Mississippi dolphins flourishing in new Bahamas home
The 17 dolphins moved from a Gulfport marine park to a resort in the Bahamas appear to be flourishing in their new environment, their caretakers say.
The dolphins were removed from the Marine Life Oceanarium in Gulfport after Hurricane Katrina destroyed the facility in August and swept several of the dolphins out to the Gulf of Mexico. They were later rescued.
The dolphins have adapted to their new environment at the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas and they have access to a huge amount of space, said Frank Murru, chief marine officer for Kerzner International, which owns Atlantis Resort.
"These dolphins are doing fantastic," said David Lion, president of Gulfport's Marine Animal Productions, which owns the dolphins. "All the scratches and scars sustained in the hurricane are healing beautifully in the natural saltwater they are living in now."
Whether any dolphins will return to the Gulf Coast is unclear. Lion said Sunday that MAP is still evaluating whether to rebuild in Gulfport.
One dolphin - named Tessie - left behind at the Gulfarium in Fort Walton Beach, Fla., because she was ill, is doing better, said Stacey Coltraine, an animal trainer at the Gulfarium.
"She had a rough couple of weeks after Cherry left," Coltraine said, referring to Tessie's longtime poolmate who was taken to the Atlantis resort with the rest of the dolphins. "We had to have people in the water multiple days to give her companionship. Now she's definitely gotten used to Cherry not being there."
But Coltraine said Tessie has not physically fully recovered.
The rest of the dolphins are enjoying several interconnecting pools which have a total of about 1.5 million gallons of water, Murru said.
The dolphins were removed from the Marine Life Oceanarium in Gulfport after Hurricane Katrina destroyed the facility in August and swept several of the dolphins out to the Gulf of Mexico. They were later rescued.
The dolphins have adapted to their new environment at the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas and they have access to a huge amount of space, said Frank Murru, chief marine officer for Kerzner International, which owns Atlantis Resort.
"These dolphins are doing fantastic," said David Lion, president of Gulfport's Marine Animal Productions, which owns the dolphins. "All the scratches and scars sustained in the hurricane are healing beautifully in the natural saltwater they are living in now."
Whether any dolphins will return to the Gulf Coast is unclear. Lion said Sunday that MAP is still evaluating whether to rebuild in Gulfport.
One dolphin - named Tessie - left behind at the Gulfarium in Fort Walton Beach, Fla., because she was ill, is doing better, said Stacey Coltraine, an animal trainer at the Gulfarium.
"She had a rough couple of weeks after Cherry left," Coltraine said, referring to Tessie's longtime poolmate who was taken to the Atlantis resort with the rest of the dolphins. "We had to have people in the water multiple days to give her companionship. Now she's definitely gotten used to Cherry not being there."
But Coltraine said Tessie has not physically fully recovered.
The rest of the dolphins are enjoying several interconnecting pools which have a total of about 1.5 million gallons of water, Murru said.
<< Home