CLEARWATER, Fla. — SeaWorld Orlando said a dolphin that suffered injuries from a crab trap in Clearwater has made remarkable progress.
In July, lifeguards and Clearwater Fire and Rescue located the dolphin near Pier 60. He suffered injuries from a crab trap and was unresponsive. Rescuers could not locate his mother.
"A lifeguard noticed this object kind of bouncing in the waterways and went out to see what it was," said Ashley Killo, a SeaWorld Animal Care Specialist.
NOAA officials deemed the animal "unreleasable" due to its age. The dolphin could not communicate or hunt for its own food.
Ashley Killo, a SeaWorld Animal Care Specialist, said the dolphin continued to hit major milestones over the past six months.
"He came to us roughly under 60 pounds. He's now over 100," said Killo. "You can still see some of the scaring on the fluke itself where he's missing part of it and then of course, you can still see some of the indentations where the line was wrapped around his peduncle so the part that leads to his flukes."
The dolphin named "Ridgeway" is able to swim once again. When he first arrived at SeaWorld for care, he was in critical condition and was unable to swim. He drinks special formula from a bottle. Once he starts eating fish, the bottle feeds will gradually be reduced.
Ridgeway has been moved to a dolphin nursery pool in the park. He socializes with other dolphins, including adult females and also plays with other calves close to his age.
"He was put in our dolphin nursery pool in the park for anyone to see. He’s out there. He's swimming around. He has teamed up with some of our older females, which is exactly what dolphins are going to do," said Killo.
Killo said Ridgeway's story serves as a reminder for people to pick up their trash like fishing lines and crab traps.
"If you're fishing, don't leave your fishing line, don't cut your fishing line. If you have crab traps, make sure you're coming back for them. It's all of these things humans can do that can make a world of difference for these animals," said Killo.
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