A pond near Grand Isle, Louisiana, has seen some unusual marine life since Hurricane Ida struck in 2021. Specifically, the body of water became home to a mother dolphin and her baby shortly after the storm. Wildlife experts believe that the pair were displaced by flooding, then trapped once the excess water retreated. Thankfully, a rescue team working with the Audubon Coastal Wildlife Network and a number of other organizations was finally able to return the dolphins to the ocean last June.
In order to relocate the mother and child, team members had to drive them to the Gulf of Mexico. That meant that the two had to be carried ashore and placed in the back of a van, CBS tells us. Wildlife rescuers stayed with the creatures throughout the drive, using sponges to pour water on them.
According to a Facebook post from the Audubon Nature Institute, the dolphins couldn’t be moved any earlier. The non-profit explained that they had been “waiting for the calf to be old enough to move to an area with access to open water.” They also said that cases like this aren’t unusual.
“It is common for storm surge and increased coastal flooding associated with hurricanes to cause marine mammals and sea turtles to strand on land or be washed into inland waterways where they are not typically observed, such as lakes, ponds, and canals,” they wrote. “Animals may be found in these areas for weeks to months following the hurricane, requiring rescue by trained and authorized responders to return them to their natural habitat.”
Once the van arrived at its destination, the dolphins were carried into the water the same way they’d been carried out. Then, receiving one last push of encouragement from the rescue team, the mother and calf swam out into the open water.
Watch the video below to see the beautiful moment captured on camera!
You can find the source of this story’s featured image here.
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