‘Incredible’ rescue of trapped dolphin off Texas coast took hours, volunteers say

A marine rescue group knew volunteers would have to “act quickly” if they were going to save a trapped dolphin off the Texas coast.

The dolphin was stuck in the “very shallow water” of Lighthouse Lakes near Port Aransas, according to a Sept. 17 Facebook post from the Texas Marine Mammal Stranding Network. The dolphin was reported stranded to the nonprofit organization, and the group confirmed the dolphin was still there the next morning.

Following approval from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Service, the organization gathered volunteers from seven different groups eager to help rescue the stranded dolphin.

A dolphin is considered stranded when it is “beached on land or in very shallow water and cannot swim away on its own,” according to the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies.

Those involved included the Galveston and Corpus critical care volunteer teams, SeaWorld San Antonio, Texas State Aquarium, the Amos Rehabilitation Keep at UT Marine Science Institute, Sea Tow, Sea Tow Corpus Christi and Texas Gulf Duck Hunting. They provided critical care, veterinary support, local knowledge, personnel and resources fit for a sea life rescue, according to the post.

It took “a few hours” of work before the volunteers had the dolphin swimming safely in deeper water, Texas Gulf Duck Hunting wrote on Facebook.

“We could not have successfully rescued and returned this dolphin to deeper water without all involved,” Texas Marine Mammal Stranding Network said on Facebook. “It was truly incredible to see everyone pulling together and mobilizing so quickly in order to save this dolphin, not to mention the physical nature of the work and overcoming logistical challenges. Last, but not least, we thank Nathaniel Wessels for the initial report to our hotline.”

Other stranded, hurt or trapped marine mammals in Texas can be reported to Texas Marine Mammal Stranding Network by calling 1-800-962-6625 or at dolphinrescue.org.

“Reporting a sick, injured, entangled, stranded, or dead animal is the best way to make sure professional responders and scientists know about it and can take appropriate action,” NOAA says. “Numerous organizations around the country are trained and ready to respond.”

This story was originally published September 22, 2021 at 5:56 PM with the headline "‘Incredible’ rescue of trapped dolphin off Texas coast took hours, volunteers say."