Stranded Risso Dolphin Nursed Back to Health and Released

A rare female Risso dolphin found stranded and struggling for life on Jones Beach Island, Babylon, was nursed back to health and later released into the ocean.

The large stranded dolphin was spotted on June 6 and the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation was informed. At first sighting the team thought the animal was dead.

 "At first glance, when we saw her, she wasn't moving," said Robert DiGiovanni, director of the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation. "We didn't see her breathing, so we thought she might have been dead on the beach.

The 9 foot adult female Risso dolphin named Roxanne was found to be suffering from dehydration and gastric bleeding. The 600 pound dolphin was nursed back to health at the Long Island Aquarium in Riverhead, New York .

Roxanne was released from the Shinnecock Inlet, Hampton Bays during the morning hours. She was carried offshore in a vessel, Sea Wolf. The release took place in the presence of eighteen animal care members.

Roxanne responded well to the treatment. Roxanne consumed 75 pounds of squids each day and interacted with the caretakers too, according to media reports.

"She's doing great! She's really very calm, she's exactly the way we want her to be," said Kim Durham, the Riverhead Foundation.

More than 400 dolphins were stranded on the East Coast this summer. Authorities said 488 dolphins have been found on the coast since July and out of these 333 have died.

Marine biologists believe that it may be a bacterial or viral infection similart o measles that is responsible for so many deaths. Dolphins being social creatures, the disease is being passed on. It cannot be transmitted to humans.

Large dolphin species like the Risso dolphins are often spotted offshore. They are known for their bulbous heads and coloration. The head color is dark gray and brown when these species are young but changes color with age.  The color lightens as they mature and their skin develops linear white scars. These dolphins are mainly found in temperate and tropical waters.