A Dolphin Tale with a happy ending and another tale that didn’t end so well!

“A story of two Bottlenose Dolphins found in the Mosquito Lagoon.”

Many of you have seen the movie trailers for Dolphin Tale or maybe you’ve even seen the movie.  The story is about a young, female dolphin named Winter that was found in the Mosquito Lagoon entangled in the rope of a crab trap.  The severity of the entanglement required the removal of Winter’s fluke.  During the rehabilitation process, Winter was fit with the first ever prosthetic fluke.  Through lots of hard work, she began to swim normally and future prognosis was positive.  Winter’s story has and continues to inspire people from all over the world!

Another Mosquito Lagoon dolphin, named Rio didn’t have the same fate!  Several years ago, Rio was accidentally struck by a boat.  The injuries left him susceptible to multiple entanglements around his dorsal fin.  Since 2008, Rio was entangled 6 times.  The cumulative impacts of these events caused considerable disfigurement to his dorsal fin.  In the end, Rio was rescued and released three times.  His final entanglement severely compromised his mobility and Rio was found dead on September 9, 2011.

Both of these stories could have been prevented!  As a state built on the charm and aesthetic beauty of its waterways, we must never forget that our carelessness can have fatal results on wildlife big and small.  Can you help us keep the story of Rio alive by donating today?

We look forward to providing you with programs and a facility that will educate, engage and create tomorrow’s conservationists!

Sincerely,

Chad Truxall
Managing Director
Marine Discovery Center

Donations are tax deductible as provided by law.

A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL-FREE (800) 435-7352 WITHIN THE STATE. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL, OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE.

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