Evacuated From The Battlefield, Ukrainian Dolphins Find New House In Romanian Aquarium

Dolphin illustration. (Wikimedia Commons/Gregory Alexander Vasenin)

JAKARTA - In the portfolio of the port city of the Black Sea, Constanta, Romania, coaches from the country and Ukraine let dolphins guide them despite language problems.

Last year, the dolphin housed four dolphins and three sea lions with coaches and doctors fleeing the shooting in Kharkiv City, eastern Ukraine.

"Now we have more colleagues... Ukrainian colleagues and Ukrainian dolphins," said Romanian coach Mona Mandrescu, by the pool after a morning show in front of hundreds of very happy school children.

"We got along very well, we spoke in the same 'language'. This is the best thing that can happen to our dolphins," he continued.

Romania is one of the fourteen European Union countries that has a dolphin and marine breeding.

Dolphinarium Constanta, part of a more extensive museum of natural science and research complexes, has been home to the female dolphins Ni Ni and Chen Chen since 2010.

The dolphin tried to move their dolphins and sea lions, as soon as the shooting began in February.

Dolphins - Kiki, Maya, Marusia and Veterok - as well as sea lions - Alex, Mary and Zosya - were immediately transferred toTEN, where they waited two months for Romanian and Ukrainian officials to complete the necessary documents to bring them to the European Union.

The animals arrived in Constanta in early May and were quarantined for one month, before being introduced to two occupant dolphins.

"This is a new experience for us and our animals because we are different, they have two very old and very beautiful female dolphins, we have very young animals, at first we didn't feel right," said Ukraine team leader Elena Komogorova.

"But now... we are good friends - so are our team," he said.

These animals began performing together at the end of June, swimming with coaches, jumping over the ball and balancing the ball. Meanwhile, sea lions mingled with the audience.

"We want them to stay with us as long as possible," said Dolphinarium manager Iulian Candidate.

"They are hard workers and dolphins and we want them to be with us because we are a beautiful family," he concluded.