SOS Rescate's Richard Tesore feeding the baby La Plata river dolphin in Uruguay.(BABY DOLPHIN RESCUE) – A 7-day-old female La Plata river dolphin has been rescued on Uruguay’s Punta Colorada beach. The baby dolphin was so young that the umbilical cord was still attached. Director Richard Tesore of the SOS Rescate de Fauna Marina rehabilitation center confirmed the dolphin was safely transported to their marine animal rescue center in Piriapolis.
“The baby dolphin is weak, but is being cared for at SOS Rescate,” Tesore told Global Animal today.
Last November, Tesore and the team of SOS Rescate volunteers rescued an injured 10-day-old La Plata dolphin. “Nipper,” as the baby dolphin came to be known, died of hyperthermia a couple weeks after being rescued.
The prognosis is usually poor for infant dolphins who are separated from their mothers. The dolphins rescued are usually also sick or injured from being tangled in fishing line.
The La Plata is a river dolphin found in the coastal Atlantic waters of South America and is able to live in both the ocean and saltwater estuaries. It is listed as “vulnerable” in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Large populations of the species are under threat from incidental capture from fishing gear, in particular, gillnets. It is estimated that 2000-4000 La Plata dolphins die each year from overfishing, damming, and sub-aquatic sonar pollution.
Global Animal is in contact with Richard Tesore at SOS Rescate de Fauna Marina and will provide updates on the tiny river dolphin’s health as well as exclusive footage and news as it becomes available.
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