ALMMSN rescues wayward dolphin

The Alabama Marine Mammal Stranding Network (ALMMSN), based out of the Dauphin Island (Ala.) Sea Lab, responded to a fisherman’s Oct. 16 report of a young pantropical spotted dolphin in distress in Deer River near Theodore, Ala. Pantropical spotted dolphin’s normal habitat in is off-shore waters and not inshore rivers. “(T)his dolphin was out of (its) habitat and separated from its pod,” said ALMMSN Stranding Coordinator Mackenzie Russell. The dolphin was nearly six feet long and weighed more than 100 pounds. Intervention and rescue was determined following a health assessment by ALMMSN Veterinarian Dr. Alissa Deming, in coordination with NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service. The dolphin was in critical condition and in “urgent need of medical care,” Deming said. Transporting wild dolphin is “notoriously challenging” and can be “extremely stressful,” she continued. The dolphin required several doses of emergency medications during the transport” to the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies in Gulfport, Miss., Deming said. The dolphin is now receiving 24-hour a day care. It’s unclear why the dolphin was alone and far removed from its normal habitat and pod. If you see a sick, injured or dead marine mammal in Alabama waters, call ALMMSN at 1-877-WHALE-HELP. (Source: Dauphin Island Sea Lab 10/17/18)