Video Shows Baby Dolphin Now Swimming After Clearwater Beach Rescue

CLEARWATER, FL — There's good news for an overly curious baby dolphin who swam from his mom's side and got entangled in a crab trap in Clearwater Beach.

Since the calf's rescue by Clearwater lifeguards on July 20, the wayward dolphin has been under the care of SeaWorld Orlando animal care specialists where he's regained his ability to swim, has put on 10 pounds with regular bottle feedings and is sprouting his baby dolphin teeth.

"I've been rescuing and rehabilitating animals at SeaWorld for 19 years and, I gotta tell you the truth, this little dolphin stands out," said Nicholas Ricci, senior animal care specialist at SeaWorld. "He has truly captured my heart."

When the dolphin was first rescued, Nicci said the SeaWorld team was very concerned about the condition of his flukes.

"That (crab trap) line had damaged the tail so badly that we were scared that he was going to lose half of his tail," he said. "But I'm really happy to say that the tail is healing really well."

Upon being rescued, the dolphin calf had no teeth, indicating he was about 2 months old at the time.

"Now, all of the teeth on his upper jaw have completely erupted and it looks like the lower teeth are going to be coming in pretty soon," Ricci said. "It's been a lot of fun to see him develop and grow. He has gained over 10 pounds in the one month he has been with us. He learned how to take a bottle fast. He's very bright. He learns things really quickly."

In the meantime, the three Clearwater Fire & Rescue Department beach lifeguards credited with rescuing the little guy were honored by the Clearwater City Commission last week for their quick action.

See related story: Dolphin Calf Rescued From Crab Trap By Clearwater Beach Lifeguards

Lifeguard Justin West was on duty at the Tower 5 lifeguard station July 20 when he noticed an something bobbing in the water near Pier 60 and a dolphin swimming nearby.

West grabbed his rescue board and paddled out to discover a young dolphin entangled in a rope attached to a crab trap.

West tried cutting the rope with a pair of shears he had on him, but the dolphin was firmly entangled around the calf, so West summoned help from fellow lifeguard Scott Mattis.

Both lifeguards were in water deeper than they could stand in, so West helped keep the dolphin from struggling and injuring himself while Mattis cut the dolphin free. They quickly relocated the dolphin to shallower water where they could stand and assist the dolphin as lifeguard Georgia Toney joined them.

While West and Toney calmed the dolphin calf, Mattis was able to use a knife to free the dolphin from the rest of the rope that was wrapped several times around the calf's tail as they awaited the arrival of the dolphin rescue team from the Clearwater Marine Aquarium.

The rescue team attempted to reunite the baby dolphin with his fretful mother who kept watch from nearby. But each time the team released the little calf, it headed toward shore, seemingly having trouble swimming in the open water and back to his mother.

Eventually, the mother dolphin left the area and the rescue team followed her in a boat, continuing to try to reunite the mother and baby, but the calf had problems remaining buoyant.

As the afternoon wore on with no luck, the Southeast Stranding Network of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration advised the rescuers to transport the baby to the dolphin rehabilitation center at SeaWorld, the closest authorized Marine Mammal Stranding Network facility with room to take on another dolphin for rehabilitation.

"We're all so impressed with his recovery so far," Ricci said. "And we're so excited to see him continue to thrive."