The delivery was on behalf of the Institute of Ecology and Evolution Problems, named after Severtsov, at the Russian Academy of Science. Specialists from the Institute, together with their Canadian colleagues, are studying dolphin’s reproduction.

Preparation for the flight started weeks in advance to safely carry the dolphins from the Utrijsky reserve, located close to Anapa. During the flight, the dolphins were handled with the greatest of care and traveled in four containers with water.

The flight was completed in the shortest possible time to safeguard the well-being of the dolphins, with just one fuel stop in Iceland.

The crew onboard Volga-Dnepr’s IL-76 aircraft took responsibility for the safe loading and unloading of the dolphins. The flight captured the interest of the Canadian media, with TV crews, journalists and photographers on hand to record the on-time arrival of the aircraft in Hamilton.

The dolphins are now enjoying their new surroundings at the Marina Land science centre.