A two year-old rough-toothed female dolphin, named "Kitana," was rescued from the beaches of Cape San Blas in mid-September. She is being rehabbed at Gulf World in Panama City Beach.

Senior trainer Ashley Guidry says, "Usually, if an animal is on the beach, that's kind of a last resort. They're definitely sick at that point."

Staff members say they're working to give the mammal a clean bill of health. Secret Holmes, head of the marine mammal department at Gulf World, says, "Our goal is to rehab and release as part of the stranding agreement with National Marine Fisheries."

This is the first rescue since Dunham, a bottle-nosed dolphin, was tragically killed by sharks hours after being released in Tampa this July. Guidry says, "He was out in the wild for about three hours, he met up with other dolphins, he was swimming around, though they [sharks] were tracking him."

Dunham had spent eight months at Gulf World, recuperating from pneumonia and a collapsed lung. Staff say he was the first Gulf World-rehabbed dolphin to die. But, they aren't changing their method for releasing dolphins.

Guidry says, "No, actually, we're going to stick to our protocol because they're set forth by National Marine Fisheries. So, we're going to do everything according to protocol, just like we did before."

Those regulations include de-conditioning the dolphin before it is released. Kitana's recuperation is still in the early stages, so there is no time table for her release.

Officials say they must release dolphins where they are found. That's why Dunham was released in Tampa, and Kitana will be freed in Cape San Blas.