Why save stranded dolphins?
There are many reasons for attempting to save stranded dolphins – scientific, and personal. Medically, what is learned from the rehabilitation effort of a dolphin patient is important for that individual, but it also increases the body of medical knowledge about these animals and can help give future stranded dolphins a greater chance at survival. Cetaceans, being predators at the top of the food chain, may also be good indicators of the health of the oceans, and the things that affect the health of dolphins (pollution, habitat degradation) may also signal local or even global changes in the environment that have far-reaching consequences. Much of what is known about cetaceans, especially the species that are rarely seen in the wild, has come from attempts to rehabilitate these dolphins and whales when they strand. People feel an affinity for marine mammals that urges them to try to help such fascinating air-breathing marine creatures. It’s a very rewarding feeling to see one of our pa
