A seriously injured dolphin rescued last week in Pingtung County might survive his ordeal, veterinarians and researchers at the National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium (國立海洋生物博物館) said yesterday.
The aging male Risso's dolphin, which is 3m long and weighs 232kg, was discovered stranded on a beach by residents of Tungkang township (
The residents were unable to drag the creature back into the sea, so called veterinarians at the national museum.
The dolphin was suffering from pneumonia, shark bites and damage to its inner ears.
Damage to a dolphin's inner ear makes it more difficult for dolphins to catch fish, communicate with other dolphins and orientate themselves.
The injured dolphin was transferred to a rehabilitation pool but refused to eat for three days.
The dolphin was then moved to a bigger pool where he could swim freely and was given a flotation device. As he became more accustomed to the new pool, the veterinarians said that he began to eat.
He stopped eating again after two days, however, and had to be fed intravenously until yesterday.
"He ate about eight kilograms of squid with pills this morning and looks more energetic," Liao Jan-yi (廖展毅), staff veterinarian of the museum, told the Taipei Times.
Liao said the dolphin's sickness could have caused it to become stranded on the beach.
He said that they had attended to the shark bites to prevent infection but that his survival remained uncertain.
"We are not sure that the dolphin will survive because he's quite old," Liao said.
Risso's dolphin, common in Taiwan's waters, is commonly referred to as the Grampus dolphin because of its species name, Grampus griseus.
They have large, curved dorsal fins set far back on their bodies which are darker than the rest of their light gray, or nearly white, bodies. Their skin becomes grayer and whiter as they grow old.
They are commonly found in deeper water in temperate areas.
The Risso's dolphin is the only dolphin at the Underwater Creatures Shelter (
Center head Hsiao Cher-ming (蕭澤民) told the Taipei Times that they take care of all protected underwater creatures sent there, including rarely-seen sea turtles.
Meanwhile, one of the biggest shows of the year at the museum, Dance of Giants and Spirits -- A Special Exhibition of Whales and Dolphins (
The exhibition, open until the end of September, teaches visitors about the evolution of whales and dolphins and the distribution of these creatures in waters near Taiwan.
For more information about the exhibition: check the Web site at http://www.nmmba.gov.tw or telephone 08-882-4545.
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