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Its a great happy birthday to Dolly By Muffy Hitzeroth HAPPY Birthday to Dolly, Bayworlds much-loved matriarch. The female Indian Ocean bottlenose dolphin celebrates her 35th birthday today, which is pretty good going in dolphin years! But she is definitely no old granny shes clearly the boss of Bayworld and has a team of trainers to satisfy her every whim. Born on the day the pool was opened to the public in 1968, PEs favourite lady was the first dolphin conceived and born in an oceanarium in the southern hemisphere. She is the oldest dolphin living in captivity in the world. Dolly and her son Domino, along with the seals, delight visitors with daily shows at 11am and 3pm. Exhibits within the Oceanarium include an underwater observation area where you can literally count each tooth of the sharks, seal and penguin enclosures and a dolphin research centre. There are two large tanks, one of which houses a variety of fish, sharks and turtles, while the other houses an array of tropical fish. Located in the heart of the beachfront, Bayworld, which incorporates the Port Elizabeth Museum, Oceanarium, Snake Park and No 7 Castle Hill Museum, provides a feast of entertaining education to nearly 500 000 visitors a year. SWIM WITH SHARKS FEELING a little more adventurous? Why dont you try shark swimming with the Bayworld sharks? Contact Pro Dive (041-583-5316) or Ocean Divers International (041-363-0035) to book a dive. . . . OR SNUGGLE A SNAKE Speaking of the adventurous, having a three-metre python wrapped around your neck isnt exactly a girls idea of a good time, but this Hotline girl survived the experience, which by the way, is not granted to just anyone. Surprisingly friendly, the young python is silky to the touch, but I dont think Ill be trying this again anytime soon! The snake park is home to a number of indigenous and exotic reptiles and plants. Glass cages allow you to venture close but in absolute safety. A wide variety of reptiles such as tortoises, snakes and crocodiles can be viewed. It is the oldest snake park in Africa. MUSEUM MARVELS ANOTHER marvellous attraction at Bayworld is the Port Elizabeth Museum, which blends cultural with natural history and is the third oldest in South Africa. The ground and first floors contain the marine, bird and maritime history halls, a costume hall, a local history hall and a curiosity corner, as well as diverse exhibits in the fields of natural science, archaeology and geology. Models and skeletons of whales, dolphins, sharks and bony fish provide you with an opportunity for close-up study before or after viewing the live animals in the Oceanarium. Most amazing are the 15m skeleton of the last southern right whale harpooned in Algoa Bay; a life-sized reconstruction of the giant local prehistoric dinosaur known as Algoasaurus; a replica of the Dias Cross; and a 5m bronze cannon dated 1640, recovered from a Portuguese galleon wrecked near Port Elizabeth. Daily operating hours are from 9am till 4.30pm. BAYWORLD BUDDIES YOU can become a Friend of Bayworld and enjoy unlimited free entry to the Museum, Oceanarium and Snake Park for one year. Bayworld Friends receive a membership card, regular newsletters, discounts on childrens holiday and educational workshops, access to the museums reference library and discount on purchases at the Wildlife Society shop. Cost ranges from R20 to R500. If you would like your event featured in the Holiday Highlights, please phone/fax/email the details before noon.
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