Rehabilitated dolphin arrives at Florida Keys facility

MARATHON, Fla. (AP) — A juvenile bottlenose dolphin has been flown to the Florida Keys for permanent sanctuary after spending nine months healing at a Texas-based marine rehabilitation center. The orphaned male calf, named “Ranger,” arrived Friday at the Florida Keys-based Dolphin Research Center. He was rescued in June 2021 after being discovered stranded in waters around Goose Island State Park in Texas suffering from an underlying respiratory infection and dehydration. He was found near his dead mother and was transported to the Texas State Aquarium Wildlife Rescue Center. The National Marine Fisheries Service determined the dolphin could not survive in the wild and chose the Dolphin Research Center to care for the marine mammal for the rest of his life.