Dom
| Species: Bottlenose Dolphin,
Tursiops truncatus Age Class: Adult Gender: Male Date of Stranding: September 13, 2008 Location of Stranding: Cameron Parish, LA Duration of care at TMMSN: Final Disposition: Released September 21, 2008 |
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Hurricane Ike
challenged the TMMSN with multiple out-of-habitat dolphin rescues
and recoveries. One such animal was a male bottlenose dolphin, found
in a private hunting lease marsh several weeks after Hurricane Ike
pushed a 15' storm surge over most of the north eastern coast of
Texas and the western coast of Louisiana.
Initially, Dom (named for the Domaingue brothers who found and
reported him) was reported to be in a shallow, narrow roadside ditch
with easy road access. Upon arrival, TMMSN found that the dolphin
was instead wallowing in 1-2 feet of water in a large marsh about 1
mile from the nearest road. In danger of sunburn or being completely
stranded by the tidal flow, Dom was in need of immediate assistance.
Rather than drive 3 hours back to retrieve the TMMSN airboat, the
Domaingue brothers graciously offered the use of their mudboat.
Using scraps of lumber and debris washed in by the Hurricane, our
resourceful team constructed a makeshift wooden frame to support the
closed-cell foam pad where the dolphin would sit during transport.
After testing the frame for weight, capacity, and stability, our
team went into the marsh to retrieve Dom.
Dom was quickly round-up in a cover by trained TMMSN CCT (Critical
Care Team) volunteers, Dom was safely loaded onto the padded mudboat
platform, and taken back to the nearest road.
Because Dom was considered to be an "out-of-habit" animal resulting
from the hurricane, National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) gives
the TMMSN the option of releasing the animal if it is physically
strong enough to survive in the wild. After an examination, health
assessment, and consultation with the SE NOAA Marine Mammal
Stranding Coordinator, the TMMSN was given authorization to release
Dom immediately.
After loading Dom into the truck and driving him 1/4 mile to the
beach on the other side of the road from where he was rescued, he
was released in chest-deep water in the Gulf of Mexico, where he
quickly swam away.
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Click here for a slideshow of more pictures of Dom's rescue and release by the TMMSN.
DOM & LUCKY:
Months later, another dolphin, nicknamed
Lucky, was reported to be stranded out-of-habitat and was rescued by
TMMSN very near to where we rescued Dom. See Lucky's page for more
information on his rescue.
