I’m sorry I’m not able to send the direct link, but here’s the
follow up story to the massive dolphin die-off.
For purpose of research; Palm Beach Post Daily Newspaper, archive
search the date at the bottom of the article.
Best to all,
Bridget
Two of five stranded Panhandle dolphins euthanized
PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. — Two rough toothed dolphins have been
euthanized after stranding themselves on a Florida Panhandle beach,
possibly victims of recent hurricanes that have churned the Gulf of
Mexico, rescuers say.
The two dolphins died Tuesday at Gulf World Marine Park where they
and three others were taken a day earlier from Cape San Blas, about
40 miles southeast of here, where they were found on the beach. The
rough toothed dolphin is ordinarily a deep-water species.
The two deceased dolphins, both females, were unresponsive in the
park’s stranding pool, said Gulf World CEO Ron Hardy. The remaining
animals, two females and a young male, nicknamed Ivan after the
hurricane that struck the Panhandle two weeks ago, were in guarded
condition.
Dr. Ruth Ewing, a veterinary medical officer with the National
Marine Fisheries Service, and a biologist are investigating and
assisting in the recovery effort.
The euthanized animals were thin and had muscle damage, which could
have resulted from the stranding and early indications from post-
mortem examinations showed at least one had pneumonia, Ewing said.
Rough seas caused by the hurricanes may have stressed the dolphins,
Hardy said. The females each weighed about 250 pounds and the young
male about 120 pounds.
Cape San Blas, which juts into the gulf like a hook, has been the
site of at least three mass strandings of rough-toothed dolphins
since the late 1990s.
Ewing said an ocean current may be bringing weak dolphins to the
cape. Rescuers surveyed the coastline from there to Panama City
Beach on Tuesday but found no more stranded dolphins.
___
September 29, 2004 – 7:48 a.m. MST