Cetacean Rescue Website- Morgan Brown
My final communication project took the form of a website and social media posts, raising awareness and support for the realities of stranding events and rescue efforts for whales and dolphins. In order to effectively communicate and generate support from my audience- including Florida locals and tourists- I used the knowledge and information I have gained from volunteering and interning with two separate marine mammal rescue facilities. To learn more about whale and dolphin strandings, why they occur, and what we can do to help animals in need, feel free to explore my website:
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Cetacean Rescue Website
The website consists of five main pages, each covering a different aspect of the overarching issue of whale and dolphin strandings, including a home page with introductory information, and “Stranding 101”, which covers more about the causes of and responses to strandings. The page titled “Take Action” provides readers with pragmatic communication, direct requests and instructions, about actions they can take to help make a difference, including contacting stranding hotlines, visiting local zoos and aquariums, and even donating money or time through volunteering. Another page includes the use of hypermediacy, combining multiple forms of media in one collective space, where I have provided readers with an array of additional resources and direct links to pages published by reputable organizations, which can expand upon more niche aspects of the rescue process and provide additional general information outside of what I included directly on my website. In addition to just my website, I also created spreadable media, which in my case took the form of short posts on my social media accounts (Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and LinkedIn), that allowed people to share tidbits of my information and spread the word about my website to different groups of people. Through sharing these posts and directing people to explore my website across a variety of platforms, I was able to gain over 60 pledges to support rescue and rehab facilities and received almost 200 unique visits to my website from 14 different countries in under one month!
One choice I made sure to keep at the center of this project was my ability to amplify and share more about the importance of the role that marine parks and aquariums play in the rescue, rehabilitation, and release of whales, dolphins, and plenty of other marine species. Unfortunately, the dedication to the preservation and conservation of marine life shown by these facilities is often overshadowed by outdated and misinformed anti-zoo and aquarium activists, leaving many of these nonprofit, non-governmental organizations struggling to garner the support needed to continue running rescue operations, providing life-saving medical care and rehabilitation, and caring for rescued animals that cannot be returned to their natural habitat. I wanted to allow viewers of my website to bear witness to the amazing rescue and rehab results seen in different cases of sick and injured whales and dolphins, which they may never have the opportunity to see in real life. In order to do this I utilized remediation, including old videos and images from previous rescue and rehab successes, to put real images to the issue and help people connect to the realities of how important rescue efforts are for each individual animal that strands, and is in need of help. As someone who works hands-on in these facilities, I wanted to highlight the dedication and passion that these organizations funnel into their mission of ocean conservation, and tie it back to an issue that typically garners a lot of public attention, in the hopes of rewriting the narrative and shining a more positive light on marine parks and aquariums alike.
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By creating a website, one issue I faced was trying to avoid what environmental communicators call “clicktivism”, where online posts are made and information is shared, but there is very little audience follow-through. I wanted to inspire action such as participating in a rescue firsthand or volunteering on a regular basis, which is feasible for Florida locals, but I also wanted to provide ways for tourists and people living away from the coasts to be involved in the solution to this environmental issue. I attempted to engage both types of audiences by providing a wide array of ways to get involved with rescue efforts and organizations, from reporting videos showing violations of the Marine Mammal Protection Act, to visiting a local zoo or aquarium in their hometown or while on vacation, and I even included a simple pledge, providing people the opportunity to take action and show their support for rescue and rehab organizations.
Overall, this project combined my passion for marine mammals and the conservation of whale and dolphin species with an opportunity to share more about the underappreciated work done by marine parks and aquariums to help save animals in need! With the use of my newly learned skills in environmental communication, I was able to create a website that I hope will stand the test of time and serve as a resource for Florida locals and tourists alike, for many years to come. With a renewed respect and appreciation for the rescue and rehabilitation efforts of these facilities, I hope we will see support for them grow in the coming years, as they continue to contribute to the protection and conservation of dolphins, whales, and all of our precious marine species.
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Brown, Morgan. (2022, August). Personal Internship Experience. Dolphins Plus Marine Mammal Responder.
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