When Stan Stranded

One dolphin’s struggle with hearing loss

By Cealia Athanason

Stan is a rough-toothed dolphin who’s had to learn to live with significant hearing loss. Last June, he became stranded on Clearwater Beach’s shore. When Clearwater Marine Aquarium found him and transported him to SeaWorld Orlando’s Rescue Center for immediate care, Stan’s journey to health had just begun.

“Upon arrival at SeaWorld, the dolphin was extremely weak. He was placed in a quarantine pool where veterinarians treated him with fluids, nutrition and antibiotics, and animal care experts monitored his every breath and physical activity,” according to a SeaWorld press release.

Stan was too weak to swim on his own, and SeaWorld’s Animal Care experts physically walked alongside him to help him get stronger. They found marine sponge in his digestive tract, which had created blockages, and, after continued testing, they decided to perform a hearing test to determine the cause for stranding.

To perform the hearing test, electrodes were placed on Stan’s head to see if he would react to the frequency of the sound waves. SeaWorld and the National Marine Mammal Foundation found that Stan had lost most of his hearing and realized that was the most probable cause for his beaching. Dolphins hear through the sound waves that bounce off of their jaws and into their ears. When dolphins have hearing problems, this can negatively affect their echolocation. Echolocation gives dolphins the ability to navigate and forage.

After six months of care, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association determined that Stan was non-releasable and that Gulf World Marine Park would be the best place for him to receive care and live out the rest of his days. Gulf World is located in Panama City Beach and is the only facility in North America to house rough-toothed dolphins in long-term human care. With dozens of animal trainers, a vet and a vet tech, Stan is well taken care of and enjoys the company of five other rough-toothed dolphins, though he hangs with one of them—his bud, Astro—most of the time.

“It is extremely important that Stan stay with the same species,” says Secret Holmes-Douglas, Gulf World’s zoological director. “With complete hearing loss, Stan would most likely not survive [in the wild], which is why he was deemed non-releasable.”

To compensate for his hearing loss, Stan relies heavily on his vision. According to Stephanie Southern, Gulf World’s education coordinator, and Holmes-Douglas, trainers use visual and tactile cues with Stan instead of audio cues. Stan is adapting well and is now part of the rough-toothed dolphin family at the park.