On a heroic day, the rescue team of Aquarium Mar del Plata, a marine park of Grupo Dolphin in Argentina, answered a call from the Naval Prefecture of this town that alerted them about a mass stranding of seven orcas in La Caleta, a seaside resort adjacent to Mar de Cobo.
The Aquarium Mar del Plata rescue team comprised of biologists, veterinarians, and technicians found 5 orca specimens stranded and in a delicate state, one had been declared deceased and two small ones had already been reintroduced by environmental personnel from the Mar Chiquita’s party moments earlier.
Although with the collaboration of the team of Fundación Mundo Marino, the Provincial Agency for Sustainable Development (OPDS), Civil Defense, Firefighters of Mar Chiquita and the volunteers who were present at the time, the four surviving orcas were still in danger. Thanks to the knowledge and experience of the Aquarium Mar del Plata team, the remaining four specimens were secured in the correct position to avoid drowning and were treated in time one by one for their reintegration back into the sea, demonstrating the importance of the participation of biologists and veterinarians belonging to institutions dedicated to the care of marine mammals.
The deceased specimen underwent a necropsy in collaboration with veterinarians from Mundo Marino and Biologists from the University of Mar del Plata. The results of the studies will be of great importance to determine the cause of the stranding of this specimen and the possible reasons why this group of orcas could have been stranded.
Aquarium Mar del Plata, like the rest of the 29 parks and habitats that make up the Grupo Dolphin family constantly participate in the rescue, rehabilitation and reintroduction of species such as dolphins, orcas, manatees, sea lions, turtles, penguins, among other species; contributing to their welfare and those under human care.