Saturday morning, the team of Dolphins Plus Marine Mammal Responder (DPMMR) got notice of an entangled dolphin off Long Key, an island in the waters of Florida, US. Local fishing guides had found the bottlenose dolphin fighting for his life in a crab pot buoy line. The 7-foot-male was near exhaustion from trying to reach the surface to breathe against the rising tide when the team arrived. Within 15 minutes, they were able to safely disentangle him with only superficial injuries. After a medical check and release in native waters, he was further monitored to ensure that he was stable, swam and breathed normally.
They were “fortunate that the local fishing guides knew who to call and that we had a trained and experienced team who responded quickly and safely”, says the DPMMR Stranding Coordinator. “The strong cooperation and coordination led to a safe and successful outcome for this dolphin.” Entangled animals are driven by fear and desperation, often moving about widely. Therefore, they should only be approached by experienced teams to ensure a safe outcome for the animal and the helpers alike.
The full article can be found here: https://keysweekly.com/42/dpmmr-team-frees-entangled-dolphin-off-layton-key/
Comments