Valentina and Scarlett, two spinner dolphins under the care of Ocean Adventure Marine Park here are showing signs of recovery.
"Valentina," a young adult spinner dolphin, was found beached on the eve of Valentine's Day with an old shark bite wound in Ilocos Norte; while "Scarlett", an adult dolphin, so named because she was found beached and wounded in an area in Masinloc, near Scarborough Shoal.
Ocean Adventure marine operations director Carlo Magno said both dolphins suffered from acoustic trauma that caused impairment of navigational senses and loss of buoyancy. Both are believed to have been injured by blast fishing.
According to Magno, after almost three weeks in rehab, Valentina is doing very well and can swim on her own, while Scarlett has just been transferred from the round pool to join Valentina in the deeper sea pen. Scarlett’s blood picture and buoyancy has also improved.
Both dolphins were turned over to Ocean Adventure for rehabilitation because it is the only center in the entire country that provides 24/7 rehabilitation of stranded marine mammals in partnership with a Norwegian maritime training facility here, the International Development and Environmental Shipping School (IDESS).
Magno added that they are still in need of volunteers to look after the progress of the dolphins’ rehabilitation.
Early this week, an Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin they named “Phina” was added under the care of marine mammal health experts in Ocean Adventure after she was found stranded in Balanga, Bataan manifesting weakness, loss of buoyancy and appetite. (RFD/MPD-SBMA)
video: DMS
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