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involved each day on 12 boats—conducted 43 Having such a magnitude of data on the
research projects, which also provided training
opportunities for dolphin care. For example:
• Assessments were performed for
dolphins not previously sampled.
• A study on dolphin kidney disease
wasadvanced.
• A study on lung function and respiratory
sounds in dolphins was also advanced.
• Local rescue teams and state law
enforcement agents received experience
in responding to dolphin strandings.
• Twenty veterinarians were provided
with on-the-job training opportunities
to increase their understanding of
these animals’ medical needs.
• New tools for data collection were
tested, including new applications of
ultrasound and radiograph imaging.
biology and health of dolphins helps veterinarians
better treat the animals in their care. For example,
program staff are working with colleagues to better
understand the immune system of bottlenose
dolphins, leading to treatments not only for these
animals in zoos and aquariums but also for individual
dolphins in the wild who may be struggling from
diseases caused by harmful bacteria or viruses.
Conversely, Wells and his colleagues regularly advise
on whole populations of bottlenose dolphins. In 2010,
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
asked the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program to
assist with a multiyear study of the effects of that year’s
Deepwater Horizon oil spill on dolphins in the northern
Gulf of Mexico. The systematic health assessments
of dolphins not exposed to oil have given scientists
a comparative reference by which they can evaluate
biological changes in those populations that have been
unfortunate enough to come into contact with oil.
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