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Subject:
From:
Mary Belle Coutts <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Lactation Information and Discussion <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Mon, 12 Nov 2001 15:44:00 -0500
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Just thought I'd share my thoughts on an interesting article from the
Chicago Tribune Metro Section on the front page: "Mom's - and Grandma's -
boy - and subtitle:  Milk holds key to research.  In summary, the article
starts out talking about two female bottlenose dolphins at the Brookfield
Zoo, mother and daughter, both introduced about a year ago to 2 male
dophins.  Both female dophins became pregnant and the zoo had hoped they
would deliver about the same time so the younger of the two could learn
"tricks of mothering" from watching the mother.  Well, it turned out the
older dophin delivered a stillborn in early October (both due in December)
and the younger dophin (the daughter of the older) delivered October 18.
Mom of calf supposedly did not do what she needed to do to care and nurse
this calf and zoo keepers became concerned about calf's health and safety.
In the meantime, grandma did show proper mothering to this calf, so they
separated mom from grandma and baby.  Biologists took this opportunity to
examine the first-time mother's milk, suspecting the milk may hold clues to
the reason why so few calves of first-time dolphin mothers survive.  This is
supposedly the first time these biologists will have ever looked at levels
of toxins first-time mother bottlenose dolphins might be passing to their
calves. Interesting. Well....they've returned mom to the tank with grandma
and baby and mom has been guiding the calf to nurse and zoo keepers think it
may stimulate her to relactate...I'm confused.  If anyone else read this
article, set me straight please, for I would venture a guess that the first
time mother's milk was found to contain high levels of toxins due to the
fish they eat...however, I don't see where they could state (if they do -
which they probably will)that this baby would not have survived due to his
mother's milk being contaminated. Or are there levels of toxins which these
mother dolphins could have that would definitely mean the calf would die?
What about failing to survive due to the fact this young mother never
observed mothering before due to captivity irregardless of the amount of
contamination in her milk?  While if doing this research we'd see all the
more reason to clean up the environment and see the importance of
generations passing on "mothering ways" - great.  I'm just worried it'll be
something else - and then we human mothers...well that's another story
however connected in many ways.

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