SOLANGI: They were probably many, many miles from the shoreline. Where do you figure these dolphins went in those first 12 days after the storm?ĭr. The daughter's about 17 years old, and the mother is about 30.īLOCK: Thirty, wow. SOLANGI: These were Jackie and Toni these are mother and daughter. And once they look better, we'll send them to other aquariums.īLOCK: And which two dolphins were these?ĭr. And we're waiting on the Navy to provide us with some of their temporary pools that we will house them, quarantine them. We had taken some blood samples on them, and-we got them this morning, and we've taken the two to a swimming pool to the Holiday Inn. I mean, it's just incredible.īLOCK: How else do they look? Are they in OK shape?ĭr. SOLANGI: Oh, they just jump up and down they rub the trainers and, you know, do flips. We had fish food on the boats, and since then we've been feeding them three to four times a day.īLOCK: And what's the response when you go out there on those boats to feed the dolphins?ĭr. Yet they had survived 10, 12 days without food and, best yet, come right back home.īLOCK: So you figure when they were on their own, when they'd been blown out of the oceanarium, they were not able to eat on their own?ĭr. They didn't have any hunting skills or the skills to survive in the wild. You know, for them to have-these are all domesticated animals. And it was extremely a joyous occasion.īLOCK: Well, tell me about that moment when you realized that these eight dolphins, you must know very well, were back.ĭr. I called in the boat, and the trainers confirmed it. And as soon as I got to the mouth of the harbor, I saw eight dolphins. Our initial reconnaissance hadn't been very fruitful on the water, so I just took off. The sheriff's department was helping us out. MOBY SOLANGI (Director, Marine Life Oceanarium): I was in a helicopter on Saturday morning. Moby Solangi is the oceanarium's director.ĭr. Then this week, a surprise: The dolphins were spotted at the mouth of the Port of Gulfport. Many of the creatures there were swept out to sea: fish, sea lions and eight Atlantic bottle-nose dolphins. The rescued dolphins live along with four others in seven interconnected pools comprising an 11-acre lagoon at the resort.Among the many structures demolished when Hurricane Katrina tore through the Gulf Coast was the Marine Life Oceanarium in Gulfport, Mississippi. The dolphin center is located in the Atlantis Paradise Island resort. Michael Renner, a veterinarian who monitored the dolphin. More than 50 percent of first-time dolphin births fail both in the wild and in controlled environments, said Dr. The dolphin that gave birth to a stillborn calf did not appear to experience complications during her pregnancy, officials said. "It means they're comfortable in their environment, and they're comfortable enough to raise children." The five pregnant dolphins - two first time moms and three experienced mothers - are doing well, said Teri Corbett, vice president of Marine Mammal Operations.Ĭorbett, in a phone interview, said the pregnancies were "a sign of adjustment." The mammals had lived at Marine Life Oceanarium in Gulfport, Miss., doing jumps and other tricks for tourists, before it was severely damaged by Katrina. After being rescued, the dolphins were moved to a Bahamas' resort early last year.
Some of the animals were swept out to the Gulf of Mexico following the storm. The dolphins were from a Mississippi marine park that was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - Five of 17 trained dolphins rescued during Hurricane Katrina and taken to a marine mammal center in the Bahamas are pregnant, officials said Thursday.Ī sixth dolphin gave birth to a stillborn calf earlier this week, the Dolphin Cay center said in a statement.