Featured Image: Miami Herald
When vacationers and local residents in the Florida Keys caught sight of two dolphins stranded in shallow water, they rushed to help. The dolphins, discovered near the Fiesta Key RV Resort, were struggling for breath when rescuers got to them. A collective effort was made to right the animals and get them to deeper water, however, people quickly noticed that even in deeper water the dolphins could not stay upright without assistance.
After two unsuccessful release attempts, The National Marine Fisheries Service called in the SeaWorld Rescue Team to transport the dolphins to the SeaWorld Orlando facilities to be rehabilitated.
According to the rescue organization, Dolphins Plus Marine Mammal Responder, SeaWorld is the only place in Florida capable of handling dolphin rehabilitation. The nonprofit’s president, Nancy Cooper, stated, “If it wasn’t for SeaWorld, these animals would have been euthanized”.
Thanks to the quick action of bystanders, the story has a happy ending. The dolphins arrived at SeaWorld Orlando and are already able to swim without assistance. The SeaWorld Rescue Team will continue to monitor and treat the animals until they are ready to be released back into the wild.
Read more here.