In September 2001, a lucky group of people on the survey boat from our dolphin programme witnessed a very rare event: they saw a dolphin giving birth to a calf only metres away. It was a sunny Sunday afternoon, the boat's engine was in neutral and a group moved slowly towards the boat, seemingly oblivious to the vessel. The dolphins were grouped closely together and little could be seen of what was occurring until, quite suddenly, a large pink dolphin pushed a calf to the surface. The calf was identified as a newborn, or neonate, as it was very small, black and had a tiny, floppy dorsal fin.

The attending four dolphins took it in turns to assist the calf to the surface, right by the mother's side. Initially, the calf was pushed to the surface every minute and thereafter it spent longer underwater by its mother's side. The dolphins remained around the mother and calf and appeared very attentive to the calf's needs. Researchers and participants watched the dolphins for a further thirty minutes and decided that they should name the new calf "Sunny".

The experience was exceptional because it is incredibly rare to witness the birth of a dolphin calf. A significant amount was learnt on the roles of other female dolphins during a birthing process. The infant mortality rate for baby dolphins is very high in the wild; however, Sunny has luckily survived and was sighted twice in early winter, 2001. It has, according to records, gained weight and has grown bigger, and its colour changing to a lighter, steel grey.