Dolphin rescued in Biloxi after hurricane gets new chance at life in Florida
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- Marine teams rescued Dagny after Hurricane Michael stranded her in Biloxi in 2018.
- Dagny now lives at Clearwater Marine Aquarium with three other rescued dolphins.
- Experts deemed Dagny non-releasable due to hearing loss impairing echolocation.
Marine experts transferred Dagny, a rough-toothed dolphin rescued from a Biloxi beach after Hurricane Michael, to Florida’s Clearwater Marine Aquarium earlier this month.
Found washed ashore, partially deaf and abandoned at just 3 years old, Dagny was rescued in 2018 by the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies in Gulfport.
Now, Dagny resides in a pool at CMA’s Ruth and J.O. Stone Dolphin Complex with three other rescue dolphins. Neighboring Dagny is Winter the dolphin, best known for her starring role in the 2011 film ‘Dolphin Tale.’
The Rescue
The IMMS responded to a call about a stranded dolphin in Biloxi on Oct. 12, 2018 — just six days after Hurricane Michael devastated Mexico Beach and Panama City, Florida.
“That’s what IMMS does,” IMMS President and Executive Director Moby Solangi said. “It responds to sick and injured marine animals and sea turtles. It’s been doing this since 1984 and it’s one of the only permanent facilities in the state of Mississippi.”
According to Solangi, finding a dolphin on the shore of Biloxi is an unusual occurrence.
“They’re more toward deeper Gulf waters,” Solangi said. “They’re not really seen in the Mississippi Sound. It looks like it got sick and the currents brought it up here.”
Dagny’s partial deafness affected her ability to traverse the Gulf, said CMA Senior Animal Care Specialist Kaylee Rhieu.
“Her hearing loss means she’s unable to echolocate appropriately,” Rhieu said. “She was ultimately deemed non-releasable.”
The Institute for Marine Mammal Studies (IMMS) cared for Dagny until January 2019. After a brief stint at the controversial Gulf World Marine Park, she arrived at Clearwater Marine Aquarium on June 4, where she is now monitored by marine experts and can be viewed by guests.
“We’ve been here for 53 years and our mission is to rescue, rehabilitate and release,” CMA Media Relations Director Marsha Strickhouser said.
Part of the Pod
At CMA, Dagny swims alongside rescue dolphins Doris, Kitana and Wren. The quartet is acclimating to the new environment, neighboring dolphins and human trainers.
According to Rhieu, Dagny developed a relationship with Doris and enjoys playing with enrichment toys.
“We see Dagny and Doris buddy swimming at night before we leave, and she’s been interacting with a lot of enrichment devices here,” Rhieu said. “Her favorite seems to be a small basketball that she tosses back and forth between us animal care specialists and dolphins in other pools.”
This story was originally published June 30, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
