookfield Zoo Chicago Lead Animal Care Specialist Elizabeth Lee.
Staff is still putting some of the finishing touches on their recently renovated Seven Seas habitat, which is part of a $10 million makeover.
Some caretakers made the move with their dolphins while they were housed near Minneapolis.
"Myself and my husband and my guinea pig moved to Minnesota for 15 months during the renovation," said Heather Downing, Lead Animal Care Specialist at Brookfield Zoo Chicago.
The updated habitat falls in line with best practices Brookfield Zoo Chicago staff learned from a massive study. They helped lead in 2018 when they looked at dolphins and whales from more than 40 zoos and aquariums in seven countries.
"We found out that it is not so much the habitat's size as how you use it, and your enrichment program and your staff and the social group as well," Downing said.
They added a bubbler, a sand pit, and a system to bring toys underwater. Things that add enrichment or play to the dolphin's days. The space more closely resembles their natural habitat and is now modeled after the landscape in Clearwater, Florida.
"All of the changes that we made while the dolphins were gone are purely for the benefit of improve their welfare," added Lee.
Bringing them home in February was a massive undertaking, moving the dolphins and acclimating them over the past six weeks, watching to make sure they made a happy, healthy transition.
"We were able to really observe them in this new environment and really feel confident and reassured that their behavior was showing us that they are comfortable," Lee said.
More than comfortable -- They're flipping for their new home.