November - December 2012
Recently, an unprecedented number of dolphin shootings and mutilations have occurred throughout the Northern Gulf of Mexico. Since the beginning of the year, 6 dolphins have been shot and some have been mutilated, having their tail cut off or their jaw cut. These tragic events have been cause for a public outcry and Federal and State Agencies to take action. IMMS is leading this effort with our rescue and rehabilitation team that works tirelessly with the public and state officials identifying any dolphin that is found in distress. With the help of the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources and the Harrison County Sheriff's office, IMMS is able to bring these dolphins back to our facility, the Center for Marine Education and Research, and perform vital necropsies (animal autopsy) and uncover the nature of some of these wounds and take samples that will be sent for analysis. These dolphins are federally protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972. Because of their protected status, these dolphin killings are now under a criminal investigation with division.
Our dedicated staff and volunteers are working tirelessly to protect our dolphins, but there are ways that you can help.
To support our efforts, we encourage the public to donate in one or all of the following ways:
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