MATLACHA, Fla. — The Lee County Sheriff's Office says their Marine Unit along with several rescue groups and FWC helped save a pair of dolphins trapped in the mangroves of Matlacha.
On Monday night witnesses called authorities after seeing the dolphins stranded in a shallow water lagoon.
Video posted to the LCSO's Facebook Page shows the dolphins lost and spiraling in shallow water.
See the video below:
LCSO says their Marine Unit, along with biologists from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) responded Tuesday morning and used shallow water boats to navigate through the mangrove canals and mud flats to locate the dolphins.
In the video provided you can see the boats towing the dolphins out with the biologist keeping them safe on a float.
LCSO says the lagoon's depth was only 2'-3' deep at high tide.
Biologists from FWC believe the dolphins could have been stranded since -at least- a very high-tide in mid November, or even as far back as Hurricane Milton in October!
"Due to the technical and environmental challenges of trapping, lifting, and moving the two 9' adult dolphins through heavy mud- FWC, LCSO, MOTE Marine, Brookfield Zoo Chicago-Sarasota, Dolphin Research Program, and Clearwater Marine Aquarium met early Wednesday morning with more shallow water boats and equipment to save the dolphins." LCSO said in a Facebook post.
LCSO says the dolphins were pulled through over 300 yards of mud and muck, and then towed by boat to deeper waters.
FWC biologists then evaluated the dolphins, applied satellite tags.
The pair were released back into deeper water in Matlacha Pass.
