In the late summer of 2018, the Atlantis Marine Mammal Rescue Team dropped everything to respond to a marine mammal stranding in the northern Berry Islands. The reason? A critically ill Atlantic spotted dolphin was reportedly beached on the sand, unable to move its body and having trouble breathing.
Leaping into action, responders made contact with the animal in a matter of hours and airlifted him to the Dolphin Cay rescue facility at Atlantis, where he received ‘round the clock treatment and life-saving medication to keep him stable. Showing an unparalleled amount of strength and determination throughout his rehabilitation program, responders began calling the dolphin M&M (short for Modern Miracle). And boy did he live up to his name!
Against all odds, M&M made history in The Bahamas; he fully recovered and just two months later, was released back into the wild near his home range! This was the first-ever stranding, rescue, rehabilitation and successful release recorded for this species within the country.
Now, a whopping four years later, we’re thrilled to announce M&M is as strong and robust as ever! The Wild Dolphin Project crew saw him four times this summer playing and socializing with his pod. And just last month on August 26th, one of his former caregivers and Dolphin Cay veterinarian Dr. Amanda Pinder photographed and identified him off the coast of Bimini – the two even posed for a quick photo together
“Coincidentally, M&M was the first wild cetacean Dr. Pinder ever treated,” beamed Ted Turner, Vice President of the Dolphin Cay Operations at Atlantis, Paradise Island. “Also, August 26th was the same day he was found and rescued four years ago – what are the odds?!”
M&M’s success story is indeed a tribute to the tremendous value of collective teamwork we strive to foster each and every day at the Blue Project Foundation. We are so grateful to our partners at Atlantis Paradise Island, the Department of Marine Resources, the Dolphin Communication Project, the Bahamas Marine Mammal Rescue Organization and the Wild Dolphin Project for making this mission an unwavering success.
Check out the video below chronicling M&M’s journey to recovery:
This is a project of the Atlantis Blue Project Foundation.
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