Problem

While little is still known about why marine mammals strand, in 2003 researchers categorized nearly a dozen threats existing for the animals. Amoung the more serious are the effects of human produced noise, competition for resources between humans and marine mammals, killing or serious injury of animals as a result of fishing and boating, chemical toxicants introduced into aquatic systems, increase in harmful algae blooms, disease and parasitism, and dramatic habitat alteration.

The Gift

This gift will provide emergency rescue services to one stranded marine mammal including all dolphins and small whales. These services included transportation to rehabilitation center, on-beach medications and treatments, physical exam,and all diagnotics. The Emerald Coast Wildlife Refuge is a lead response team for the Federal Marine Mammal Stranding Network, assisting with all marine mammal strandings from central Walton County west to the Alabama state line. The refuge stranding team is trained to stabilize and transport distressed marine animals and sea turtles. Stranding Center staff is instrumental in collecting data and samples for use by state and federal agencies for important research and tracking.