Dolphins of Ukraine "Flee" to Romania Due to the War

In a dolphinarium in the Black Sea city of Constanta, trainers are allowing dolphins to guide them despite language barriers, escaping the shelling in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv. Romanian trainer Mona Mandrescu, standing at the edge of the pool after a midday show in front of hundreds of school students, said, "Now we have more colleagues... Ukrainian colleagues and colleagues from Ukrainian dolphins." She added, "We coexist well together; we speak the same language. This is the best that can happen for the dolphins here." Romania is one of about 14 EU countries with a dolphinarium and marine animal facilities. The Constanta dolphinarium is part of a larger natural sciences museum and research complex, home to two female dolphins named "Ni Ni" and "Chen Chen" since 2010. In Kharkiv, the local dolphinarium sought to swiftly relocate dolphins and sea lions after the Russian shelling began last February. The dolphins and sea lions were immediately transported to the city of Odessa, where they stayed for two months until officials from Ukraine and Romania completed a series of procedures to integrate them into the European Union.