The 2015 Giving Challenge: How the community came together to support critical animal medical care
2016 Giving Challenge details expected soon - stay tuned!
Last year, Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium participated in the 2015 Giving Challenge and was overjoyed with the support of southwest Florida communities.
Mote is a homegrown, independent, nonprofit marine research and education institution comprised of world-class marine scientists committed to the belief that the conservation and sustainable use of our oceans begins with research and education. Mote would not be able to continue its research as an independent lab without the support of the community.
In 2015, Mote’s hospitals for dolphins, whales and sea turtles needed the community’s support. Because of the many individual 2015 Giving Challenge donations, Mote was able to provide world-class care to sea turtles and to a dolphin that was stranded in Tampa Bay, later named “Feeny.”
Feeny arrived to Mote in very critical condition. He was underweight, dehydrated, and he showed signs of infection, anemia, dehydration and pneumonia as well as other metabolic abnormalities. Mote staff and volunteers provided Feeny ‘round-the-clock intensive care. Staff conducted diagnostic tests such as blood work and ultrasounds, constantly monitored the animal’s status, provided antibiotics, fluids and other critical life support, and kept the animal as comfortable as possible. These types of procedures are made possible by the many contributions like the ones donated during the Giving Challenge.
There is no health insurance for marine animals, so having a team like Mote’s can make all the difference, and each and every donation gets Mote closer to being able to provide critical care for animals in need.
In December 2015, a turtle that stranded near the shore of Peanut Island in West Palm Beach was transferred to Mote from Loggerhead Marinelife Center with several fibropapilloma tumors present, including both eyes. Surgery was performed to remove papilloma tumors and in April 2016, Mote staff and interns released the turtle back to the wild.
The hospitals at Mote have treated 72 dolphins and whales since 1992, always with the goal of releasing rehabilitated animals to the wild. This critical care means much more than helping an animal in need — it also supports a better understanding of marine animal health, helping to inform both veterinary care and conservation of these animals in the wild.
Mote’s Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Hospital has admitted more than 560 sick and injured sea turtles since 1995, including all five species found in the Gulf of Mexico. Most of these turtles were rescued by Mote’s Stranding Investigations Program, a 24-hour response program for distressed or dead sea turtles and marine mammals in Sarasota and Manatee counties. These round-the-clock rescues and rehabilitations matter: All sea turtle species are threatened or endangered. Each one returned to the wild has a second chance to contribute to the population. Each donation from the 2015 Giving Challenge helped Mote oversee the care of several injured sea turtles.
This care is not possible without the community's continued support of Mote's mission.
The 2015 Giving Challenge was made possible by the Community Foundation of Sarasota County and The Patterson Foundation with support from the William G. and Marie Selby Foundation, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Manatee Community Foundation, and the Herald-Tribune Media Group.
Mote cannot thank each of its donors enough for helping our local marine life and advancing the Lab's important mission of today's research for tomorrow's oceans.