On January 18 a family boating off of John’s Island spotted a baby dolphin with something green around its mouth. This is one of the images sent to the FAU Harbor Branch team.
Steve Burton stands in the entryway of the Johnson House at Florida Atlantic University’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, beaming like a proud parent. “This is the wall of success stories,” he says, referring to a series of photos of dolphins and whales recovered by the FAU Harbor Branch marine mammal rescue team. “I love showing these to people. The animals are all different. Look at their dorsal fins: he’s got a notch, his is bent there, and he’s got a little notch there. That’s how you can tell them apart.”
He smiles at some of the wall’s white space, as if conjuring up another image. “The animal we’re talking about today – he’s getting his plaque up here,” he says. That animal is a dolphin calf named CPEA, rescued on March 6 after weeks of searching a 60-mile stretch between the St. Lucie Inlet and the Sebastian Inlet. Normally a search area isn’t that broad, but this was a unique case from the beginning.
On January 18 the FAU Harbor Branch marine mammal stranding manager was enjoying a Sunday afternoon at the beach when he received a call from the dispatch officer at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. “Dolphins and whales don’t strand from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. They do it anytime, including holidays or weekends or overnight,” says Steve.
True Tails is a series written by Amy Robinson for Vero Beach’s dog lovers. Ask Amy about your dog’s behavior by clicking below.
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