03:10 PM CDT on Monday, June 7, 2004

From 11 News Staff Reports

GALVESTON, TX -- The Texas Marine Mammal Stranding Network is caring for a female melon-headed whale that stranded over Memorial Day weekend near High Island, TX.

Named for the holiday weekend, the whale, “Memory”, is nearly 8 feet long and weighs just over 310 lbs.

She has numerous healing and new shark bites on her body, but the cause of stranding is being determined.

KHOU-TV The melon-headed whale is covered with shark bites.

Volunteers and staff of the TMMSN have been providing round-the-clock care to nurse Memory back to health. Her condition is considered guarded, but she continues to show daily improvements. Initially she was being tube fed but is now accepting whole herring, capelin, and squid 5 times a day. The staff is cautiously optimistic of her prognosis.

Memory isn't the only patient currently in rehabilitative care at the TMMSN. “Emma”, a female bottlenose dolphin estimated to be around 5 years old, stranded last November near Corpus Christi, TX. She had a severe case of pneumonia and trauma, and initially, experts had little hope for her survival. However, Emma is determined to prove them wrong. Over the course of her rehabilitation, she has made slow but steady progress, with the largest of improvements seen in the last 2 months. The TMMSN hopes to release her back to the wild soon, but final determination will be made by National Marine Fisheries Service.

This has been an unusual stranding season for the TMMSN. Both melon-headed whales and spinner dolphins are unusual patients for this dolphin and whale hospital. Traditionally, the majority of strandings have been bottlenose dolphins. Researchers and biologists working with the TMMSN are taking advantage of the opportunity to learn more about these species while in care.

Very little is known about melon-headed whales and very few have been successfully rehabilitated across the United States.

The TMMSN is a non-profit volunteer organization that responds to sick and injured dolphins along the entire Texas Coast.

The cost of caring for one animal can range between $200-400 per day, with the average rehab lasting between 2 and 3 months.

If you would like to volunteer, please contact the TMMSN State Office at 409-740-4455 or 800-9MAMMAL to learn more. For questions or to make a financial contribution to the TMMSN, please contact Tammy Renaud, State Operations Coordinator, in our State Office in Galveston at 409-740-4455.