Community Corner

Rescued Dolphin Continues To Improve, Foundation Reports

It's a happy ending to one dolphin's tale — and with a little help, she will soon be set free.

Roxanne, a rescued dolphin who has captured the hearts of her many fans, continues to thrive, according to the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation,

Recently, the Foundation's rescue team performed a physical exam on Roxanne, who has gained 100 pounds since arriving at the Riverhead facility for rehabilitation.
 She is still eating well at 75 pounds of squid per day and loves to play, according to staffers.

But donations are needed to help set Roxanne free into her natural habitat.

In June, the Foundation rescued the approximately 600 pound dolphin and transported her to the Long Island Aquarium in Riverhead.

Now named Roxanne, the Risso's Dolphin is now healthy and thriving, eating over 75 pounds of squid each day, and interacting with staff.

Funding is an issue, staffers at the Foundation explained, because the past winter was the largest cold-stunning season that the organization ever experienced, tapping out resources.

In order to be freed, Roxanne will require a team of 18 animal care members, a crane, a transport truck and a vessel that will carry her offshore. 

Additionally, for future benefit, Roxanne will be given a satellite tracking device, in order to provide data on how she behaves after her release.

Foundation members said the efforts are pricey and will require an infusion of funding. 

To that end, a new method of fundraising has been set up for Roxanne, through Razoo.com, a social fundraising site for non-profit organizations. 

"It is our goal to raise as much as we can to support Roxanne and plan for her release in early September," Foundation staffers said in a release.

To help, click here. In addition, Roxanne can be watched on the Foundation's live camera

When she was first rescued in June, Roxanne was initially in "very guarded condition," according to Foundation members.

The dolphin was eating well, a good sign, but was also treated for gastric ulcers.

The dolphin, an adult female, weighed 603 lbs. when found and is a little over nine feet long. She initally ate 60 lbs. of squid per day and will eventually eat around 80 lbs of squid daily; the cost of squid just for one day is around $200, Julika Wocial, Rescue Program Supervisor, said.

Find out what's happening in Riverheadwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The female Risso's dolphin was rescued from a sand bar in the Great South Bay on June 6. 

The Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation was alerted by the United States Coast Guard at Fire Island that a large dolphin was struggling on a sandbar just south of Oak Beach on Jones Beach Island in Babylon.

Find out what's happening in Riverheadwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Rushing to the scene, Foundation members were transported to the site by United States Coast Guard Fire Island, where they were able to remove the dolphin from the sandbar and bring her on a stretcher to a nearby beach.

Next, the dolphin was brought by rescue vehicle to the Long Island Aquarium in Riverhead, where she is being cared for at the Foundation's marine mammal and sea turtle hospital.

“We are extremely grateful for the support shown and share the success of this rescue with the USCG Fire Island personnel as well as the community members of Oak Beach which assisted our efforts to render aid to this stricken animal," Kimberly Durham, Rescue Program Director, said.

The dolphin was closely monitored and treated for dehydration and well as gastric bleeding.  

This dolphin was the second Risso’s recovered by the Riverhead Foundation’s rescue program this season. The previous Risso’s, an adult female, was initially reported alive but later found dead approximately 26 miles north of Manhattan.

A forensic examination revealed four intact plastic bags blocking her stomach, which led to her dying of starvation.

Risso’s dolphins are  frequently found offshore along the steep shelf-edge habitats, between 400-1000 miles deep. They are characterized by a bulbous head and coloration which, although dark gray to brown when young, changes dramatically with age. As they mature they lighten and the majority of their skin is marked with linear white scars.  Risso’s dolphin eat mostly squid. 


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