Rescued dolphin to be released into ocean to give birth
Published: February 12, 2007
A pregnant dolphin that washed ashore at Castaway Cove in November will be able to give birth in the ocean after veterinarians rehabilitated her.
Marine mammal experts at Mote Marine Laboratories in Sarasota plan to release the 10-foot offshore bottlenose dolphin off the beach of the Fort Pierce Inlet this morning — just in time for her to have her calf in the Atlantic Ocean.
“It looks like everything is going to be OK,” said Charles Manire, the veterinarian who cared for the dolphin, nicknamed Castaway. “We’ll get her back so she can have her baby in the wild, where her chances are the best.”
In November, the dolphin washed ashore early in the morning. She suffered from a yeast infection in her stomach and intestines, which caused excessive gas. The gas kept her buoyant enough to stop her from diving deep for food. She also developed pneumonia, Manire said.
Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution marine mammal experts rescued the dolphin and transported her to Sarasota.
At Mote Marine’s Dolphin and Whale Hospital, Castaway was given antibiotics and antifungal medicine — drugs the doctors had to ensure didn’t cause complications with the dolphin’s pregnancy.
According to ultrasounds, she is in her third trimester.
Manire said they do not plan on attaching a satellite tag to her dorsal fin, since the fin is used by pregnant dolphins to regulate temperature in the uterus. They will attach a radio transmitter that will track her for a day or two, he said.
Tim Ioannides, a resident of Castaway Cove who helped with the rescue, said he was following her progress and was excited to watch the dolphin be released this morning.
“It was a great experience to hold a dolphin and know you’re helping to save a life. We didn’t know we were saving two dolphins that day,” he said.
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