RAYONG, Thailand (AP) – The Irrawaddy dolphin calf, sick and too weak to swim, was drowning in a tide pool off the coast of Thailand when fishermen found it.
The fishermen quickly alerted marine conservationists, who advised them how to provide emergency care until a rescue team could transport the baby to Thailand’s Marine and Coastal Resources Research and Development Center for veterinary care.
The baby was given the nickname Paradon, roughly translated as “brotherly burden”, because those involved knew from day one that saving his life would be no easy task.
Irrawaddy dolphins, considered a vulnerable species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, are found in the shallow coastal waters of South and Southeast Asia and in three rivers in Myanmar, Cambodia and Indonesia. Their survival is threatened by habitat loss, pollution and illegal fishing.
Marine research center officials believe around 400 Irrawaddy dolphins remain along the country’s eastern coast, bordering Cambodia.
Since Paradon was found by fishermen on July 22, dozens of vets and volunteers have helped care for him in downtown Rayong, on the Gulf of Thailand.
“We told each other that his chances of survival were quite low, judging by his condition,” Thanaphan Chomchuen, a veterinarian at the center, said on Friday. “Normally, the dolphins that are stranded on the coast are usually in such terrible conditions. The chances of these dolphins surviving are usually very, very slim. But we gave it our best shot that day.”
Workers placed him in a pool of seawater, treated the lung infection that was making him so sick and weak, and recruited volunteers to watch over him around the clock. They have to keep him in his tank to prevent him from drowning and feed him milk, initially by tube, and later by bottle when he had regained some strength.
A staff veterinarian and one or two volunteers stay for each eight-hour shift, and other workers during the day operate the water pump and filter and make milk for the calf.
After a month, Paradon’s condition improves. The calf, believed to be between 4 and 6 months old, is now able to swim and has no signs of infection. But the dolphin, who was 138 centimeters (4.5 feet) long and about 27 kilograms (59 pounds) on July 22, is still weak and not taking enough milk despite the team’s efforts to feed it every 20 minutes or so .
Thippunyar Thipjuntar, a 32-year-old financial advisor, is one of the many volunteers who come to babysit with Paradon.
Thippunya said that with Paradon’s round baby face and curved mouth that looks like a smile, she couldn’t help but get attached to him and worry about his development.
“He doesn’t eat enough but he wants to play. I’m worried that she’s not getting enough nutrition,” she told The Associated Press on Friday as she fed the sleeping Paradon cradled in her arm. “When you invest your time, physical effort, mental focus and money to come here to volunteer, of course you want him to grow strong and survive.”
Sumana Kajonwattanakul, director of the marine center, said Paradon will need long-term care, perhaps up to a year, until he is weaned from milk and able to hunt for his own food.
“If we let him go when he gets better, the problem is that he won’t be able to drink milk. We will have to take care of him until he has teeth, then we will have to train him to eat fish, and be part of a pod. This will take quite some time,” said Sumana.
Paradon caregivers believe that tender loving care is worth it.
“If we can save a dolphin, it will help our knowledge, as there have not been many successful cases of treating this type of animal,” said veterinarian Thanaphan. “If we can save him and he survives, we’ll have learned a lot from this.”
“Secondly, I think that by saving it, by giving it a chance to live, we will also raise awareness about the conservation of this species of animal, which is rare, as there are not many left.”