Featured Image Credit: Sea World Gold Coast via Facebook
By Kira Krall
SeaWorld Gold Coast responded to a dolphin caught on a baited drum line in Gold Coast waters. The large shark hook in the dolphin’s jaw wasn’t the only thing the staff found: the dolphin was one month away from giving birth.
Veterinarians discovered the dolphin’s baby bump post-surgery while administering her rehabilitation regime. It only took the dolphin 4 days to be cleared for release back into the ocean, where she will hopefully have a healthy, happy baby dolphin. Watch a video of her surgery and release below.
Australia has a long history of shark management attempts. Practices date back as far as 1962 and shark culls have been implemented at years-long intervals since then in the various coastal regions of Australia. While Western Australia ended its shark cull program for now, other parts of the continent are still using baited hooks and shark nets in an attempt to reduce shark attack numbers. You can read more about shark management by catch here.