A male dolphin rescued by fishermen in June, 2002 after being washed ashore in east China's Fujian Province, has been named "Gulei," a name that sounds very much like the English word "great."
The name has been chosen from a list of 120 proposed by local residents since the Xiamen Aquarium began soliciting suggestions through the local media. The dolphin has been receiving medical treatment at the aquarium for the past six months.
The final choice was made by head of the aquarium Lin Yuhui, oceanographer Huang Zongguo and a group of teenage students in Xiamen.
"Gulei" is the name of the peninsula where the dolphin was found, and, as a transliteration of "great," it symbolizes the invaluable friendship between man and animal, explained Lin Yuhui.
Gulei is the first beached dolphin to be saved on the Chinese mainland.
Fishermen found the wounded animal stranded on a beach in Zhangpu County in Fujian on June 25, 2002. A college student specializing in marine life, who happened to be on the beach, gave first aid to the animal and reported the finding to local fishery authorities. The dolphin was moved to the Xiamen Aquarium the next day.
The dolphin, which is 2.48 meters long and estimated to be between five and eight years old, has recovered from several injuries and a serious case of gastritis. It can now eat up to 7.5 kilograms of fish a day, said a worker at the aquarium.
The clever animal has learned to entertain visitors by "shaking hands" and balancing a ball on its head.
(Xinhua News Agency January 2, 2003)
