Dolphin Net Tangled Rescue

Find out what happens to Sunny, the bottlenose dolphin, who is found trapped in a net! Listen to Sunny the Dolphin's amazing rescue story with the Clearwater Aquarium rescue team and learn all about dolphins! 

We are changing up our schedule, and now a new episode will be released every Wednesday! Write in to request a rescue story about your favorite animal species! Visit our website to check out the Animal Rescue Adventures Journal. 

Transcript

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Picture this. You are out on a fishing boat, the water is blue, the sky is clear, and then you see something that stops your heart. A dolphin floating, not swimming, not jumping, just floating, all tangled up, and she cannot get free. What do you do? Today we are going to find out exactly what the right answer is. And it involves a lot of courage, a lot of patience, and one very brave dolphin named Sunny. Sunny is a bottlenose dolphin. And before we get to her story, I need to tell you three things about dolphins that are going to blow your mind. First, dolphins are so smart. Scientists think they might be the second most intelligent animal on the entire planet right after us. Second, every dolphin has its own personal whistle. Not a random sound, a specific whistle that is theirs, like a name. When dolphins want to find each other, they call out that whistle. It is basically a dolphin roll call. Third, dolphins sleep with only half their brain at a time. The other half stays awake so they can keep breathing. Half asleep, half awake, every single night. I would fail every test I ever took if I slept like that. Sunny was found off the coast of Florida, tangled in a fishing net. She was hurt and exhausted and completely alone. The rescue team from Clearwater Marine Aquarium got the call and went out immediately. And here is when they knew the moment they arrived. They had to move slowly, quietly, gently. A frightened dolphin can hurt itself more by struggling. So the team moved like they had all the time in the world. They spoke softly, they kept their movements smooth, and inch by inch they cut the net away without causing her more pain. Sunny was loaded carefully into the boat and brought the Clearwater Marine Aquarium. Her injuries were real. She needed medicine. She needed rest. She needed time. The team gave her all three. Every single day, they showed up. And every single day, Sunny got a little stronger, a little more like herself. And then one morning she was ready. They took her back to the ocean. They lowered her into the water, and for just a second she was still. And then her tail pumped once, twice, and she was gone, back where she belonged. Sonic got tangled because of something in the water that did not belong there. Your mission is simple. Whenever you finish a snack near the water or near a drain that leads to the water, throw the wrapper away properly. Fishing line, plastic bags, and trash that gets into the ocean is one of the biggest dangers to dolphins alive today. You picking up one piece of litter is a real thing. It matters. Sunny is somewhere in the Gulf of Mexico right now, whistling her name, swimming with her pod. She is alive because the rescue team cared enough to move slowly and get it right. Every animal matters. Every explorer helps. Tune in next week to learn about Reckless, the manatees rescue story. If you want to write in with a request for me to cover a rescue story on one of your favorite kinds of animals, ask a parent to go to supportanimal rescueadventures.com and they can send me a message. And if you love learning about animals and how to save them, ask your parents to give this podcast a positive review. See you on the next episode.