CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- It's homecoming week at Brookfield Zoo for some bottlenose dolphins and their habitat looks a little different.
For the past 15 months, seven bottlenose dolphins had been at Minnesota Zoo while their Seven Seas habitat at Brookfield Zoo got a makeover.
Now, the zoo said the dolphins are back home reacclimating to their new environment.
The $10 million renovation includes new rock work structures with anchors for animal care staff to attach enrichment items, like kelp strips and floating objects.
The upgrades will encourage natural behaviors such as searching for food, playing, utilizing their echolocation abilities, chasing objects, and interacting with each other.
“One of our priorities in the project was to add a variety of dynamic elements to the dolphins’ habitat to enrich their daily lives,” said Dr. Michael J. Adkesson, President and CEO of the Chicago Zoological Society and director of Brookfield Zoo.
“These new features will make our already world-class care for our dolphins even more robust.”
The habitat will be open to the public starting March 25.
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