Rescuers save dolphin beached on Matlacha sandbar
By James Curtis, Kyle Schmidt
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MATLACHA, Fla. (WBBH) — A roughly 480-pound dolphin stranded on a sandbar in Matlacha on Thursday was rescued and released back into the water after hours of effort by the community, firefighters, and marine biologists.
According to the Matlacha/Pine Island Fire Control District, the dolphin was successfully released and tagged by a marine biologist to monitor its movements. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Marine Mammal Rescue team from Charlotte County was also at the scene.
Dave Coates, a Matlacha resident, described the situation, saying, “It was on the sandbar for hours.”
Valerie Bender, another local, shared how the community quickly mobilized to help. “Someone knocked on our door looking for if anyone had a boat,” she said.
A team worked tirelessly on the sandbar to save the dolphin, carving trenches to guide it back into the water. Sylvia Radvansky, a Matlacha resident, emphasized the community’s connection to local wildlife.
“Everyone cares about the wildlife; we care about the dolphins and the manatees, and we want them to survive,” she said.
Mike Hannon, another resident, praised the collective effort.
“The response by the locals and civilians here was everybody on deck,” he said.
Susan Dahod, an aquatic biologist at the scene, explained one possible reason for the dolphin’s predicament.
“This dolphin could have just been chasing fish and got up on the sandbar and couldn’t get off,” she said.
After ensuring the dolphin was safe to be released, marine biologists tagged it to monitor its movements before setting it free.
“That’s what we do out here. That’s true for the people out here and the animals out here. People kind of just rally and take action,” Dahod said.
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