The Castaway Story
THE CASTAWAY STORY
The beautiful, adult, female Atlantic bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) we have come to know as “Castaway” stranded in Vero Beach, Florida on November 11th, 2006. She was rescued by Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute (HBOI) and brought to Mote Marine Laboratory, where she spent 79 days in rehabilitation. At the time, she was treated for medical complications. Once deemed healthy, she was transported by HBOI to the open waters of the Atlantic Ocean and released four times, once into a wild dolphin pod, all of which were unsuccessful. At this point, it was clear that Castaway would require additional evaluations and human care, so she was immediately transported to the Marine Mammal Conservancy (MMC) in Key Largo, Florida.
On January 31st, 2007, MMC finalized preparations in order to receive Castaway for further rehabilitation. During her first few days at MMC, it became obvious that she wasn’t responding normally to auditory stimuli. Castaway seemed oblivious to loud noises, the “tinging” of a bucket, and people entering the water out of her range of vision. So, MMC personnel and veterinarians decided to have Castaway’s hearing tested. Dr. David Mann, from the University of South Florida, conducted 2, complete hearing tests which determined that Castaway was indeed deaf and 
incapable of hearing any sounds. Dolphins use sound to echolocate, which essentially enables them to “see”, explore, and navigate their environments. They rely heavily on this unique ability to survive, so with this diagnosis, Castaway would not be able to return to the wild. Additionally, Castaway was several months pregnant and any further transports could endanger the calf she was carrying.
Castaway’s deafness precluded her release back into the wild and so with a recommendation of non-release from MMC’s staff and veterinarians, the National Marine Fisheries Service decided that it would not be safe to release Castaway back into the wild. Preparations were made to get ready for the birth of Castaway’s Calf. A floating natural-seawater nursery enclosure was built for Castaway to give birth in and contain the calf.
The rehabilitation staff spent 24-hours a day watching over and caring for Castaway in her seawater lagoon, and she immediately captured the hearts of everyone she
met! The staff noticed early that Castaway seemed to benefit with TLC from her human friends, and staff began introducing her to enrichment toys as well as behavior modification activities to keep her stimulated. It wasn’t long before Castaway showed an affinity for her caretakers by lying in their laps, rubbing on their snorkels and fins, and swimming alongside them in her seawater home.
Castaway gave birth to a male calf “Wilson” on June 11th, 2007. Wilson was born at 41 pounds and was 42 inches long. Wilson came out of the womb whistling and clicking, MMC researchers recording the event for posterity. Unfortunately, Castaway would not let Wilson fall back to nurse. Staff took over the nursing duties but without the immunizing agents within Castaway’s milk, Wilson failed to thrive and died in our arms on June 15th.
So, the task of finding Castaway a permanent home at a suitable managed care facility had begun. The dedicated Dolphins Plus staff had already been involved in Castaway’s care and rehabilitation as volunteers for MMC. Specifically, 2 young women from Dolphins Plus had developed extremely strong bonds with this unique mammal, and this relationship of trust and dedication played an important role in the decision to move her to Dolphins Plus permanently.
Castaway arrived at Dolphins Plus in July of 2007 to a warm welcome and an exuberant, excited staff. Her new pod was very interested in her, though she didn’t pay much attention to them. She tends to spend a great deal time floating at the surface of the water, instead of swimming with the other dolphins. Our guess at why she does this is partially attributed to her hearing loss, as well as some neurological abnormalities. When she does swim, we quite often notice that she likes to swim backwards. In fact, until Castaway arrived at MMC, the industry thought that dolphins did not have the ability to swim backwards at all! She also makes up for her lack of interaction with dolphin friends by spending a lot of time with the human variety. She has been deemed the Labrador retriever of dolphins and loves being “scratched” with a bristle brush, having her gums massaged, and plain old being loved by those who love her most.
Castaway acts and looks different than the other dolphins at Dolphins Plus. This is partly due to the fact Castaway is the offshore ecotype (there can be many ecotypes within a species, typically adapted to different habitats) of bottlenose dolphins. Offshore Atlantic bottlenose dolphins tend to live in the deeper waters over the continental shelf in approximately 2,000 feet of water. Some of the physical characteristics that distinguish offshore from near shore, or coastal bottlenose dolphins, are smaller fins for heat retention, a pronounced melon, a shortened rostrum, a larger body, and a more posterior dorsal fin.
Castaway’s deafness has presented many challenges at both MMC and Dolphins Plus. Though the cause of Castaway’s deafness is unclear, we know that she never would have come this far without the dedication of MMC, all of the passionate volunteers who so willingly gave their hearts and time, and the crucial role they played in her rehabilitation as well as the staff of Dolphins Plus who continue to care and enrich her life.
Protecting Marine Mammals and their Habitats through Research, Rescue, Rehabilitation, Release and Education
MMC is an all volunteer, IRS-designated 501(c) (3non-profit corporation that relies exclusively on donations and grants to fund its rescue, rehabilitation, research, and education activities.
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