Officials in Lee County, Florida, rescued dolphins that were trapped in a shallow lake
Two dolphins were rescued in Lee County, Florida, on Wednesday after being stranded in the shallow waters of a lake more than a month ago.
The county sheriff's office said witnesses reported seeing the couple lying in the woods near Matlacha on Monday night, prompting a rescue on Tuesday morning.
LCSO's Marine Unit and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) use shallow-water boats to find dolphins, pushing through mangrove channels and mud flats.
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Two dolphins stranded in the shallow waters of a Florida lake have been rescued after several organizations in Lee County came together to pull the mammals to safety. (Lee County Sheriff's Office)
The harbor was about two to three feet deep at high tide, the sheriff's office said, and the walkways leading to open water were only about two feet deep, preventing the dolphins from escaping.
“Biologists believe the dolphins could have been stranded since – at least – the highest tide in mid-November, or even as far back as when the water rose during Hurricane Milton in October,” the sheriff's office said.
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The dolphins were rescued after being placed on a floating mat and removed from the heavy mud in the lake. (Lee County Sheriff's Office)
The two organizations were unable to rescue the dolphins on Tuesday due to the “technical and environmental challenges of trapping, lifting and moving” the two older dolphins from the “heavy mud,” so additional teams joined the effort on Wednesday.
The FWC, LCSO, Dolphin Research Program, Brookfield Zoo Chicago-Sarasota, Clearwater Aquarium and Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium all joined the pool with additional resources to rescue the dolphins.
After placing the dolphins on floating mats, dragging them through mud and mud over 300 meters, and pulling them into deep water, they were rescued.
The dolphins were pulled to safety and released into deeper water after being examined by FWC biologists. (Lee County Sheriff's Office)
FWC biologists tracked them, used satellite tags and safely released them into the deep waters of Matlacha Pass.
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“The Lee County Sheriff's Office is always ready to serve our great citizens….. on land and at sea,” the agency wrote on Facebook.
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