Subject: Re: Releasing captive/rehabilitated dolphins
Dagmar_Fertl@smtp.mms.gov
Mon, 07 Oct 96 07:48:22 EST
Dear James,
An excellent, thought-provoking question! What I know about releasing
captive/rehabilitated dolphins is second-hand, by reading about it, or
hearing about it from people who have done the work. There are a few
reports out there about this subject, including one Navy report
recently released by Brill and another by an organization in
Washington headed by Balcomb. Unfortunately, I have both of those
reports at home, so I can't give you the full citation right now. I
would suggest that you contact the Protected Resources Office of
National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) for further information
(their address can be found on the WWW, or you can write to me again
and I'll give it to you). NMFS recently had a short article in their
MMPA Bulletin (MMPA=Marine Mammal Protection Act) about this subject.
You might also want to read "The Dolphin Chronicles" by Carol Howard
about two bottlenose dolphins (Misha and Echo) from Sarasota, FL that
were captured for research and then released back into that area and
monitored.
The question as to whether reintroductions are successful or not is
difficult. Some people consider a reintroduction into the wild
successful if they get the animal into the wild. However, what makes
a reintroduction successful is if we know that the animal survives and
makes it into some type of social grouping with others of its species.
It would seem that reintroductions that involve more than one
individual, that have somehow come to know each other, are best. It
is also extremely beneficial to release an animal back to the area
from which it came. I think it is generally accepted that many
reintroductions have not been truly successful. To release an animal,
we need to be sure that it is healthy enough so that it could survive,
but also that it won't pass a disease to animals out in the wild.
Many captive dolphins no longer know how to catch live fish (this is
potentially a problem for stranded animals that have been held in
captivity for a relatively long period of time); teaching a dolphin
how to catch fish is not an easy thing to do. If it's a very young
dolphin that has stranded, or is a captive-born animal, it should not
be released since it has not been taught or experienced the skills for
surviving in the wild. Will the dolphin be able to adapt quickly
enough to its new-found freedom to find food, be part of a social
group, and avoid predators? We don't know if the dolphin would be
readily accepted back into a dolphin group or society.
We still have much to learn about marine mammals before we can do
these releases well. However, releases do provide us with a wealth of
information, since in many of these cases, the animal is released with
some type of tag that allows for a researcher to be able to monitor or
even follow the animal to be sure it's doing ok. What we need to be
sure of is that the reintroduction is truly the best thing for the
animal. Will it be safe, healthy, and "happy", or are we merely
trying to release a dolphin because it makes us feel good to do it
(even if it's not good for the animal).
______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: info requested
Author: ejgaudet@sanborn.k12.nh.us at ~smtp
Date: 10/4/96 1:29 PM
Hello my name is James Albrecht . I go to Sanborn Regional High School
and I'm in a class called Project Whaleboat. I'm wondering if you could
direct me to a person or place where I can get information on captive
whales or dolphins being released into the wild.What do you know about
this subject and are they succesful?Any help that you can provide will
be appreciated. Thanks for your time.
Sincerely,
James Albrecht
--
E.J. Gaudet-- teacher
Project Whaleboat
Sanborn Regional High School