Exactly four years after being rescued and rehabilitated by the Marine Mammal Stranding Team at Atlantis Paradise Island’s on-site Animal Rescue Center, the spotted dolphin affectionately named M&M (short for Modern Miracle) was seen and photographed off the coast of Bimini on August 26th, 2022.
Dr. Amanda Pinder, Atlantis Veterinarian, who aided in M&M’s veterinary treatment in 2018, obtained photos of the dolphin while boating with her husband. This is the only known case of a rehabilitated wild dolphin being reunited and photographed with its original pod (family group) four years later. The confirmation of M&M being observed as still healthy and connected with the pod is confirmation of the impressive work being done at Atlantis by the Marine Mammal Stranding Response Team.
In August of 2018, Atlantis was contacted by the Bahamas Marine Mammal Research Organization with a request for assistance with a distressed male spotted dolphin near Great Stirrup Cay. Over the course of two months at the Atlantis Animal Rescue Center, the Atlantis team helped M&M recover from pneumonia, gastric ulceration, myopathy and dehydration before officially releasing the healthy dolphin off the coast of Bimini on October 29, 2018.
“The latest sighting of M&M is very exciting news for our entire team,” said Ted Turner, Atlantis’ Vice President of Marine Mammal Operations. “Spotted dolphins are a protected species, so any information we can gather about these animals and their habits is useful in our conservation efforts to ensure their future survival in The Bahamas. The added connection to Atlantis’ rehabilitation work done by our incredible team makes this an extra special occasion. We’re thrilled to see M&M still thriving and connected with his family pod.”
M&M was rehabilitated as part of the marine conservation programming implemented as part of Atlantis Blue Project Foundation (ABPF). The foundation creates and promotes solutions for a wide range of important environmental challenges, from coral reef and habitat conservation to improving the health of marine life.
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