KEYNEWSUPDATEKEYNEWSUPDATEKEYNEWS n Robert Lingenfelser| Continued
rehabilitation. Several times over the years, we have built a sea pin and have done the rehabilitation right where we found the mammal. GD Tis rehabilitation is available 24/7, correct? RL Yes, and medical care is pro- vided 24/7. A lot of times the mammals we respond to are too weak to hold themselves up to breathe. Our volunteers are trained to help us hold the animals up, and we are trained to know how to properly take care of the mammals through that rehabilitative process.
GD If you were to find a dolphin or small whale, how many volunteers would it take to go through this round-the-clock care ? RL I would need at least a mini- mum of five people per shift, and we do four-hour shifts. I need 30 people for six shifts on a daily basis. When we had 26 animals here, we had close to 120 people per shift, so we literally were running 600 peo- ple out of here a day.
GD Do you always have that many volunteers interested in helping out at times of need? RLWe have a fully trained and qualified volunteer staff of about 42 people. We depend on members of the public. We will train you and get you to the point where you be- come qualified to help with the mammals in need. You don't have to participate in every step of ma- rine mammal assistance, some vol- unteers only want to participate in rehab and some are only interested in the science. Te Florida Keys have always been great when it comes to volunteering. GDWhat calls have you received recently regarding mammals in distress? RL Right now we are tracking three
“Even though it is wonderful to save these creatures and put them back in the wild, it’s really about the science of our oceans.”
lRobert G. Lingenfelser Jr., Marine Mammal Conservancy
dolphins. One is entangled off of Islamorada and we are trying to de- cide how to handle the dolphin.
GDWhat do you mean by entangled? RLWe may actually have to catch him, do a physical evaluation, make sure he is okay, and then release him. If he needs it, we will do short-term rehabilitation, as well.
GD How do you go about catching a dolphin that is in open water? RL It’s not that easy. You have to deploy nets and you literally have to circle him and make the circle smaller and smaller until he gives up and you can grab hold of him. It’s a slow process, but we have always done it right and never have had a problem catching an animal.
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Marine Mammal Conservancy, 102200 Overseas Highway, Key Largo, (305)451-4774,
marinemammalconservancy.org
8 KONK Life
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