PANAMA THE DOLPHIN

Meet Panama; Winter's Mom

One of CMA's oldest residents, and Winter's new surrogate mother, "Panama" stranded in October 2000 near Panama City, Florida. Rehabilitative care was provided for anemia, severe sunburn, and infection. Panama responded well to treatment but her worn-down teeth, low stranding weight, and her association with "beggar" dolphins (dolphins that approach boats for food) raised concerns about whether she would be able forage for enough food to survive in the wild. Ultimately, it was felt that a successful release to the wild was unlikely, and Panama became CMA's dolphin senior citizen."

Among the most damaging human interactions is feeding wild dolphins, even more than the risk of boat collisions or injury from the churning propellers. Although feeding wild dolphins is seemingly harmless, dolphins often become sick and strand or die as a result of eating dead fish thrown to them by boaters. This "begging behavior" is even more problematic because female beggars like Panama would unfortunately teach her calves and other dolphins to beg for fish rather than teach natural foraging skills required to survive in the wild. Thus, this type of human interaction affects many more animals and has a much greater impact over time.