The California Wildlife Center is having its 11th annual The Wild Brunch fundraiser Aug. 16.
By Laura Tate / Associate Publisher / Editor
Just two weeks before the 11th annual “The Wild Brunch” fundraiser for the California Wildlife Center was scheduled to take place, CWC rescue workers received a call about a stranded baby dolphin north of County Line beach. The dolphin had beached itself near some homes Friday morning last week. Its subsequent rescue and transportation to the Marine Mammal Care Facility in San Pedro, and then ultimately to SeaWorld’s wildlife animal rescue and rehabilitation facilities in San Diego, highlights the importance of CWC’s work.
The nonprofit organization strives not only to rescue and rehabilitate wildlife of all sorts, from raptors and songbirds, coyote and deer, to marine mammals along Malibu’s coastline, but also to protect the habitat in which they live.
Earlier this year, a female deer fawn with a severe fracture of her left rear leg was rescued by CWC.
“Instead of euthanizing her, which is often our only course of action for deer with broken legs, our vet decided to attempt to repair the leg by doing orthopedic surgery and placing an external fixator (metal pins and a bar that stabilizes the fracture from the outside of the leg) on the damaged leg, allowing her full use of the leg while the bone healed,” Executive Director Victoria Harris said.
The center this year had also received three fledgling Cooper’s hawks that had been inappropriately kept by a veterinary clinic for a period of two weeks, Harris said, and that were severely malnourished. One had to be euthanized immediately, and another needed extensive medical treatment for a fractured wing. However, the remaining two hawks “are currently in an outdoor aviary, doing very well, and are being prepared for release in the coming month,” Harris said.
For the dolphin rescue last week, Harris provided her SUV to transport the mammal 60 miles to the Marine Mammal Care Center in San Pedro for medical triage and assessment.
Harris explained that the CWC’s rescue vehicle is an open-air truck, and the dolphin, which weighed just less than 50 lbs. and was little more than three feet long, needed to be protected from the heat and air.
Due to the critical condition of the dolphin, the Lost Hills/Malibu Sheriff’s Station provided an escort. “With lights flashing and sirens blaring, the deputies escorted CWC’s Marine Mammal Rescue Team-Cynthia Reyes, director of Marine Mammal Rescue, Jonsie Ross, assistant Marine Mammal Coordinator, and volunteer Eric Ricci-through the maze of traffic on PCH all the way to the 405 freeway,” the CWC stated in a press release. “With Ross at the wheel, Reyes and Ricci closely monitored the dolphin’s condition while ensuring he remained cool, moist and calm during the ride.”
The San Pedro center stabilized the dolphin and the decision was made to take it to SeaWorld.
On Monday SeaWorld spokesperson Dean Koontz said the dolphin was in the animal care area where it was receiving assisted swimming care around the clock.
However, tests revealed the dolphin was suffering from sever pneumonia in its left lung, and did not respond well to antibiotics. It was euthanized Tuesday.
Koontz said he couldn’t provide much information as to the creature’s exact age as the center very rarely rescues dolphins and other cetaceans, and the types of dolphin that live at SeaWorld are Pacific and bottlenose, whereas the one rescued is a common dolphin.
“They [dolphins and other cetaceans like whales] spend their entire life at sea,” Koontz explained, while sea lions and other similar marine animals “haul out on rocks or the beach. If a sea lion or seal gets sick, it will often go to shore to rest. If a whale or dolphin gets sick, it will die at sea. It’s unusual to see a beaching; oftentimes when they do beach they are very ill.”
Despite the death of the dolphin, the CWC has had many success stories.
Harris said of the female fawn with the fractured leg: “After several months, the fracture has healed sufficiently to enable us to remove the external fixator. She is now building up strength in that limb and is scheduled for release in September.”
The Wild Brunch, Giving Our Wildlife a Second Chance fundraiser takes place Aug. 16, noon to 4 p.m. at Gull’s Way Estate. More information and tickets can be obtained by calling 818.222.2658 or online at www.californiawildlifecenter.org
CWC operates solely on memberships, donations it receives through the public and grants.