BABY DOLPHIN RESCUED FROM CRUEL FATE

by Maureen Magee

September 1, 2020

With dreams of being a marine biologist, Lindsey Bressi wandered the beaches of Anna Maria as a young girl.  She had volunteered for the island’s Turtle Watch program.  Days never seemed long enough for the time she loved exploring the coast, being in the water, learning about the marine life that was sometimes at her fingertips.

By college years, Lindsey was completing double degrees in Anthropology and Criminology, leading to a career in non-profits.  But every vacation, she found herself walking the waterline on a beach somewhere in Europe, Central or South America, and even Cedar Key.  That childhood dream of Marine Biology still lived in her memory.

This past weekend, visiting from Tampa, Lindsey and her husband, Robert Prus, were back in the Gulf, paddling a two-person kayak, hoping for adventure before the afternoon storm moved in.

On their way back to shore, Lindsey spotted something unusual.  Two adult dolphins were swimming close to shore.  Between them, a tiny dolphin seemed to struggle just to get to the surface for air.  While Robert paddled, Lindsey filmed, in case she needed to notify someone of the situation.  Wondering what number to call, noticing only one bar of reception on her phone, she called Andy at the Island Hotel.

Andy sent the word out to local rescuers.  Doug Maple raced to get his boat in the water at the Marina.  Jim Wortham and John McPherson switched from fishing to rescuing.  Samantha Gibbs waited at the end of the dock to hop on board.  And the team, along with the kayakers Lindsey and Robert, was soon in place by the struggling baby.

A large hook and metal leader for a shark fishing rig dragged the baby down, as he weakly fought his way to the surface for air.  Line encircled the baby many times around his tiny body.  The gouges went deep into his flesh. Part of his tail (flukes) had literally been sawed off by the heavy line.

As the rescuers worked to free the baby, they stayed on the phone line with Mike Walsh from the Gainesville Marine Mammal Rescue group.  Also standing by (swimming) were the mama and the auntie.  The rescuers hoped that the dolphins understood that they were the good guys.   Not the ones who had left the baby to struggle and die!

After two and a half hours of monitoring and rescuing, the team released the baby to his mama.  As the storm intensified, the two boats guided the kayakers safely back to shore amidst increasingly rough waters.

But the story is not over.

Video was sent to the Cedar Key Dolphin Project.  Stefanie Gazda will be scrutinizing the film for those identifying marks on dorsal fins and flukes of the adults.  She and her team will be watching for the mother and the auntie, and then checking on the condition of the baby.

And Lindsey is reconsidering her career choice.  “It’s not too late to switch!”  Marine Biology again sounds like a great idea!

So as the saying goes (almost): “It takes a village” – and a kayak and two boats, and rescuers, and cross-species kindness.  Feels great to be on the good guys team.

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