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Lynda Doughty: The Seal Whisperer.
The ocean is under siege.
Measured in rising temperatures, falling numbers of fish and ever more garbage on our shores and at sea, humans are endangering this resource vital to all life on earth.
But Lynda is doing something about it.
Through her non-profit Marine Mammals of Maine (MMoME), Lynda is rescuing marine mammals and turtles, conducting research and educating the public.
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MMoME even has a 24-hour hotline so others can help.
And when they do, her facility rescues and nurtures sick or injured marine animals back to health with the intent of returning them to the sea.
An example is a baby seal I'll call Little Lynda, who struggled onto the shore emaciated and weak and gasping for breath.
But a few months later, after being fed and nurtured back to health, Little Lynda was healthy and strong and released back into the sea.
Each year, MMoME assists about 300 marine mammals, including dolphins and porpoises, as it covers approximately 2,500 miles of the Maine coast.
It also removes deceased marine animals, and it educates the public, most notably on how not to invade the space of baby seals, frightening the babies and scaring their mothers off.
All of this is done with a small staff and numerous volunteers, funded primarily with donations by caring people like you and me.
As for Lynda, she told CNN, "I feel this intense responsibility to help these animals and really, this is what I was put on earth to do."
Editor's Note: To learn more, click here, here and here Lynda is a CNN Hero.
In the next KazanToday: Starting in the late 1800's, despite intense bigotry, this black man had some amazing accomplishments.
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