It’s no secret that the lives and habits of marine mammals are changing all over the world. Climate change and natural disasters are forcing animals to change their habits in drastic ways to survive. Food sources are different, swimming patterns are new, and these changes have direct implications on the entire ecosystem that makes up our great oceans!
As a result of the aftermath of Hurricane Ida in 2021, a pond in Louisiana near Grand Isle has been seeing surprising marine life. After the storm, the pond became home to a mother dolphin and her calf.
According to some wildlife experts, both mother and baby dolphins were forced out of their habitat by flooding. They then became stranded in the pond when the flood current reduced. This pond is no natural habitat for a dolphin and her baby!
Dolphins naturally live in large bodies of water like the seas and oceans. While some species live in rivers and deltas, a pond is not exactly a large enough body of water for dolphins. Tragically, the dolphins were stuck in the pond for about 2 years before their heroes came to the rescue. Fortunately for them, a rescue team from the Audubon Coastal Wildlife Network and some other organizations were able to return both dolphins to the ocean in June 2023.
If you’re wondering why they were not rescued earlier, the wildlife organization has given an explanation. In a post they put up on Facebook, the Audubon Nature Institute clarified that they didn’t move the marine mammals earlier because they had to wait for the baby dolphin to be old enough to move to a location with access to open water.
They also explained that this kind of occurrence is not totally uncommon. A further explanation on their Facebook post said it was usual for increased coastal flood currents and storm surges associated with hurricanes to cause some marine animals like dolphins and sea turtles to be trapped in inland waterways or stranded on land where they won’t be noticed. Thankfully, there are orgnaizations like this one that take into account the safety/comfort of the animals and move them back to their rightful homes in the safest way possible.
“These marine animals may be found in these places for weeks, then months after the hurricane. The animals will need to be rescued by trained and authorized rescuers to take them back to their natural environment,” the Wildlife Institute stated.
To relocate the dolphin and her baby, the rescue team had to carry each animal out of the pond. A large stretcher-like material was used to carry them from the pond to the van. They were to be driven to the Gulf of Mexico.
Throughout the journey, the rescuers stayed with the dolphins, using sponges to pour water on them. When they got to their desired destination, the dolphins were carried out the same way they were carried in, and they were let out into the water. Both mother and baby dolphins swam swiftly into the open water.
