When Jean Disrud tells her grandson she baby-sits a whale two nights a week, Dakota Joris absorbs the news in his five-year-old brain. He probably conjures up images of the Key West apartment where he frequently spends the night with his grandma, because after a few seconds he squeals with delight: "Grandma's got a pet whale in her bathtub."
But caring for Summer, the baby pygmy sperm whale that washed up on Fort Zachary Taylor's beach last June, isn't quite so convenient as Dakota sees it. Summer's 200+ pounds of developing muscles and bones requires enough room to roam a makeshift ocean pen off Stock Island, and round-the-clock volunteers.
"She's only one of two baby pygmy sperm whales to live this long in captivity," said Craig Pelton, a rehabilitation coordinator. "The other baby pygmy sperm whale died at six months, roughly the age that Summer is right now. Although we're encouraged by her progress, we can't even consider Summer's release for yet another year."
Volunteers Jean Disrud and Candace Whitaker say for them, a yearlong commitment to Summer's care is a piece of cake. "She's a teacher in a whale suit," said Whitaker, who like Disrud, has volunteered her time— in and out of the water— since the baby whale was found on the millennium's Summer Solstice, June 21.
"So little is known about this particular whale species, Summer's not only become a daily lesson in how to care for pygmy sperm whales, but also in how to work with revolving volunteers. Something's new every day."
In spite of a dedicated volunteer core who supports the team of marine biologists and veterinarians and supervisors who are also volunteers— no one is being paid here— more are needed.
"Volunteers have come from all over the country, and the Key West core is great, but we have a lot of openings to fill throughout the day and night," said Melissa Towle, one of the shift supervisors. "There's always room for 100 more."
So: What do volunteers get from hours devoted to babysitting a whale?
"She's the reason I quit smoking," said Jan Palmer. "My coughing disrupted the calm surrounding her, and the first time I was in the water with her, I decided to quit."
Says Jean Disrud: "The awesome sensation of holding a whale in your hand, of feeling her heartbeat against your hand, creates an ecological consciousness of not just needing to care for people, but needing to care for the whole planet. The joy, the peace, the exhilaration is indescribable. It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
"She's probably more intelligent than we are, and I think it's terribly important to save one of these creatures. Whether I'm in the water with Summer or making notes while I observe her behavior, she gives me pause to consider what human beings are doing here," Disrud said.
"If I could keep her in my bathtub, I'd give her even more of my time."
Call 296-9035 to volunteer.