Japanese aquariums are beginning to consider breeding bottlenose dolphins through artificial insemination as a way to maintain their numbers and avoid continued international criticism of displaying dolphins caught in the wild.
A small male dolphin swimming with its mother has become a major attraction at the Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium after it was born this May through artificial insemination, the first such birth reported in Japan in 14 years.
The mother was removed from dolphin shows about six months prior to delivery and remains uninvolved in performances.