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Aquarium trainer to talk about Beluga Whale artificial insemination Nov. 30

November 09, 2006

For immediate release - Nov. 9, 2006 Contact: Amy Sullivan (860) 439-2526; amy.sullivan@conncoll.edu   Aquarium trainer to give talk about Beluga Whale artificial insemination at Connecticut College on Nov. 30   NEW LONDON, Conn. - Justin Richard, a 2003 graduate of Connecticut College and a trainer at Mystic Aquarium, will give a lecture titled "Beluga Whale Artificial Insemination: A Trainer´s Perspective," at 4:30 p.m. on Nov. 30 in New London Hall room 112 at Connecticut College.

Richard said the Aquarium worked with Dr. Todd Robeck from Sea World to artificially inseminate one of the Aquarium´s female belugas, Kela, making her the first beluga in the world to be artificially inseminated.  "Although pregnancy did not result, we have learned a great deal about beluga reproduction," Richard said.

Richard´s talk will focus on the training process, which requires the animals be trained to participate in ultrasound examinations, blood draws and urine collection, which allows the Aquarium´s belugas to take part in cutting-edge research on beluga reproduction.

Ranked among the most selective private liberal arts colleges in the nation, Connecticut College enrolls 1,900 men and women from 43 states and 45 countries. The college is known for putting the liberal arts into action through interdisciplinary studies, international programs, funded internships, student-faculty research and service learning. Founded in 1911, the college operates under an 85-year-old honor code. The college is located at 270 Mohegan Ave, New London, about two hours by car from Boston and New York. The 750-acre campus is an arboretum overlooking Long Island Sound. For more information, visit www.connecticutcollege.edu.   -CC-

For more information contact: Amy Sullivan (860) 439-2526; amy.sullivan@conncoll.edu