3-year-old dolphin rescued, relocated from Volusia County creek
‘Maggie-May,’ mother well-known by researchers
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Dolphin rescued from Spruce Creek. (Image: Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institue) (Copyright 2021 by WKMG ClickOrlando - All rights reserved.)
VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – A 3-year-old bottlenose dolphin was rescued by several teams from Spruce Creek in Volusia County and relocated back to the Halifax River Wednesday, according to Hubbs SeaWorld Research Institute.
The institute said with the help from SeaWorld, Volusia County Environmental Management, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution, Blue World Research Institute and the University of Florida, they were able to rescue the trapped dolphin nicknamed “Maggie-May.”
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On Feb. 18, a team of whale researchers was notified that Cottontail, a 12-year-old male right whale, was seen offshore of Sebastian Inlet. The large marine mammal was entangled in commercial fishing gear a large, thick heavy white rope was caught in mouth and extended about four lengths of his body behind him.
Sad ending
Cottontail wasn t seen again until Feb. 27. That s when he was confirmed dead.
The deceased body of the whale cataloged #3920 was located by the South Carolina aerial survey team from Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute (CMARI) on Saturday afternoon about 15 miles off the coast of Myrtle Beach, according to a news release.
Cottontail wasn t seen again until Feb. 27. That s when he was confirmed dead.
The deceased body of the whale cataloged #3920 was located by the South Carolina aerial survey team from Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute (CMARI) on Saturday afternoon about 15 miles off the coast of Myrtle Beach, according to a news release.
The whale s death marks the third for the 2020-21 season and the 34th Unusual Mortality Event (UME). According to NOAA, the leading category for the cause of death for this UME is “human interaction,” specifically from entanglements or vessel strikes.
Cottontail was first seen to be entangled in October 2020 by the Center for Coastal Studies (CCS) aerial survey team. The team was en route to search for another entangled right whale south of Nantucket. Cottontail had a line over his head, exiting both sides of his mouth, extending beyond his tail. CCS removed some gear from the whale and added a satellite buoy for tracking.
Right whale Cottontail, observed off Sebastian in February, now dead tcpalm.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from tcpalm.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
One of the world s most endangered whales was spotted swimming with a newborn in the waters off South Carolina s Hilton Head island.
A drone camera captured footage of a 50-ton North Atlantic right whale and her calf frolicking about four miles from shore.
According to the boat captain who spotted the pair on Friday, the mother was 50 feet long and the calf was close to 15 feet.
The North Atlantic right whale is among the rarest of marine mammals, with less than 400 left in the world.
Collisions with boats and entanglement in lobster nets are the main reason they are critically endangered.