A dolphin calf found alone and struggling to breathe has been rescued by an off-duty police officer.
On May 10, the Pasco Sheriff deputy had been fishing off the coast of Hudson, Florida, when he found the young dolphin, swimming in circles and clearly in distress, a statement from the sheriff’s office said on Facebook.
The dolphin was only days, or even hours, old, according to a statement by SeaWorld Orlando rescue staff, who later took in the calf. The young dolphin did not appear to be with its mother and was finding it increasingly difficult to get to the surface of the water for air.
Pasco Sheriff’s Office
Dolphin calves rely on their mother until they are between 5 and 10 years old. The rescued mammal would have still been relying on the mother for food, meaning it would certainly have died if left alone in the wild. It is not certain what happened to the parent, or how the calf came to be alone, but marine mammals can face many threats in the wild, including entanglement in fishing gear. Other species, including bull sharks, also prey on dolphins.
The deputy called the Pasco Sheriff Office’s Maritime Operations Unit (MAROPS), who arrived to the scene shortly afterwards. Bodycam footage of the incident shows the sheriffs arriving to rescue the dolphin calf, which can be heard whistling from the deputy’s boat. The animal is handed to the MAROPS team members, who pull up a boat alongside the deputy. In the video, an officer takes the dolphin calf and wraps it in a blanket, where it continues to whistle. Then the officer pours water over the animal to keep it wet.
Although dolphins cannot breathe underwater and need to surface for oxygen, they still need to be wet to survive. If a dolphin dries out, it can die quickly.
Once rescuing the calf from the water, officers took it back to shore, where rescuers from Clearwater Marine Aquarium were waiting. The young dolphin was then taken to SeaWorld Orlando’s rescue department, where staff determined it was in critical condition. However, since the rescue, the calf began to show signs of improvement.
SeaWorld said in a statement that, after treatment, the calf began swimming on its own and has been drinking from the bottle.
“This baby (and others like him) would not have a chance if not for the incredible rescue work and partnership of accredited zoological facilities and the Southeast Stranding Network who come together to do what is best for animals every day,” the statement added.
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