Louisiana Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Rescue Program (LMMSTRP)

Coordinated by Audubon Aquarium of the Americas, LMMSTRP is the primary responder for the state of Louisiana for rescuing, rehabilitating and releasing marine mammals (dolphins, whales and manatees) and sea turtles affected by the 2010 Gulf oil spill. Audubon and LMMSTRP are collaborating with NOAA, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and the U.S. Coast Guard to ensure that we have the most up to date information about the oil spill and any possible animals in its path.

When a call comes in for a distressed sea turtle or marine mammal, the Audubon team will retrieve the animal and bring it back to Audubon Aquatic Center for assesment and treatment. It is anticipated that the greatest number of animals affected will be sea turtles as the Kemps Ridley species is currently migrating to the beaches of Mexico to nest.

LMMSTRP is a volunteer organization based out of Audubon Aquarium of the Americas in New Orleans. It is funded in part through the National Marine Fisheries Service’s Prescott Grant Program.

Audubon Nature Institute’s Aquatic Center, housed at Freeport-McMoRan Audubon Species Survival Center, provides an expansive facility with holding and breeding tanks for the Aquarium's extensive marine collection. It also serves as headquarters for Audubon’s coordination of the Louisiana Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Rescue Program.

LMMSTRP works with several other organizations to respond to stranded marine mammals and sea turtles, to collect data about existing populations of marine animals along the Louisiana coast and waterways, and to help researchers develop new knowledge in support of the conservation of marine species.

In 2009 the program came to the rescue of a sea turtle named Lagniappe, whose Kemp’s ridley species is the most critically endangered of all the world’s sea turtles. Lagniappe was rescued from a pit pond and returned to the wild on October 14, 2009. She carries a satelite tag to track her movements which will help us learn more about this amazing species.

Rescue team members have also worked with many other sea turtles, as well as dolphins and manatees. Donate today and help fund the equipment and supplies needed to respond to strandings in Louisiana.

To promote the conservation of our oceans’ wildlife LMMSTRP uses aerial surveys of waterways, lakes, and the coast by plane, beach walks, necropsies data collection, response to live strandings and rehabilitation of live animals. The goal is to find and humanely treat the animals and prepare them for a successful release back into their natural environment

If You Encounter A Live Beached Marine Mammal or Sea Turtle

• IMMEDIATELY call 1-866-557-1401 and tell stranding personnel about a live animal stranding and give a precise location.
• DO NOT RETURN THE ANIMAL TO THE BODY OF WATER.
• Keep people and pets away from it until professional help arrives.
• Keep the animal cool and wet during hot months by splashing water onto the skin, but AVOID getting water in the blowhole. In the cold winter months shield the animal from the wind.
• If it is a dolphin apply a wet cloth to the animal, taking care not to cover the blowhole, dorsal fin, flippers or tail.
• If it is a sea turtle apply a wet cloth over the shell but do not cover the animal’s head.
• Keep your hands away from its mouth, and keep your body away from its tail section.

If You Encounter A Dead Marine Mammal or Sea Turtle

• Call 1-866-557-1401 to report the deceased animal and give the general location.
• Leave the carcass just as you found it—do not touch it or remove any parts of the animal.
• If the animal has been spray painted with bright orange X, the animal has already been reported to authorities and samples have been taken. You do NOT need to call to report it.

What Can You Do To Help With Conservation?

• Participate in beach, stream and roadside cleanups.
• Be responsible with your litter. Recycle and dispose of trash properly, including fishing line and six-pack rings.
• Donate to LMMSTRP to help with the high cost of running the program.  Currently, due to the public's prompt response following the April 2010 Gulf oil spill, donations of supplies are not needed.
• Keep your distance when you come in contact with a wild marine mammal. They are protected, and feeding or swimming with them is against the law.
• Please only take photos of the animals and leave only your footprints behind.