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Reservists airlift dolphin from Texas to Florida

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. James B. Pritchett
  • 403rd Wing Public Affairs
No one knows how or why Noah, a rough-toothed dolphin, ended up near death on a Texas beach last August. However, his journey home drew national media attention July 15 when he was loaded onto an Air Force Reserve Command C-130J-30 for a flight to Florida.
A crew of reservists from the 815th Airlift Squadron here was already flying a reserve airlift support mission, a week-long duty for crew members as they travel around the country hauling people, cargo and equipment, when they were told they would be transporting a dolphin.
“We transport a lot of things for the Air Force and for other services, but this is definitely one of the more unusual missions I’ve ever supported,” said Senior Master Sgt. Todd Patterson, loadmaster.
“I’m just glad we could help out with something like this,” said Master Sgt. Steve Campanella, crew chief with the 403rd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron. “This means something, not only to Noah and the people who have worked so hard to get him healthy, but also to the community. Anytime we are able to help out with a humanitarian mission, whether it’s carrying hurricane relief supplies in the states or air dropping food in foreign countries, I’m always proud to be a part of those missions.”
Lea Walker, regional director of the Texas Marine Mammal Stranding Network, invited the crew out to meet Noah the day before the flight.
She explained that when Noah was first brought in he was so sick rescuers didn’t think he had a chance.
“He had so many problems,” she said. “We just didn’t want to get too attached.”
Noah had several infections including ulcerations in his esophageal tract, which prevented him from eating his normal diet. He also had an infection in his gums that caused them to swell up covering his teeth.
“That’s how he got the name Noah,” said Ms. Walker. “When we first saw him, we thought he was very old and didn’t have any teeth.”
It turned out Noah was more middle-aged, she said, between 17 and 22 years old, and showed a determination to live from the beginning. He was able to recover fully over the last 10 ½ months until he was physically strong enough and healthy enough to travel back to his native waters in Florida.
Walker and her team of 30-40 volunteers nursed Noah back to health in a warehouse at SeaLab provided by the Texas State Aquarium. In the warehouse in Corpus Christi, Texas, there is a large tank, 40 feet across and filled with 40,000 gallons of salt water where the team treats injured dolphins like Noah.
Ms. Walker spent much of her time over the past 10 months searching for donations to keep the project going.
Expenses included changing the water in the tank every five days and adding salt because fresh water was used. The salt alone cost about $1,000 every time the water was changed.
Ms. Walker said she was fortunate to find donors for many needs such as fish to feed Noah and medicines he needed to recover.
And, she was able to get Coastal America to help arrange the airlift necessary to take Noah home. Ms. Walker said the rescuers didn’t consider transporting him over land because it would be too dangerous for his health and too traumatic.
In order to transport the more than 300-pound dolphin, Ms. Walker’s team had to construct a transport box about 10 feet long and three feet wide. He was picked up in a harness and moved over into the box where he laid on air mattresses during the trip.
“We can keep him comfortable in the tank for about a day,” she said. “We really don’t like to keep him out of the water that long.”
When the team arrived at the aircraft, Ms. Walker brought along a small group of handlers who had worked with Noah and Dr. Tim Tristan, a veterinarian with the Texas State Aquarium. Dr. Tristan kept Noah sedated during the trip and monitored his condition. The others kept him wet using sprayers filled with water and kept him calm by talking to him and touching him.
“We are very grateful to the Air Force Reserve for allowing this crew to come and help us move Noah,” Ms. Walker said. “I don’t know how we would have done it without them. Now I can relax, knowing that Noah is going to be OK.”
“I’m glad we could work this out and that we were able to transport the whole team,” said Maj. Erik Olson, pilot and aircraft commander. Major Olson and Capt. Todd Humphries, co-pilot, each took a few minutes to come into the cargo compartment to meet Noah during the flight.
The airlift mission was arranged through Coastal America, headquartered in Washington, D.C. The organization is a partnership of several departments and agencies as well as the Office of the President, state and local governments, and private organizations. The partners work together to protect, preserve and restore the nation’s coastal resources. Coastal America works with the Department of Defense to link military missions and training requirements with coastal needs.
When the aircrew said farewell to Ms. Walker and her team at Tyndall AFB, Fla., they loaded Noah up on a truck for the ride to Gulf World Marine Park in Panama City, Fla. At the park, Noah was to join a female rough-toothed dolphin named Doris who was already there. Astro, a juvenile male, also rescued in Texas, was to arrive July 16, and Vixen, another female, was to arrive July 17.
Rescuers are hoping the four form a small pod and stick together when they are released back into the Gulf of Mexico.