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Cutter will be closely monitored for the next two days to make sure he is accepted by the pod and able to find food.An Atlantic-spotted dolphin that was rescued in February in Key West Harbor is set to be released in mid-May, marine mammal experts say. Cutter is to be moved to Key West in the next few weeks so officials at the Marine Mammal Conservancy can search for a pod of Atlantic-spotted dolphins that is believed to still be in the area. MMC President Robert Lingenfelser said once the pod is located, Cutter will immediately be transported and released. The adolescent dolphin will be fitted with a VHF tracking tag and monitored to ensure its acceptance by the pod, Lingenfelser said. Normally young rescued marine mammals are not released because they need their mothers for nutrition and behavioral conditioning. But Cutter, estimated to be between 2 and 3 years old, is at a borderline age and experts feel he probably knows enough to live in the wild, but can learn additional needed survival skills if accepted by the pod. Thus was the reason MMC, along with the National Marine Fisheries Service and a panel of other experts, agreed to a conditional release. “This has never been tried before,” Lingenfelser said. “But Cutter is very healthy and we’ll be monitoring him very closely to ensure he is OK. If he doesn’t do well, we’ll be ready to rescue him again.” Some dolphin advocates were critical of MMC for removing Cutter from the water, saying the animal wasn’t in danger and didn’t need to be rescued. Lingenfelser disagrees. “If we had not rescued him, he would have died,” said Lingenfelser. “Medical tests proved he was starving and because of that, his liver was compromised and there were other issues.” The dolphin was named Cutter by U.S. Coast Guard personnel in Key West because of the proximity of its Feb. 14 rescue next to their station. The mammal has received round-the-clock care at MMC’s Key Largo rehabilitation facility.

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“We’re very happy to have this behind us,” MMC President Robert Lingenfelser said. “We just want to continue on with our mission and continue to serve stranded marine mammals in the Florida Keys and South Florida.” Last year, Monroe County Circuit Court Judge Luis Garcia ordered JPB Properties to honor a contract to sell the bayfront site near mile marker 102.5 to the MMC for $458,000, a provision in the MMC’s original lease with the former owners.

JPB, headed by John Powers, contended the MMC had violated the lease, so the contract was invalid. Garcia ruled that while some lease agreements had been violated, the sale contract must be honored. Powers said he always intended the Key Largo site to serve as a rehabilitation center for stranded dolphins or small whales, but that he was concerned about MMC’s direction after his friend and property agent, dolphin rescuer Rick Trout, was forced out. Lingenfelser declined to discuss details of financing for the purchase. “That’s nobody’s business but ours,” he said.

The MMC has successfully treated and released dolphins from strandings under operating agreements with the National Marine Fisheries Service, which regulates protected marine mammal species. “We believe [the MMC in Key Largo] is one of the most important facilities of its kind in the country,” said Jack Kassewitz of DolphinSpeak.com, a dolphin-communication research project of the nonprofit Global Heart organization in Miami.

Kassewitz said his project hopes to continue its “passive research” working with MMC because the group treats offshore species not often seen. DolphinSpeak didn’t contribute toward the property purchase, he said. “That’s a story that’s going around but it’s totally inaccurate,” Kassewitz sad.

The MCC has ongoing issues with Monroe County over building permits and code enforcement. A county report on the status of structures at the site is expected to be issued Monday. MMC officials have charged that the county did not handle its building permit process correctly.

By KEVIN WADLOW

kwadlow@keynoter.com

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“She voluntarily swims up to the platform that we lower about 3 feet into the water,” Cooper said. “That’s where we do the medical procedures with her, but she also likes to swim there to be rubbed down by staff.” Castaway, who is completely deaf and sees out of only one eye, stranded herself near Fort Pierce in November. She garnered national attention in June after giving birth to a calf, Wilson, who died five days after birth.

Federal fisheries authorities wanted Castaway moved out of the Marine Mammal Conservancy since they had determined she was no longer rehabilitating, and on July 25 was sent three miles south to Dolphins Plus, where she is housed in a saltwater pen with two other female dolphins. Dolphins Plus is a dolphin-encounter facility. Cooper said Dolphins Plus would continue to give positive reinforcement to Castaway as she adjusts to her new environment.

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