Rescued deaf dolphin and newborn doing well
Published: June 12, 2007
Castaway the deaf dolphin is now a new mom.
Just before 3 p.m. Monday, after only 30 minutes of labor, Castaway delivered a calf in a lagoon birthing pen at the Marine Mammal Conservancy in Key Largo.
”Both mother and calf seem to be doing really well,” conservancy President Robert Lingenfelser said. “We are watching and waiting for the first nursing. But they are swimming together really well.”
The calf is 42 inches long and around 30 pounds. Its sex is not yet known.
Some staff members have recommended the name Wilson, after the volleyball in Tom Hanks’ movie Cast Away. But no name has been decided on. Some at the conservancy want to wait to see the calf’s personality and find out its sex first.
SPEAKING IN MONOTONE
In the first few hours, the calf and mother appeared to be making sounds, though it is unclear how well they understand each other. Researchers say Castaway’s sounds are monotone, much like a deaf human might make.
Although it is not known for certain, it appears the calf is not deaf, said Andy Newman, a publicist for the Florida Keys Tourist Development Council.
In November, the 10-foot long Atlantic bottlenose dolphin was found stranded at Castaway Cove near Vero Beach.
She was treated for 79 days for intestinal infections and stomach ulcers at Mote Marine Laboratories in Sarasota, then returned to the Atlantic Ocean. But four attempts to release her into the wild failed. Each time, Castaway tried to swim back to shore.
Castaway was transported to Key Largo, where she has received round-the-clock care at the nonprofit rehabilitation facility. There she was deemed ”unreleasable” by the National Marine Fisheries Service.
A dolphin needs to hear to use its echo localization, a type of natural sonar, to survive in the wild.
The calf will not be able to be released into the wild because the first six months are critical to learn self-preservation and the calf must remain with its mother during that time.
UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY
Since Castaway is believed to be only the second deaf dolphin held in captivity, she has presented unique research opportunities.
During the pregnancy, an hourlong CD of random sounds made by a captive pod of 10 dolphins at nearby Dolphins Plus was played twice a day at the conservancy.
The hope was to try to simulate the wild for the calf while in utero.
Researchers also have set up the world’s first dolphins’ ”chat line,” in which highly sophisticated underwater speakers and microphones have been installed at both the conservancy and Dolphins Plus, a research and interactive education facility in Key Largo. This will allow real-time communication.
But caretakers say they will not use the chat line until after Castaway and her calf have an opportunity to communicate on their own.
The pair will remain at the conservancy for at least the next six months before being transported to a permanent facility.
If you enjoyed this good news Subscribe to Good News Blog
If you like this, you'll love Good Animal News:
Share this
To share this simply copy and paste one of the below URL's: