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Castaway
Arrived to Facility in 2007 - Jan 18th, 2010
“Castaway” originally stranded on “Castaway Cove” (thus the name) near Vero Beach, FL on November 11, 2006. She was transported to “Mote Marine Laboratory” (MML) for treatment & rehabilitation.
On January 30, 2007, she was transported back to the Vero Beach area. Her release back to the wild was attempted four times. Each time she drifted back to shore.
The “National Marine Fisheries Service” (NMFS) then made the decsion to bring her to the “Marine Mammal Conservancy” (MMC) in Key Largo.
When Castaway arrived at MMC she was distressed and disoriented, even aggressive. But, over the next several days she began to settle and accept food. After only a few hours of being cared for by MMC, the staff noticed that she did not respond to any acoustic signals the way dolphins usually do. There was no reaction when the staff slapped the water with their flat hands to get her attention and did not turn when staff-members entered the water.
The suspicion was that Castaway could have a severe hearing problem. On February 18, 2007, David Mann, an Assistant Professor from The University of South Florida performed an AEP, (Audio Evoked Potential) test on Castaway and determined her to be deaf.
Dolphins live in a world of sound and use their vocalizations and echolocation for interaction with other pod members as well as for finding food, navigation, and to avoid predators. Due to the fact that Castaway is hearing impaired and has unique learning patterns, NMFS deemed Castaway “non-releasable” and decided that she would ultimately reside at Dolphins Plus. Dolphins Plus is committed to the long-term care and proper socialization of Castaway with members of her own species at her own pace. In the weeks that followed, Castaway’s condition and apparent wellbeing improved in the care of MMC.
On July 25, 2007 Castaway was relocated to Dolphins Plus. She is continuing behavioral enrichment to enhance her social skills, which will enable her to integrate smoothly into her new dolphin family. Once in her new surroundings, she accepted a meal immediately, which we feel is a testament to her calm nature and comfort level in her new environment.
In July of 2008 Dolphins Plus was proud introduced the "Cuddle with Castaway" program! The program was designed for Castaway to interact with guests. She basks in the one-on-one attention that she receives from her trainers and guests.
Dolphins Plus was heartbroken to announce that on January 18th, 2010, Castaway, our deaf Offshore Atlantic Bottlenose dolphin, had passed away.
Our staff feels blessed to have known her. Castaway taught us more than we ever thought possible about training, veterinary medicine, and unique behavior of Offshore Atlantic Bottlenose dolphins. In the short time that she was with us Castaway provided our animal training staff a first hand education in unique husbandry practices, brand new training techniques, and the importance of patience and understanding. Thank you, Castaway, for teaching us to think outside the box. You will be forever loved and missed."
If you would like to purchase Castaway's fluke pendant as a remembrance, we will be happy to place a special order for you. Because this is a special order, please allow 4 - 6 weeks.
On January 30, 2007, she was transported back to the Vero Beach area. Her release back to the wild was attempted four times. Each time she drifted back to shore.
The “National Marine Fisheries Service” (NMFS) then made the decsion to bring her to the “Marine Mammal Conservancy” (MMC) in Key Largo.
When Castaway arrived at MMC she was distressed and disoriented, even aggressive. But, over the next several days she began to settle and accept food. After only a few hours of being cared for by MMC, the staff noticed that she did not respond to any acoustic signals the way dolphins usually do. There was no reaction when the staff slapped the water with their flat hands to get her attention and did not turn when staff-members entered the water.
The suspicion was that Castaway could have a severe hearing problem. On February 18, 2007, David Mann, an Assistant Professor from The University of South Florida performed an AEP, (Audio Evoked Potential) test on Castaway and determined her to be deaf.
Dolphins live in a world of sound and use their vocalizations and echolocation for interaction with other pod members as well as for finding food, navigation, and to avoid predators. Due to the fact that Castaway is hearing impaired and has unique learning patterns, NMFS deemed Castaway “non-releasable” and decided that she would ultimately reside at Dolphins Plus. Dolphins Plus is committed to the long-term care and proper socialization of Castaway with members of her own species at her own pace. In the weeks that followed, Castaway’s condition and apparent wellbeing improved in the care of MMC.
On July 25, 2007 Castaway was relocated to Dolphins Plus. She is continuing behavioral enrichment to enhance her social skills, which will enable her to integrate smoothly into her new dolphin family. Once in her new surroundings, she accepted a meal immediately, which we feel is a testament to her calm nature and comfort level in her new environment.
In July of 2008 Dolphins Plus was proud introduced the "Cuddle with Castaway" program! The program was designed for Castaway to interact with guests. She basks in the one-on-one attention that she receives from her trainers and guests.
Dolphins Plus was heartbroken to announce that on January 18th, 2010, Castaway, our deaf Offshore Atlantic Bottlenose dolphin, had passed away.
Our staff feels blessed to have known her. Castaway taught us more than we ever thought possible about training, veterinary medicine, and unique behavior of Offshore Atlantic Bottlenose dolphins. In the short time that she was with us Castaway provided our animal training staff a first hand education in unique husbandry practices, brand new training techniques, and the importance of patience and understanding. Thank you, Castaway, for teaching us to think outside the box. You will be forever loved and missed."
If you would like to purchase Castaway's fluke pendant as a remembrance, we will be happy to place a special order for you. Because this is a special order, please allow 4 - 6 weeks.
$49.95 | $64.95 |
