Marineland's Kelly - NZ's last captive dolphin

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Thu, 14 Aug 2008 12:00a.m.

Kelly the dolphin

Kelly the dolphin

It cannot be easy being the only resident at Marineland with a dorsal fin, but it turns out the Napier local is far from lonely.

Nightline met New Zealand's last captive dolphin and despite the fishy breath found her captivating.

In the dolphin world, at 38-years-old, Kelly is considered geriatric - not that she acts it.

Common dolphins are only expected to live to around 20, so Kelly has exceeded her life expectancy by 18 years.

The senior citizen would not be able to survive in the wild and in Napier she is marine royalty.

Kelly used to share the spotlight with fellow common dolphin, Shona, but she died of old age in 2006.

Around 1500 people take the plunge with Kelly each year. Having company - animal or human - is a vital part of her life.

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Comments

17 Feb 2009 03:58p.m.

Sailornz, Auckland wrote:

Why don't they get another couple of dolphins to keep her company ??

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