![]() ![]() “Above all, we want to establish trust and ensure she is safe and healthy.”Ĭlearwater Marine Aquarium is home to four resident bottlenose dolphins and two rough-toothed dolphins, all have been deemed non-releasable and whose stories serve as an educational opportunity for guests. We will take our time with Izzy and let her tell us when she is ready to be introduced to her new social group with Hope and Apollo,” said Martin. “Our expert Animal Care team is familiar with cases like Izzy’s as our own resident PJ demonstrated behavior which may have also been due to habituation to humans. “It’s extremely disappointing that human behavior took away Izzy’s ability to live safely in her natural habitat,” said Kelly Martin, VP of Zoological Care at Clearwater Marine Aquarium. Eventually, Izzy, named after the Island or Isla, started showing dangerous behaviors towards people and had signs of injuries likely caused by a collision with a boat. Their experiences were being shared via social media which encouraged others to interact with her. “Izzy belongs in the wild but despite our persistent efforts to protect her over the course of three years, she became increasingly habituated to humans and boats putting her at high risk for serious, life-threatening injury.”įirst spotted alone in December of 2019 in canals adjacent to a nearby neighborhood in North Padre Island, Izzy became a popular attraction where the public would seek her out to swim with, ride, jump on, feed, and pet her. “We are so pleased that Izzy now has a safe place to call home and that she will stand for something,” said Heidi Whitehead, Executive Director of the Texas Marine Mammal Stranding Network. Estimated to be 5-years-old and known as “ Izzy,” the female dolphin was rescued in June of 2022 by NOAA partners – the Texas Marine Mammal Stranding Network, Texas State Aquarium, and SeaWorld San Antonio – after years of illegal human interaction caused her health to decline to the point of requiring intervention and medical attention. ![]() Learn more about marine life viewing guidelines from NOAA.Because of human interaction, Izzy can no longer live in the wild.Ĭlearwater, FL (November 4, 2022) – Clearwater Marine Aquarium (CMA) is now the forever home to a new non-releasable juvenile bottlenose dolphin. Please give animals space to be wild and refrain from getting too close (within 50 yards) and interacting with them. 1 in Pinellas, Hillsborough, Pasco, Hernando, Citrus, and Levy counties.ĭolphins are federally protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, and harassment, attempting to feed, or feeding are illegal. You can contact CMA’s 24-hour rescue line at 727 441-1790 ext. If you see an animal in distress, please contact your local wildlife rescue organization. This rescue effort was conducted in accordance with CMA’s Stranding Agreement with NOAA’s Southeast Region under Section 112c of the Marine Mammal Protection Act. We’re thankful to the residents in the area who worked with us to help protect the animal from harassment and provided access to their property while we monitored and rescued the animal. Therefore, NOAA determined it would be in the animal’s best interest to intervene to help the animal leave the area. This posed potential long-term problems for the animal, such as isolation from other dolphins and an increased risk of harassment and human interactions. Since monitoring began, the dolphin had not left the creek. We noted that the animal was in good body condition with normal respiration rates and was displaying normal behavior, such as foraging, during observations. A team of 28 biologists formed a human chain to create a visual and sound barrier to guide the animal to safety.ĬMA’s Rescue team monitored this dolphin daily since January 1, 2023, to assess its behavior, body condition, and environment. ![]() This week, Clearwater Marine Aquarium was proud to work with our partners at NOAA-NMFS and FWC to successfully encourage a lone dolphin from a residential creek in Clearwater, Florida, to open waters. Successful Intervention to Help Dolphin Swim Out of Residential Creek ![]()
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