Team rescues dolphin, calf trapped in Louisiana pond

GRAND ISLE, La. — A mother dolphin and her calf were rescued earlier this month after being stuck for more than a year in a pond system since Hurricane Ida.

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According to a news release from the Audubon Nature Institute, flooding from the Category 4 storm, which raked the Louisiana coast on Aug. 29, 2021, raised the water levels. The dolphins were able to enter the pond system, but when the water receded after the state’s second-most destructive hurricane behind 2005′s Katrina, the animals were unable to return to the Gulf of Mexico.

Experts said they monitored the dolphin and calf for more than year, WBRZ-TV reported. They were waiting for the calf to be old enough to navigate the Gulf waters, according to the television station. The pond had ample food supplies but did not have a clear pathway to the Gulf, the news release stated.

On June 17, rescuers scooped up the dolphins and brought them to the Gulf, where they were released, WBRZ reported.

“Rescuing this mother dolphin and her calf involved the collaboration of multiple groups and we are grateful for our partners who actively support and help in rescues like this,” Gabriella Harlamert, coordinator for Audubon Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Stranding, said in a statement.