Grassy Key… In keeping with their dedication to providing a home and care to animals in need, Dolphin Research Center (DRC), Grassy Key, FL, recently adopted a young, male bottlenose dolphin. The orphaned calf, approximately two years old, was rescued in June 2021, from Goose Island State Park in Texas, suffering from an underlying respiratory infection and dehydration. He was transported to Texas State Aquarium Wildlife Rescue Center in Corpus Christi, TX, where he received expert care and fully recovered. Because of his young age, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) determined that he could not be released back into the wild and selected Dolphin Research Center to be his permanent home. On Friday, March 25th, the dolphin – now named Ranger in a nod to his fighting spirit and Texas roots – was carefully loaded onto a Jet ICU air ambulance and flown to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department hangar at the Marathon Airport in the Florida Keys. He is currently swimming in DRC’s Medical Pool under careful monitoring by the staff veterinary and animal care team.
“We are excited to welcome Ranger into the Dolphin Research Center family,” said DRC President/CEO Rita Irwin. “Texas State Aquarium did a fantastic job of restoring this youngster to health and we look forward to continuing to help him thrive with excellent care here at his new forever home. We are grateful to Jet ICU for donating the air transport free of charge to get Ranger here safely. Generous gifts from DRC Board of Directors member Susan Lindley with her husband Tim and the HollyJolly Foundation empower us to cover all of the considerable associated costs of helping him.”
After an initial quarantine and monitoring period in the Medical Pool, Ranger will be transferred to the facility’s dolphin lagoons in Florida Bay (Gulf of Mexico). He will gradually be introduced to other dolphins at DRC and will have time to acclimate to his new surroundings, dolphin family members, and human friends. “Whenever we adopt a new animal, we commit to providing them with the finest home and care for the rest of his or her life, which could very well be 20, 30, or even 40 or more years,” Irwin added.
Dolphin Research Center has a long history of providing forever homes to animals in need. Currently, DRC has 25 other dolphins, 20 of which were born at the center. However, bottlenose dolphin males Jax and Louie, and Atlantic spotted dolphin Summer were previously rescued and rehabilitated before being transferred to DRC. Sea lion Lina is also a rescued animal. The remaining animals, including several tropical birds and two African spurred tortoises were adopted from other facilities or from private owners.
Founded in 1984, Dolphin Research Center is a nonprofit organization that is open daily for the public to see narrated behavior sessions and educational presentations, and to participate in interactive programs. DRC is also the licensed Manatee Rescue Team for the Florida Keys. Located at 58901 (mile marker 59) Overseas Highway, Grassy Key, Florida, the center is funded by admission and program fees as well as by private donors and members. DRC is an accredited member of the Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks & Aquariums. For more information, visit www.dolphins.org.
