Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Merina Does Her Part for the Environment!





Recently, a staff member, Kris, walked by the front lagoon and stopped to speak with a family of visitors. The guests were completely enamored with the beautiful lady dolphins and little Jax. They asked the staff how we tell the dolphins apart and wanted to know the names of each dolphin.

As the Kris pointed out Ras and Gypsi, she noticed a piece of plastic floating in the water. (From time to time, unfortunately, things drift into the lagoons from the water outside the fences.) Excusing herself from the family, she noticed that all of the dolphins followed her towards the middle dock. She grabbed a target pole and tried to get the floating debris, but no luck! It was just out of reach. The next thing she knew, Merina came to the rescue. She swam up under the plastic, grabbed it in her mouth and swam over to the dock.

After Kris took the plastic, she gave Merina a little pat on the melon and told her she was awesome. The visiting family applauded! Merina gave a little jump and vocalized a small scream as if proud of herself for saving the day and doing what she good to protect the environment. She sure gave the visitors and Kris something to remember for a long time.