09.28.00 - C-6'S AMAZING ROAD TO RECOVERY, C-7 SPOTTED NEAR THE SEBASTIAN INLET
We are absolutely thrilled and relieved to have found "C-7" alive and well and in the company
of other dolphin. Hopefully, we can reunite "C-6" with "C-7" at some point in the near future.
Both "C-6" and "C-7" are frequent visitors to HBOI's ship channel where they have been identified
many times in the last 3 years. If approved for release, and fitted with VHF/satellite telemetry
devices, "C-6" and "C-7" could teach us a great deal about the dolphin who inhabit the
Indian River Lagoon.
Medical care provided C-6 has produced astonishing results with the rapid granulation and
closure of his injuries. Medicaly speaking, C-6's vital organs and blood chemical profile are
all within normal ranges. Behaviorly, C-6 is bright, alert, and responsive. C-6 received a
total of seven shark bite injuries. It is now believed to have been administered by at least three bull
sharks ranging from four to eight feet in length. HARBOR BRANCH Animal Care
staff is now providing environmental enrichment activities and stimulli to keep C-6 active in our
100,000 gallon critical care pool.
The future is still uncertian for C-6 though, an eventual release is expected with close monitoring of
his progress into the wild. Since C-6's arrival at HARBOR BRANCH, he has put on an additional 40 lbs.
of much needed weight, bringing his total to 445 lbs. He is consuming around 30 lbs. of herring and
cappelan (small pelagic fish) a day and is receiving wound treatment three to four times daily. The
cost of C-6's daily medical treatment, food, antibiotics, and laboratory analysis exceeds $1000.00 a day
and as there are no state or federal funds available for such efforts to rehabilitate marine mammals,
HARBOR BRANCH is making an urgent appeal to the public for cash donations of any amount.
The public can also support this effort state wide by purchasing a
"Protect Wild Dolphins" license tag.
Please contact our Associates Program to become a member with your donation at (772) 465-2400 ext. 328
or 226 or email inquiries to associates@hboi.edu.
Check out these stories by the local media:
08.31.00 - DOLPHIN C-6 ATTACKED IN THE INDIAN RIVER LAGOON
The Marine Mammal Research and Conservation Division at Harbor Branch
Oceanographic has again come to the aid of an animal in need. An
adult male bottlenose dolphin known as "C-6," was seen beached on the shore of
the Indian River Lagoon (IRL) Thursday, August 31. Members of the Harbor Branch
Dolphin Rescue Team were quickly dispatched, and after a difficult pursuit the
animal was finally rescued with the help of local marine enforcement units from Indian River County and the Beached Animal Rescue professionals from Sea World of Florida. C-6 is now recovering at the marine mammal critical
care and rehabilitation facility at Harbor Branch Oceanographic.
Records in our database indicate that two male dolphins -- C-6 and his companion,
C-7 -- were first captured during a study conducted in 1980. The primary objectives of this work were to 1) capture, brand, and collect biological data on Lagoon dolphins, 2) determine the effectiveness of the branding technique and movement of branded animals, and 3) to prepare a photographic catalog of fins and flukes of all branded animals.
At that time, researchers from Hubbs-Sea World Research Institute, under contract to the National Marine Fisheries Service, estimated that C-6 was four years
old and C-7 was five years old. Both animals were freeze branded on both sides of their dorsal fins and along the
lateral sides of their bodies using a branding iron soaked in liquid nitrogen at -80
deg. F. In 1981 they were recaptured, examined, and released together.
Individual bottlenose dolphin are photographed as a part of a long-term photo-identification
study of the IRL dolphins. In 1997, we came across C-6 and C-7 while reviewing our photo-ID
image database of lagoon dolphins. Their freeze brands were just barely visible but amazingly
enough, C-6 and C-7 were together after 17 years! For the last two years we have seen the
pair together and documented their activities in the IRL. This pairing is the longest standing
male dolphin coalition ever documented in the IRL. You can imagine our disappointment when
just 6 weeks ago C-6 was spotted alone, for the first time ever. Subsequent sightings of C-6
swimming alone lead us to believe that something had happened to his longtime friend C-7.
Instead, it was C-6 found lying on his side in the IRL at a Vero Beach boat ramp where he
lay bleeding to death. Unfortunately, a well-intentioned boater
spooked him and he slowly swam away. It took the rescue team 12 hours to
finally locate C-6 and safely capture and transport him to our
critical care facility at HBOI. The old male dolphin had sustained massive injuries.
It is suspected that his lacerations were the result of an encounter with at least one
large (7 to 9 foot) bull shark. Since he arrived at HBOI, a staff of dedicated marine mammal
medical experts has worked around the clock to stabilize and
treat his wounds. Harbor Branch has spared no expense with his care and few of the team
members and volunteers have had any sleep during this recovery and rehabilitation period.
At this point, we can say that his recovery has been miraculous. He is eating well and
his prognosis thus far is very promising.
The Marine Mammal Research and Conservation Division is involved in manatee research and
outreach programs in South Florida and throughout South America, Brazil, Belize, Mexico and
the Amazon River basin. This work is conducted by Division Director, Dr. Greg Bossart,
V.M.D., Ph.D., who is a
world renowned pioneer in the field of marine mammal medicine.
The long-term vision for The Marine Mammal Research and Conservation
Division at Harbor Branch Oceanographic is to create the world's first
teaching marine mammal hospital and research center.
We have already made great strides toward our goals, but we have a long way to go. We plan
to develop educational programs that highlight dolphin and threats to their fragile estuarine ecosysytem.
Few people realize that dolphin are "apex predators." They are an excellent indicator species
for determining the health of the environment. Dolphin monitoring programs provide valuable data
for scientists to evaluate the health of our oceans and estuaries.
Long-term data collection is an important tool used by resource managers in determining the most
effective conservation and management policies.
The Marine Mammal Research and Conservation Division at Harbor
Branch has helped rescue several whales and dolphins in this area. Of those, two have been
rehabilitated and released back into the wild. "JJ" a
pygmy sperm whale, was rescued in mid-August in Vero Beach. He was temporarily held at HBOI and
then transported to Mote Marine Laboratory, in Sarasota, Florida. We hope that C-6 will eventually
be approved for release but in order to achieve this goal, he will need to be housed in a
larger pool for perhaps as long as 4 months of additional treatment.
>>SEE FINAL C-6 REPORT>>
C-6 Medical Exam Performed By Dr. Bossart - Quicktime format
C-6 Transport Procedures - Quicktime format
C-6 Ultrasound Exam Performed By Dr. Hayes - Quicktime format
C-6 At Play In The Johnson Pool At HBOI - Quicktime format
C-6 Final Feeding - Zero Human Interaction - Quicktime format
C-6 Release From HBOI - March 05, 2001 - Quicktime format
C-6 foraging in the IRL with C-7 - April 04, 2001 - Quicktime format
|
