After 3 weeks of care at Mote Marine in Sarasota, Feeny the dolphin dies

SARASOTA -- Feeny, an adult male bottlenose dolphin that stranded Sept. 17 in Tampa Bay and was transported to Mote Marine in Sarasota to receive treatment died Sunday, according to Mote Marine.

Feeny arrived in critical condition and initial examinations and testing showed he was underweight and showed signs of infection, anemia, dehydration and pneumonia as well as other metabolic abnormalities.

"Even though Feeny started eating and swimming on his own, we know that wild animals need to mask their illnesses for survival. Any animal under our care is considered critical until the moment of their release," Lynne Byrd, Mote's rehabilitation and medical care coordinator, said in a news release.

Feeny had first been identified as an adult in 1988 by the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program, which is a collaboration between Mote Marine Laboratory and the Chicago Zoological Society. This gives an indication that he was at least in his 30s when he was transported to Mote's animal hospital.

Since Feeny's arrival, Mote staff and volunteers provided around-the-clock intensive care. Staff conducted diagnostic tests such as blood work and ultrasounds, constantly monitored the animal's status, provided antibiotics, fluids and other critical life support, and kept the animal as comfortable as possible.

Early Friday, the animal's health took a sudden downward turn and he was unable to recover, according to Mote. About 1 a.m. Friday morning, he became disoriented and started to lean to one side. Results from ultrasound examinations and blood sample tests revealed that the animal's blood cells were not regenerating. The animal was also losing weight, which was unusual because of his high-calorie food intake.

"Blood work and other tests showed that the dolphin was very sick and in general, when marine animals strand, it typically indicates health issues or injuries that interfere with the animal's normal behavior and survival abilities," Andy Stamper, Mote's consulting veterinarian, in the news release.

"It was always our hope to return Feeny to the wild. Sadly, even with our best efforts, it is sometimes just their time," Byrd said.

Feeny's cause of death is unknown at this time. Mote staff will perform a necropsy try to determine why Feeny stranded.

Feeny's skeleton will be archived in Mote's Ruth DeLynn Cetacean Osteological Collection. The collection contains hundreds of carefully documented bone specimens of dolphins and small whales and will be studied for years to come.

This story was originally published October 12, 2015 at 4:46 PM with the headline "After 3 weeks of care at Mote Marine in Sarasota, Feeny the dolphin dies ."