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"Xinana", "Lua" and "Luna" are female dolphins and "Coris", "Anubis", "Gil" and "Barish" are sea lions, which were flown from Rome (Italy) to Zoomarine in Albufeira on Thursday in an air force plane in order to reproduce. The operation went “very well” according to the director of Science and Education at Zoomarine in Albufeira, Hélio Vicente.

Close to 6 pm, the C-130 Hercules landed at Faro airport “with all the animals in perfect condition”, and they were then transported to Zoomarine in Albufeira, the Air Force said in a statement.

Hélio Vicente, director of Science and Education at Zoomarine in Albufeira, told the Lusa Agency that the female dolphins "Xinana", "Lua" and "Luna" and the sea lions "Coris", "Anubis", "Gil" and "Barish", which had been at Zoomarine in Rome, were fine.

He said that as soon as they arrived, they had eaten, which was a sign that they were not suffering from stress, and he added that the transport of the mammals had been practised in advance.

The marine biologist explained that the animals, which had reached the stage of adulthood, will stay at Zoomarine in Albufeira, where some of them were born, in order to reproduce.

At the Albufeira Zoomarine, the female dolphins have more space than in Rome to have their young and stay with them for longer, and do not run the risk of mating with a “brother”.

In the case of the sea lions, the decision to bring them to Zoomarine in Portugal was taken because one of the animals was born there and with the additional aim of increasing the population with “new blood”.

It is the second time in four years that the air force, using Squadron 501, "Bisontes", have worked together with Zoomarine in Albufeira on transporting the marine mammals, the statement said.

source: http://www.algarveobserver.com