Saving a dolphin on porpoise
Ranger got a bad start in life. He was a very young dolphin and his mother died before he was old enough to care for himself. He had not even learned how to catch and eat fish. He was rescued after being discovered stranded in waters around Goose Island State Park in Texas. He was suffering from an underlying respiratory infection and dehydration following his mother’s death. After determining that Ranger hadn’t learned enough eating and survival skills from his mother to successfully live in the wild, National Marine Fisheries chose Dolphin Research Center in Marathon as his forever home. The Dolphin Research Center was founded in 1984 by Armando (“Mandy”) and Jayne Rodriguez. Mandy had earlier been a dolphin trainer at Miami Aquarium and decided to interact with dolphins in a manner less “circus-y”.
To safely maneuver Ranger from quarantine, DRC staff employed a special marine mammal stretcher and placed him into the natural Florida Bay water of the facility’s main lagoon. Several dolphins in neighboring pools observed as Ranger speedily explored his new home, taking in their sonar signals for the first time since arriving at the rehabilitation facility in late March. Ranger convalesced in a medical quarantine pool specially designed to increase his eating and weight, while strengthening both his immune system and his bond with human caregivers. Ranger was moved from the quarantine poll to the main tank the transfer marking the marine mammal’s final integration into a “forever family” of other permanent dolphin residents. As of 2022, DRC listed 25 dolphins as currently residing at its facilities. Twenty-four of the dolphins are bottlenose dolphins, while the other dolphin is an Atlantic spotted dolphin. Twenty-one of the dolphins were born in captivity. Four of the bottlenose dolphins and the Atlantic spotted dolphin were rescued from the wild.
Beeping for Joy
Why are Dolphins so successful at dating?
They just click with one another!
Did you know that dolphins are so smart that within a few weeks of captivity, they can train people to stand on the edge of their pool and throw them fish?
I find it strange how everyone suddenly cares about straws killing dolphins…
They’ve been breaking camels’ backs for years.
I’ve spent my whole life searching for an invisible dolphin.
But now I don’t see the porpoise.
June 9th Birthdays
1981 – Natalie Portman, 1989 – Mae Whitman, 1986 – Ashley Postell, 1990 – Logan Browning
1961 – Michael j. Fox, 1934 – Jackie Mason, 1934 – Donald Duck, 1963 – Johnny Depp