Day 12 - Learning

Day 12: Learning

As a marine mammal education and research facility, Dolphin Research Center is dedicated to learning as much as possible about our animal family. This is done via our research, observations, and interacting with the dolphins and sea lions. Additionally, we believe it is imperative to give our guests learning opportunities. The biggest threat to wild animals is people. Direct experience with animals inspires people to connect with and care about them, and to conserve the environment in which they live. The number of marine mammals that live in human care is a tiny percentage of the population that lives out in the wild. However, the impact of these “ambassadors” is huge.

Day 11 - Dolphin

Day 11: Dolphin

The bottlenose dolphin, whose scientific name is Tursiops truncatus, is probably the dolphin most familiar to the general population because of its adaptability of living in human care. Bottlenose dolphins can be seen in various show and research facilities and have been the "stars" of many movies and television shows. Because of their seeming curiosity about people and their close proximity to various shores and ocean bays, this species is the most studied of all delphinids. The bottlenose is the dolphin most often sighted off the coast and from small boats. In some places in the world, such as Monkey Mia in Australia, wild bottlenose dolphins choose to come into bays and interact with human beings.

Bottlenose dolphins are the largest of the beaked dolphins. There is a definite crease where the rostrum (snout or beak) joins the melon, and the shape of the mouth seems to form a permanent smile. Their bodies are dark gray on the back and sides, fading to a pinkish white belly underneath. Their dorsal fins are falcate, curving slightly to the back. Pectoral fins and flukes are pointed at the tips. Atlantic bottlenose dolphins are usually 6 to 9 feet long at maturity; the Pacific variety often may be larger. The largest member of the entire family Delphinidae is the Orca, better known as the killer whale.

Day 9 - Great Vacation

Day 9: Great Vacation

From swimming with dolphins to learning about marine mammals – one of the best vacations you will ever take is one to the fabulous Florida Keys to meet our animal family. Spend a week at Dolphin Research Center for DolphinLab or Dolphin Camp or just stop by the next time you're in South Florida. It's an experience you won't regret! 

Day 8 - Survivor

Day: Survivor

The eighth day of January is always special. It marks the day of Jax's arrival to his forever home at Dolphin Research Center. Found orphaned and alone in the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, FL, Jax was the victim of a shark attack when he was estimated to be under a year in ago. After rehabilitation, Jax was deemed nonreleasable by the government due to his age and we were blessed to welcome him to the DRC pod. In the eight years since we met this little boy, he has shown us the true meaning of the word "survivor". Regardless of the hardships he faced in his past, Jax is always enthusiastic, motivated, and ready to take on any challenge. His spirit is not only inspiration to us but also to friends who will be visiting today - wounded warriors. Today, on Jax's anniversary, we welcome Soldier Ride – a rehabilitative cycling event designed to challenge our wounded warriors to get back in the saddle, both literally and figuratively. Today, in the hearts of DRC, we celebrate the true meaning of the word "survivor".

What does "survivor" mean to you? Show us with #iHeartDRC.

Day 7 - Heart

Day 7: Heart

What makes your heart happy?

Show us a photo on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. 

Day 5 - Recycle

Day 5: Recycle

If the dolphins can recycle – SO CAN YOU! Share a photo on your timeline of a recyclable item. Whether you put items in the correct bin or browse Pinterest for cool ways to reuse an item, you are actively helping marine mammals. #IHeartDRC#DolphinResearchCenter

Day 3 - Celebrate

Day 3 - Celebrate

Have you celebrated meeting, playing with, or swimming with dolphins?

#iHeartDRC #DolphinResearchCenter

Dolphin Research Center Photo-A-Day Challenge

_{Dolphin Research Center's Photo-A-Day Challenge starts January 1, 2016!}

Start the new year with Dolphin Research Center by participating in our very first Photo-a-Day Challenge. To continue teaching, learning, and caring for marine mammals and the environment, we’ve created a new way for our supporters to become ambassadors for our flippered family members. The best part is that you can do it from home!

The Photo-A-Day challenge starts on January 1st. There will be 31 challenges, one for each day of the month, and all you need to do is share a photo or video that relates to the daily subject on your Facebook, Twitter or Instagram pages. Use the hashtag #IHeartDRC so that everyone’s images and posts will be united!  If you don’t mind us reposting your images on our social media, go ahead and also add #DolphinResearchCenter. (We’ll always credit you for the photos we repost.)  Whether you use photos or video that you took while visiting DRC or creatively use something from your life at home, it will be fun to see how you connect your image to the each day’s challenge. 

This graphic shows you all of the challenge topics so you can start thinking about your photos. Don’t forget to post the challenge to your own pages, so we can follow your page and daily posts as well.  Whether you like, follow, or gram with us online, we cannot wait for this new venture and the chance to share DRC pride with you – our fintastic fans, friends, and family.

Go to our website, to learn more.

DRC Receives Industry Award

Dolphin Research Center is the proud recipient of the Wright Langley Award for 2008. Presented by the Lodging Association of the Florida Keys and Key West, the award recognizes DRC for preservation and enhancement of our marine environment and culture of the Florida Keys.

DRC’s VP of Animal Care and Training Linda Erb (pictured left) accepted the award on our behalf from Monroe County Commissioner Sylvia Murphy.

Conservation Resolution!

Sometimes environmental problems seem so huge, it’s natural to wonder if there’s anything we, as individuals, can do to help. Most of us already know the three Rs – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. The good news is that there is plenty more that each of us can do, and we can all begin with little changes. These individual things accumulate, all adding up to big success.

One need look no further than the recent rollercoaster gas prices. It was only a couple of months ago that we saw prices go over $4.00 for a single gallon of gas. Nationwide, consumers responded by driving less, consolidating trips, carpooling, and taking other measures to reduce the among of gas they used in their vehicles. Simple economics says that when demand decreases, prices drop. Now prices at the pump are the lowest they’ve been in a few years – under $2.00 a gallon in many cases.

So, what are some other little things each of us can do to help the environment? Here are a few ideas.

Each time a lightbulb burns out, replace it with a compact fluorescent bulb (CFL). They cost a little more initially but use less power and last a lot longer. Over time you save energy and money.

Reuse plastic or paper bags. Most stores now sell reusable bags to tote home your groceries. These are great! However, if you do get plastic or paper bags at the supermarket, find a way to reuse them. Plastic bags make great liners for indoor trash receptacles. Stack newspapers in paper bags before you set them out for recycling. Use a plastic bag over and over to take your lunch to work. Some stores even take them back and recycle them, too.

Turn off things that aren’t in use. Do you have video game consoles at home like X-Box or Wii? The National Resources Defense Council conducted a study and discovered that these consoles use nearly the same amount of power when left on and unattended as they do when someone is playing them! Shut them down when you’re finished your game and you’ll save energy.

The same goes with computers, chargers, and a host of other appliances and gadgets around the house. These all draw energy when left on, even if nobody is using them. Unplug the chargers from the wall and you’ll save even more.

Don’t forget the old rule our parents taught us, too. Turn off the light when you leave a room.
There are three easy things that anybody can do. Not so overwhelming after all, when you look at them as small steps!

Happy Birthday, Babies!

Ras is a crowd-pleaser with her jumps! Cayo is an independent little charmer

Nobody can resist Gypsi's big grins!

Time flies by or, in the case of dolphin babies, swims by! It’s hard to believe that the youngest members of the Dolphin Research Center pod are turning two years old. We celebrated Ras’s birthday on November 24th. Cayo’s birthday was December 13th. Then, on January 6th, Gypsi turns two.

We now know all three of the proud papas for the little girls, too. Kibby is the father of Ras. Cayo’s dad is Noel at Miami Seaquarium. Rainbow is Gypsi’s dad.

It’s kind of fun to figure out how different dolphins are related. DRC keeps exact track of the family connections. We obviously know maternal relations through their mothers’ right from the get-go, but father parentage spreads new branches on the family trees. Kibby is also Pandora’s father, so that makes her and Ras half-sisters. Rainbow and Tursi previously got together and produced Pax, so Gypsi has an older full-brother in Pax, as well as a half-brother in Talon. She also is half-sister to Calusa since they share a father in Bo-dacious.

Enrichment!

Sandy loves balancing basketballs on his rostrum

Instead of tossing the large disk, Calusa surfs on it.

Most of the time, people visit DRC and expect to be entertained by the dolphins and Kilo. That happens, of course, but what you might not realize is that you are also here to entertain them in return.
In addition to delivering top quality food, providing excellent health care, and maintaining a beautiful, clean living environment, we want to make sure that the dolphins aren’t bored, and that their lives are filled with interesting activities. This is known as enrichment and it can happen in many ways. Their training sessions and learning new behaviors, participating in research, or even simply flying around the lagoon in those spectacular aerials are all forms of enrichment.
The dolphins and Kilo are very playful, so giving them different types of toys and other things to play with is very enriching, too. Interacting with them either in their regular sessions, or at casual, unstructured times is another way we enhance their lives. All of DRC’s staff gets to take part in something called voluntary docktime. It’s all up to the dolphins whether they come over to get a backrub or want to initiate a game of seaweed toss when we visit the docks in their lagoons.
You might wonder how your visit provides enrichment. Simple. Your very presence around their lagoons interests dolphins and sea lions. Many of them go out of their way to solicit your attention. Then, when you smile, look at them and talk or laugh or applaud, your actions reinforce their efforts. They’re all very curious so the more people around, the better.
The next time you visit Dolphin Research Center, remember that not only will you learn a lot and have fun, but you’re creating fun for the family pod, too!

'Tis the Season!

There’s still time to get a holiday photo taken with the dolphins at DRC. We offer the program twice a day, seven days a week. Who needs reindeer when you can pose on a dock next to Rainbow? Dash away all and visit the DRC website for more information about Holiday Photos. (Available until 12/22!)

In the meantime, DRC recently received some wonderful gifts. At the Parrotheads in Paradise convention in Key West, Vice President of Marketing and Development Rita Irwin was presented with a $5000.00 check. Many thanks to all the Jimmy Buffet fans who made that donation possible. DRC was also named the Best Tourist Attractor by the Marathon Chamber of Commerce.

DRC's VP of Marketing and Development Rita Irwin holds the Parrotheads' donation check for Pax to admire.

Pax approves of DRC's "Best Tourist Attractor" award presented by the Marathon Chamber of Commerce

DRC Rescues Injured Manatee!

Brad Rose and Ted Due of DRC's Manatee Rescue Team with the injured manatee

DRC's Medical Director Pat Clough (r-front in gray cap) rinses Blitzen's wounds and monitors his respiration while other team members help steady the manatee. (Also pictured, from left are Brad Rose, Chris Haydu, Ryan Bliss, Mandy Rodriguez and Bette Zirkelbach.)

Dolphin Research Center's Manatee Rescue Team and FWCC manatee personnel rescued a badly injured manatee on Monday, December 9th from the waters near mile marker 88.5 (Bayside) in Islamorada.

The 11-foot long, male manatee was seriously injured with lacerations to his head and body by a boat propeller. The worst gash, which spread from his eye to the middle of his forehead, is so deep that it cut through the cranium and into the sinuses. After his rescue, the manatee was transported to Miami Seaquarium for treatment.

Now named Blitzen, the manatee has shown himself to be a determined survivor. He was first spotted on Thursday, December 4th in the marina at Sunshine Key, mile marker 39 in the Lower Keys. The DRC team, FWCC, and staff from Miami Seaquarium attempted to rescue him several times on that day, but he evaded capture. We alerted the media and they spread the word to residents, asking them to please keep an eye out for the manatee and report to officials if they spotted him.

Over the next few days, sightings were reported in Marathon and then, on Sunday night, in Islamorada -- upwards of 50 miles away from where he was first spotted the previous week! DRC team members were on the scene in a boat at first light on Monday, cruising the area and hoping to locate him.

Finally, around 11 a.m., an Islamorada resident called DRC and said that the manatee was in the canal outside her home. The entire team mobilized, met FWCC staff at the site, and prepared for the rescue attempt. We launched the rescue boat from Futura Yacht Club, and set the net at the mouth of the canal. With some gentle urging from other personnel in a kayak and on the tracking boat, Blitzen swam toward the end of the canal, heading for open water.

The team swiftly encircled him with the net and, with a coordinated team effort and lots of muscle power, successfully brought him on board the rescue boat. Thankfully, they only had to make a short trip to the boat ramp where, with help from Yacht Club residents and some Coast Guard personnel, the animal was rolled into a stretcher and carried him on shore.

Once on land, resting on soft foam pads, Blitzen was examined by DRC's Medical Director Pat Clough. She monitored his respiration and rinsed his wounds. Soon after, the team loaded him into a truck for transport to Miami Seaquarium.

Miami Seaquarium veterinarian Dr. Maya Rodriguez further examined him and began treatment. He will undergo X-rays, receive antibiotics, and be constantly observed in hopes that he will fully recover from his injuries. Seaquarium staff will provide excellent care to Blitzen and do their absolute best to help him get better.

Blitzen's injuries are a strong reminder of the danger faced by manatees when they come too close to boats. They also serve as a painful lesson to people on why they should not offer food or water from a hose to these gentle giants. Doing so encourages them to come closer to docks and busy marinas and greatly increases the chance that they will be hit by boats. Providing food and water is similar to placing your dog's food and water bowls in the middle of a busy street! It is also illegal to feed manatees in the wild.

Many thanks to all the residents who looked out for Blitzen, as well as those who helped on the day of the rescue. Let's all keep our flippers crossed that he responds to treatment and recovers!

Video of the Week!

Hi, Everyone,

Dolphin Research Center is the Video of the Week on the Florida Keys official tourism website. Check it out at www.fla-keys.com!

Keeping the Keys Clean!

The cleanup crew gathers around all the debris we collected.

On Friday, September 19th, around 25 Dolphin Research Center staff members and volunteers pitched in to clean up the bridge and surrounding area at the Tom’s Harbor Cut, mile marker 60.6. In less than two hours, the cleaning crew gathered 35 bags of trash, plus a snarled mass of rope so big it took the towing power of two Jeeps to pull it completely out of the water. A discarded fishing net, a truck tire, broken step stool, dive tank, pieces of rebar and a large assortment of other debris were also collected.

In addition to polluting the ocean environment, all of these items have the potential to harm dolphins, manatees, birds, turtles and other marine life!

We tried to haul out this snarled rope, but finally needed two Jeeps to get it out of the water!

It’s amazing that so much junk can be found at a single location. Recent storms might have contributed to blowing some of the stuff around and into the water, but there were plenty of bottles, cans, bottle caps, cigarette butts and other trash items found that clearly were discarded by people using the bridge.

At least this junk is no longer polluting the ocean!

Dolphin Research Center performs cleanups at this area a few times a year. Friday’s event was scheduled in cooperation with the Ocean Conservancy’s annual Coastal Cleanup

DRC to Reopen Thursday after Hurricane Ike

Luckily, Dolphin Research Center and all of the Florida Keys were spared a direct hit by Hurricane Ike. Over the course of a tense few days, while we constantly monitored forecast reports by the National Hurricane Center, the storm pushed further south over Cuba where it dropped in force to a Category 1.

All day on Tuesday, the Keys experienced gusty Tropical Storm force winds, rain showers, and some surging surf. However, all in all, we really feel like we dodged a big bullet. Our hearts go out to the people of the Turks and Caicos Islands, Haiti, Cuba, and other places who were not spared the devastation of Hurricane Ike.

We're delighted to report that everyone in the Dolphin Research Center dolphin and sea lion family is fine and the facility did not suffer any major physical damage. Monroe County officials have announced that visitors can return to the Florida Keys as of this Thursday, September 11th. Dolphin Research Center will reopen on Thursday morning so that we can welcome visitors as they come back to our islands.

If you're coming to the Keys and would like to experience a Dolphin Encounter, Dolphin Dip or other interactive program, our reservations line will reopen on Thursday at 9 am eastern time -- 305-289-0002.

We hope to see you soon. The dolphins are waiting!

Life's a Game & Everything's a Toy!

Gypsi (top) & Jax (bottom)

When you’re a young dolphin, just about anything in your lagoon gets treated like a toy. Different types of sea weed or sea grass, mangrove seed pods, small rocks – the natural lagoons provide a never ending supply of cool things with which to play. We often see one or two of the kids tossing these objects around and then swimming to get them before tossing them again. When staff members visit the docks for some casual playtime, Ras and Gypsi frequently instigate a game of seaweed toss. They arrive at the docks, carrying seaweed in their mouths and wait for the staff to remove it and then fling it out into the lagoon. The girls give chase and then pop back up at the dock for another go-round.

Recently, a coconut rolled into the front lagoon and shortly afterward drew the attention of the three youngsters living there -- Ras, Gypsi and Jax.

Although it sure was different than any of the balls they’ve played with before, the “kids” quickly got their game on. Gypsi swam around on her back, holding it in her pectoral flippers. Ras decided to jump over it a few times. Jax observed the antics, carefully inspecting the new object.

What fun to be a young dolphin!

Ras

DRC Connections Around the World

One of the current Research interns recently applied for an intern position to assist with a humpback whale study in Australia. As it turns out, the person to whom she applied, and who eventually accepted her for the position, is a former DRC Research intern from 2004 who is a PhD candidate at the University of Queensland!

This reminded us that DRC might be located in the Florida Keys, but we have connections with people around the world. DolphinLab students continue to pursue their studies. Numerous interns who spent months at DRC gaining valuable knowledge and experience have gone on to work within the fields of marine mammal care, training and research. Many of our trainers explored new avenues in their careers by taking jobs at other facilities, or in related fields, around the country. We’re fortunate that many of them keep in touch so we know how they’re progressing with their individual careers.

Let’s not forget our family of members and donors who live in every state, and numerous foreign countries.

Then, of course, there are the daily visitors to Dolphin Research Center. On any given day, you can stroll the grounds and hear families excitedly greeting the dolphins in German, French, Spanish, Dutch, Japanese, or other languages. Even the ones who speak English might sound a little different to the dolphins, with their British, Irish, Scottish, Welsh or Australian accents.

It’s like DRC is our own little United Nations – People from nations around the world united in their love of, and fascination with, dolphins!

Dolphin Dreams Come True - Swimmingly

We frequently hear from guests that interacting with dolphins is something they’ve dreamed of doing. Just recently, a visitor came out of her Dolphin Encounter swim and proclaimed it something she’s wanted to do her whole life!

She wasn’t quite 11. Good to know that we can help fulfill the dreams of people young and old.

Another guest said to the trainer, “I can cross that off of my bucket list!” (A bucket list is shorthand for “things you want to do before you kick the bucket”.) That woman has something in common with a large number of people. A few years ago, people in Great Britain said that swimming with dolphins was the number one thing they wanted to do before they die!

Still another visitor cried throughout her entire experience. Concerned, the trainer asked if she was okay. She replied, through her tears, “I’m just so happy I got to do this!”

Have you always dreamed of an up close introduction to an amazing dolphin? Visit our website www.dolphins.org to find out how you can make this dream come true!