Animal Pragmatism (University of Miami Magazine)

For the past dozen summers, veterinary pathologist Gregory Bossart and a team of researchers have made a series of what could be called house calls to Florida’s Indian River Lagoon, where more than 200 of the Atlantic bottlenose dolphins who frolic there have perished in three mass die-offs since 2002. In steamy, unpredictable July weather, the scientists wade into the water, taking blood and other biological samples and measuring the respiration and heart rates of the friendly mammals. Then the researchers quickly release them back into the estuary, which stretches from Palm Beach to Volusia counties, until their next annual physical. Like many humans, dolphins tend to stay close to where they grow up. Also like many humans, these dolphins are susceptible to emerging viral, neoplastic, and other diseases, which Bossart and his colleagues have linked to possible environmental degradation, including high levels of mercury. As it happens, the mercury is also affecting fishermen who have long worked in the region.