Cindy (dolphin)

Cindy (born circa 1975) is a male bottle-nosed dolphin that made international headlines, for an unofficial marriage to a woman.

The dolphin was taken in 1990 from the Black Sea to the Dolphin Reef dolphinarium in Eilat, Israel, in the Gulf of Aqaba. There, he was seen by a British woman, Sharon Tendler, during a show. After having visited for 15 years Tendler requested permission from the dolphin's trainer for the "wedding".

The ceremony was held on December 28, 2005. It began with the 41-year-old Tendler walking down the dock in a white silk dress towards the water where 35-year-old Cindy was waiting. Cindy was then fed fish by Tendler and the dolphin "kissed" her on command, getting more fish in reward. At the end of the ceremony, Tendler was thrown into the water.

Though the media painted a more romantic picture of the event, Tendler herself admitted that the marriage had no legal standing and that the ceremony was, in her own words, "a bit of fun" after her friends joked about her being single at the age of 41.

Cindy is the only male dolphin at the dolphinarium and has sired offspring with several of the females.

References

• "Talking Points: The Most Ridiculous Item of the Day" By Bill O'Reilly, Fox News, January 6, 2006
• "I Now Pronounce You Mammal and Wife", Daily Record, December 30, 2005
• MSNBC.com Video of the Ceremony

See also

• Animal marriage
• Zoophilia