Rescued Dolphin Determined To Be Deaf

The past Father’s Day, SeaWorld’s animal rescue team worked with the Clearwater Marine Aquarium to rescue a stranded rough toothed dolphin.

Since the initial rescue, we have been excited to watch this rescued dolphin’s progress through the rescue and rehabilitation process.

Over time, the dolphin has gained weight, been seeking food on its own and has improved from the dire condition that it was in when the Clearwater Marine Aquarium brought it to the cetacean rehabilitation facility at SeaWorld Orlando.

The SeaWorld team has been working around the clock to care for the animal and to determine the cause of its stranding. All previous tests, ranging from radiographs to blood tests, showed normal results, leading SeaWorld to believe the dolphin might be suffering from hearing loss.

In dolphins, soft tissue and bones in their lower jaw convey sound to the ears. A hearing test was conducted by placing electrodes on the dolphin and different sounds and frequencies were sent to the animal’s jaw to test his response.   His reaction to the sounds was measured through the level of brain activity seen on a monitor.  This test is very similar to a human hearing test where sounds are sent through headphones to test for a response.

The hearing test allowed the experts at SeaWorld and the National Marine Mammal Foundation to conclude that the animal has a significant degree of hearing loss, which was likely the cause for his stranding.

SeaWorld continues to provide care for the dolphin until the federal government makes a decision about when and if the dolphin is fit to be released back into the wild.