Dive Into Your Imagination

This has been a sad week interning at Mote's Dolphin and Whale Hospital.

During my shift on Sunday, November 23, "Pete," the pygmy killer whale, passed away. Mote has been caring for Pete since he was found stranded in June, and we had hoped to rehabilitate the dolphin and release him back to the wild. Initial exams and tests have shown that a chronic infection contributed to his death.

On Sunday morning, I entered Pete's tank with our veterinary technician and a group of volunteers to administer antibiotics and treat Pete's sunburn. He had acted the way he always did, and nothing seemed abnormal. At 11 a.m., Pete refused to eat, and he passed away shortly after. Since my arrival at Mote this fall, I have been told countless times that in order to survive, wild animals are masters at masking their illnesses. I never realized how well they did this until now - especially since not too long ago we were hopeful that Pete would be released.

Our veterinarian, Dr. Charles Manire, said recently, "With Pete, we have been dealing with a very resistant infection. We thought we had eliminated it, but when we discontinued his antibiotics to prepare for his release, the infection came back with a vengeance."

Wild animals tend to hide their health problems because they do not want to seem weak. Oftentimes, the sickest members of a group make the easiest targets for predators. Due to this fact, sick animals contribute enormous amounts of energy to masking their symptoms or illnesses. This means that when a wild animal, like a dolphin, strands itself, it is usually very sick. This also means that it is difficult to diagnose and treat dolphins because they rarely show any physical symptoms until it is too late. With Pete, Mote used technology such as donated MRI and CT scans to try to determine what Pete was suffering from. Pygmy killer whales are also a rare species for humans to encounter, and very little is known about them and how their bodies fight infection. As you can imagine, the combination of all of these factors makes marine animal medicine, especially with animals that live far offshore, a very challenging field of study!

When an animal like Pete dies, it is important to gather as much information as we can to learn about the species for general biological understanding. Personally, Pete has taught me an enormous amount. He taught me things about dolphins I never knew before! For example, did you know that some dolphin species have three separate compartments in their stomach to help them digest food? Also, I knew that cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises) breathe through blowholes, but I never thought about how their breathing system was related to their mouths. During an exam, our veterinary technician placed a tube through Pete's mouth to get a sample of stomach contents, and I asked if there was any worry that the tube might block his airway, as it can with other animals (including humans). It turns out that Pete's breathing and digestive system are completely separated; air entering the blowhole goes straight to his lungs, and anything entering Pete's mouth goes straight to his stomach! This is so much different than you and me - imagine if you couldn't breathe out of your mouth!

The lessons I have learned from Pete will be with me throughout my lifetime. I feel honored to have been able to work with a species that most humans never see in person. This was a very special experience for me, and many of the volunteers that helped with Pete's care. And I hope by sharing Pete's story with you, you were able to learn from him, too!

Although I am saddened that we were not able to release Pete, I realize that the information and knowledge we have gained will help scientists and veterinarians save dolphins in the future. Thank you, Pete!

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