Grassy Key, FL… A young, male Atlantic Bottlenose dolphin who survived losing his mother and a probable shark attack has moved to a new home at Dolphin Research Center (DRC) on Grassy Key. In March 2007, the dolphin, estimated to be about 8 months old at the time, was discovered swimming completely alone with severe injuries to his dorsal fin, pectoral flippers, tail flukes and other parts of his body in the fresh water of the St. John’s River, near Jacksonville. After careful monitoring by National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), a team of stranding experts from NMFS, Gulf World Marine Park, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute rescued the animal.
Thanks to the expert treatment and rehabilitation he received at Gulf World in Panama City, FL, the youngster, named Jax after the location where he was rescued, recovered from his injuries. Due to his young age, NMFS deemed him “non-releasable”.
Dolphin Research Center and Gulf World enjoy a long term working relationship and both facilities are accredited members of the Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums (AMMPA). AMMPA Members often work cooperatively to find homes for animals such as Jax that cannot be returned to the open oceans. “It would be impossible for Jax, or any dolphin that young, to survive on his own. DRC has a long history of taking in animals from stranding and rescue situations. We are happy to provide a place for him in the family for the rest of his life,” says DRC President and CEO Jayne Shannon Rodriguez.
Jax joins the Dolphin Research Center resident pod of 19 other Atlantic bottlenose dolphins and two California sea lions. Now celebrating its 23rd Anniversary, the nonprofit organization is funded entirely by the admission and program fees paid by visitors and by private donors and members. DRC is proud to be an accredited member of the Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums.
