Florida officials rescue two dolphins stranded in shallow lagoon: 'All hands on deck'
Two dolphins were rescued in Lee County, Florida, on Wednesday after becoming stranded in the shallow waters of a lagoon possibly more than a month ago.
The county sheriff's office said witnesses reported seeing the pair stranded deep in the mangroves near Matlacha late Monday night, prompting a rescue response Tuesday morning.
LCSO's Marine Unit and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) biologists used shallow water boats to locate the dolphins, pushing through mangrove canals and mud flats.
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The lagoon was only about two or three feet deep at high tide, the sheriff's office said, and the trails leading to open water were only about two feet deep, which prevented the dolphins from escaping.
"Biologists believe the dolphins could have been stranded since – at least – a very high-tide in mid November, or even as far back when water levels rose during Hurricane Milton in October," the sheriff's office said.
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The two agencies were unable to rescue the dolphins on Tuesday because of "technical and environmental challenges of trapping, lifting and moving" the two adult dolphins through "heavy mud," so more groups joined the efforts on Wednesday.
The FWC, LCSO, the Dolphin Research Program, the Brookfield Zoo Chicago-Sarasota, Clearwater Aquarium and Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium all met at the lagoon with more equipment to rescue the dolphins.
After placing the dolphins on floating mats, pulling them through more than 300 yards of mud and muck, and towing them to deeper waters, they were rescued.
FWC biologists evaluated them, applied satellite tags and safely released them into deeper waters in Matlacha Pass.
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"The Lee County Sheriff's Office is always willing to help out our great residents..... on land and sea," the agency wrote on Facebook.