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a baby dolphin found ill by Thai fishermen is recovering successfully with the help of a team of volunteers.
Paradon, whose name means “brotherly burden,” was expected to die of his ailments after being rescued from a tidal pool last month.
Experts gave the dolphin a low chance of survival after it was found to be critically weak. At first, Paradon even had to be held in the water by volunteer keepers.
“We told each other that the chances of him surviving were quite low, judging by his condition,” Thanaphan Chomchuen, a veterinarian at the center, said on Friday.
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Volunteer Tosapol Prayoonsuk feeds milk to a baby dolphin nicknamed Paradon at the Coastal and Marine Resources Research and Development Center in Rayong province, eastern Thailand, Friday, Aug. 26, 2022.
(AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
Chomchuen added: “Normally, dolphins that are stranded on shore are usually in such a terrible condition. The chances of these dolphins surviving are normally very, very slim. But we did our best that day.”
veterinarians and staff play with Paradon, give him milk and help him practice his motor skills in a small habitat. He is cared for 24 hours a day by a team of volunteers dedicated to guiding him through recovery.
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A baby dolphin named Paradon swims at the Coastal and Marine Resources Research and Development Center in Rayong province, eastern Thailand, on Friday, Aug. 26, 2022.
(AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
Paradon isn’t out of the woods yet, as volunteers are scrambling to get him to eat every 20 minutes or so.
Thippunyar Thipjuntar, a 32-year-old financial advisor, is one of many volunteers who come for a babysitting shift at Paradon.
Volunteer Thippunyar Thipjuntar feeds a baby dolphin named Paradon with milk at the Coastal and Marine Resources Research and Development Center in Rayong province, eastern Thailand, Friday, Aug. 26, 2022.
(AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
“He doesn’t eat enough, he just wants to play. I’m worried he’s not getting enough nutrition,” he told The Associated Press on Friday as he fed the sleeping Paradon, cradled on his arm.
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She continued, “When you invest your time, physical effort, mental attention, and money to come here as a volunteer, of course you want it to grow strong and survive.”
The calf shows no signs of its previous infection and the vets are preparing for a possible long term care in thailand until Paradon can hunt his own prey.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
