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Dolphin & Whale Hospital
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Animal Care News |
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Sept. 6, 2000 |
Volume 1, Issue 2 |
| Inside this issue . . . . |
| Another Kogia at DWH |
| Sea Turtle Rehab News |
| Stranding Investigation Activities |
| Turtle Exhibit News |
| Manatee Exhibit Renovations |
| Click here for past newsletter |
Please plan to attend the meeting. We will be updating everyone on recent stranding events and released animals, and talking about several upcoming projects. Plus, one of Mote Marine Laboratory's dolphin research scientists, Kim Bassos-Hull, will be delivering a presentation on "The Echo and Misha Reintroduction Project". Please plan to join us on September 27, 2000 for this fascinating and informative meeting.
Animal Handler Class October 13, 14, and 15, 2000. For those of you who have friends interested in joining the Animal Care Team, we will be having a handler class on the above dates. The class covers beach rescue of stranded cetaceans, animal husbandry procedures, basic dolphin and sea turtle anatomy, release and reintroduction of stranded cetaceans and sea turtles to the wild. and volunteer procedures. Cost for the class is $50.00 to cover teaching materials, handbook and Dolphin and Whale Hospital T-shirt. For more information, please contact Marine Mammal Volunteer Coordinator Lisa Duffy at (941) 388-2369 or duffy@mote.org
Animal Care Volunteer Publishes Article
Animal Care Volunteer Kathleen Wingate recently wrote about her experiences with Ginny, the common dolphin brought to the Dolphin and Whale Hospital by the Virginia Marine Science Center earlier this year. Kathleen submitted her article to a national magazine, "Nature Photographer", and it was published in the July/August issue. You can read Kathleen's article by picking up the magazine or stopping by the Animal Care Office. Congratulations to Kathleen on the publication, and thank you for sharing your animal care experiences with the rest of the world.
Another Kogia at Dolphin & Whale Hospital
At about midnight, 25 August, Jason, a mature male pygmy sperm whale arrived at Mote's Dolphin and Whale Hospital. He had stranded two nights earlier at Vero Beach and had been taken temporarily to Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute. He was brought to Mote to place him in the Marine Mammal Lagoon to give him more room. Before leaving HBOI, an echocardiogram was performed to determine if he suffered from cardiomyopathy (a heart disease common to this species) and his heart was found to be normal. Most other organs seemed to be normal, as well.
For the first few days, he had a fairly good appetite. Unfortunately, that began to decline and it was decided to induce vomiting to empty his stomach. When he vomited, squid beaks from at least 23 different species (from 11 families) of deep sea squid were recovered. Dr. Nélio Barros examined and identified the beaks as he is very interested in the feeding habits of cetaceans. Where the treatment will go from here will depend on how he responds to medications, but we hope that he will be the first Kogia released alive from the Dolphin and Whale Hospital. (Back to Top)
The past quarter has been a very busy time for sea turtle rehabilitation at Mote. Sadie, the 325 pound loggerhead sea turtle that came in with a fracture of her plastron (botttom shell), was just released after a 13 ½ month rehabilitation. She was released off Holmes Beach on 23 August by the staff and volunteers who spent long hours nursing her back to health. Prior to release, a satellite-linked transmitter was attached to her carapace (upper shell) and her movements are being followed remotely. Everyone who is interested can access the tracking data through the Mote web page at www.mote.org. By the way, Sadie's web page was designed by volunteers Chuck Cooper and Jeanne Martel following a format designed by Wendi Fellner. During her stay at Mote, Sadie underwent orthopedic surgery to help heal the fracture and she received medication to induce her to lay her eggs after she came in for rehabilitation. We all wish Sadie well on her journey and hope that she returns to the area in the next two years (the length of time the transmitter batteries should last).
In addition to Sadie, eleven Kemp's ridley sea turtles came to Mote last November/December from Cape Cod after being cold stunned (trapped in cold water). Eight of these endangered turtles were released, two died of fungal infections, and one is still in rehabilitation, although he is very close to being released.
Two green sea turtles have also been undergoing rehabilitation for the last few months. Bebo was found near Port Manatee with his head and flippers entangled in a divers marker buoy. At first it appeared that he might lose one flipper but the veterinary team was able to save the flipper and Bebo is very close to being ready for release as well. Ti, a green turtle that was found floating near Tidy Island, appears to have lung damage, but it is hoped that the damage can be corrected.
In addition to all of these, there have been a number of loggerhead sea turtles arrive, two dead and two that ended up dying (KC and Mandi), which were found to have severe intestinal problems. It is feared that there may be a contagious problem being passed around among the loggerhead sea turtles in area waters. Staff and volunteers will continue monitoring for more cases.
There are a large number of volunteers that are involved in the rehabilitation of sea turtles at Mote. These include Frank Szydlowski, George Brinkerhoff, Mike Lantry, Jennifer Consaga, Rebecca Brudek, Lynn Watts, Bob Sickmiller, Ruth Manire, Cathy Wilson, Debbie Sanford, Samantha Deckert, Mel Beall, Becky Smith, Paula Clark, Kanani Horito, Rose Turner, Inge Legore, Judith Duzgon, Doris Dyer, Callie Donovan, Ginger Paradise, Forrest Paradise, Connie Murk, Val Plasmoti, Ray Von Saun, Debbie Doran, Barb Fulks, Kathleen Wingate, Jeanne Martel, Carol Starostecki, Sally Senger, Sherry Moore, Jeannie Starostecki, Kappy Pembleton, Brenda Jameson, Michelle Soifer, Becky McNeilly, Peggy Severson, Mary Moonen, Eleanor Bergman, Carol Meredith, Carole Rivinius, and Ingrid Messina. Also helping out have been interns Sara Maxwell, Kristy Lindemann, and Brian Balmer. If I have missed anyone, I apologize. We appreciate all the help. (Back to Top)
The MMSIP has been busy this past summer. We responded to 74 calls of marine mammals in Manatee and Sarasota counties. Manatee-related calls were 77% of the total, and most turned out to be animals with old injuries or involved in mating rituals. Sadly, however, on three occasions we responded to animals dying (boat hit) or already dead (newborn, boat-related injuries). From the 14 (19% of the total) calls related to cetaceans, three were verified as stranded animals. These are briefly described below.
1) MML-0014 - this stranding was initially reported to us as a live "small whale", later a "shark", swimming off the Venice Fishing Pier on July 1st. Our volunteers Gene and Lorry Stover promptly responded to the call, but could not find the animal until hours later, when it was freshly dead. That animal turned out to be a dwarf sperm whale (Kogia sima), a somewhat rare species in our stranding records. Results from the necropsy later performed suggested that the heart and lungs appeared compromised. These findings were later confirmed from histopathological analyses, indicating the whale had suffered from heart complications (cardiomyopathy) and possibly pneumonia. During necropsy a near-term fetus was also found (see photo below left), suggesting birth would occur in late summer. As the biology and ecology of dwarf (and their closely related species, the pygmy) sperm whales are poorly understood, the information obtained from this sad occurrence will increase our knowledge on this species.
2) MML-0015 - On July 2nd, the MMSIP was called upon by the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office to investigate a report of a small dolphin partially entangled in monofilament line, apparently having difficulty surfacing to breathe, in the Intracoastal Waterway just off of Royal Palm Marina, in Englewood. This dolphin did not seem to be able to keep pace with another dolphin, presumably its mother. We were able to assemble a team from Mote Marine Lab (David and Petra Smith from the Dolphin and Whale Hospital and Nélio Barros from the MMSIP) to respond to this event. With the help of Mr. Stookey, who had seen the dolphins earlier, we were able to locate both dolphins, and confirmed that the smaller of the two indeed had fishing line trailing from its body. We carefully approached this animal and we were able to free it from the fishing line. Once freed, this dolphin swam away and joined the other dolphin. We remained in the area for some time and observed both dolphins swimming normally and diving in synchrony. The fishing gear retrieved from the dolphin (photo above right), a 90-100 lb test line, was later identified by fishery biologists from the National Marine Fisheries as coming from a recreational rod and reel fishery (probably for billfish or other pelagic fish). It is apparent common for recreational fishers to "drop" their line off a few times per night, that is, to complete uncoil their spool of line off their rod, so that they have a good line for catching more fish. The large amount of seaweeds we found with the line suggests that it had been in the water for some time, also known as "ghost gear". Four years earlier (June 1996), another successful case of disentanglement had taken place off Ana Maria Island (described by Dr. Randy Wells and colleagues in an article published in the journal Fishery Bulletin), when a dolphin was observed trailing large amounts of line from its flukes. Though successful, these events highlight the threat that discarded fishing gear pose on marine life in general. Public education about the detrimental effects of discarded fishing gear and other marine debris is necessary, and we also recommend the continuation of local beach clean-up efforts and recycling programs.
3) MML-0016 - a dolphin was reported live on the Gulf side of Casey Key on Aug 2nd, with deep wounds on the flanks of its body. When MMSIP's Nélio Barros and Animal Care Team volunteer George Birnckerhoff arrived on the beach, the animal had already died. Extremely emaciated, this dolphin had 4 deep lacerations on its tail fluke, caused by propeller cuts (see photo below). Upon arrival at Mote Marine Lab for necropsy, it was identified by the MML's Sarasota Dolphin Research Program members as the offspring, born some 4 years earlier, of a dolphin well known for her interactions with boaters when begging for handouts. Upon necropsy, most internal organs were unremarkable, suggesting that the injury sustained to the body compromised the dolphin's ability to swim and probably hunt for food. Perhaps a behavior learned from its mother, this dolphin met its demise by interacting too closely with a boater. Although dolphin feeding and harassment is illegal and harmful to the marine mammals, educating the public to that effect has been a daunting task for the federal agency (the National Marine Fisheries Service) in charge of protecting wild dolphins. This event is a sad reminder of what can happen when our activities interfere with the natural behavior of wild animals, and increase their risk of injury and death. In an effort to educate the public about this problem, the National Marine Fisheries Service has recently posted warning signs in areas where these encounters occur, and also distributed educational materials highlighting the harmful consequences of interactions with dolphins. (Back to Top)
The Sea Turtle Care Team has been extremely busy lately caring for sea turtle hatchlings. Each summer hundreds of baby sea turtles are brought to Mote's nursery from local beaches. Most are simply kept moist in buckets of sand and are released at night off the beach. However, many need special care and treatment for various ailments before they are then released by boat into the Gulf of Mexico. Last Year (1999) 655 hatchlings were released off of the beach, 24 were treated and released into the Gulf of Mexico, and two were kept for extended rehabilitation. In July of this year, 162 hatchlings were released off the beach. In August, 308 were released off the beach, 27 were released by boat and 8 were kept for further rehabilitation. (Back to Top)
On August 25th, Hugh and Buffett were moved to one of the Dolphin & Whale Hospital's critical care tanks while their main exhibit is renovated. Hugh and Buffett spent nearly a year in this same tank when they first arrived at Mote. The move went well and took less than 1½ hours. Hugh adjusted well to his old "digs", but Buffett took a little longer! Both animals are doing well at present and are even doing well in their training sessions!
Public viewing of the manatees can be accommodated through windows installed around the tank. The area around the manatee exhibit has been closed off enabling construction workers to reseal the windows and seal cracks that have developed in the tank. In addition, the inside of the exhibit is being resurfaced to resemble a more naturalistic setting. False walls are being constructed and the flooring will look like a mud bank bottom.
New Faces!
Wendi Fellner, one of the Manatee Trainers is taking a 4-month leave of absence to complete a Marine Mammal Training Internship with the Navy in California! We wish Wendi well and will miss her, but know that the manatees are in capable hands with Joseph Gaspard who will try to fill in her shoes while she's gone! Welcome aboard Joe! The Manatee Care Department would also like to welcome their newest intern, Philip Strom! Philip is from Long Island University-Southampton College. (Back to Top)
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