Written By Ruth Ann Ruiz
Features Editor
The critical care team of the Texas Marine Mammal Stranding Network (TMMSN) was very busy on Saturday.
Early in the morning before the sun was shining, the team was out rescuing a dolphin in Port O’Connor. By the time the sun was setting, the team was entertaining guests with a fundraiser at Jamaica Beach City Park in Jamaica Beach.
Hurricane Beryl damaged the rehabilitation pool in Galveston, according to Heidi Whitehead, the TMMSN executive director, and funds needed to be raised for immediate repairs to be made.
Because the Galveston facility is not operating, Saturday’s rescued dolphin was sent to Sea World in San Antonio for rehabilitation.
“We got emergency authorization for short-term rehab at Sea World,” Whitehead said.
Dolphins are a protected species and thus permission needed to be granted before the dolphin could be sent to San Antonio, Whitehead explained.
The TMMSN is the only dolphin rescue program operating in Texas, and Whitehead said the network sees up to 135 stranded dolphins each year along the coast of Texas.
So far, the community has come through with numerous fundraisers and donations to provide for the immediate needs of the facility. The team is hopeful that Saturday night’s turnout will bring the total amount raised for the repairs up to $15,000 so needed repairs can be made at the Galveston facility and then TMMSN can resume rehabbing stranded dolphins in Galveston.
The TMMSN is a nonprofit funded by grants and charitable donations. You can learn more about its work and how to support rescuing stranded dolphins at https://www.dolphinrescue.org.
