MORE THAN A MOVIE

The Clearwater Marine Aquarium, home of Winter the dolphin made famous by the Dolphin Tale movies, is on a mission to save animals.

// BY MELISSA PETERSON

In a time when many aquariums are realigning to a more animal-conscience mission, Clearwater Marine Aquarium (CMA), which began as a marine biology learning center in 1972, has always had a clear rescue, rehabilitation and release (if possible) mindset. And visitors to the aquarium have the opportunity to learn all about those animals in an up-close, interactive manner that promotes education and awareness.

“All of the resident animals at CMA are here because they do not have the ability to survive in the wild,” says Kelsy Long, director of media relations. “We have ve bottlenose dolphins and two roughtoothed dolphins who were deemed nonreleasable by NOAA and National Marine Fisheries. We also have two North American River Otters, four Great White Pelicans, a nurse shark, sea turtles, sting rays and various types of sh. The sea turtles in our hospital are under rehabilitation and will hopefully be returned to their home in the wild soon. We operate a rescue hotline 24/7, which helps us coordinate rescues for animals in need.”

CMA came to national notoriety thanks to Winter the dolphin, who was rescued in December 2005 and came to CMA to begin a long rehabilitation after she was found tightly wrapped in a crab trap line near Cape Canaveral and was unable to escape. Winter ended up losing her entire tail as well as two vertebrae, and she was tted for a prosthetic tail in 2007. Following that, Winter became the star of a book (Winter’s Tail: How One Little Dolphin Learned to Swim Again), two hit movies (Dolphin Tale and Dolphin Tale 2) and a documentary (Winter, The Dolphin That Can), forever changing the impact CMA would have on marine conservation. Guests visiting the aquarium will be treated to a newly opened expansion, which gave the facility ve times the guest space, including a new café, retail area, event space and visitors center. Guests can expect to learn more about the resident and rescued animals as well as the importance of conservation to keep our oceans healthy.

Through August 31, CMA is showcasing its exhibit Whales: Living with Giants, which occupies 20,000 square feet of space in CMA’s new visitor center. Guests are immersed into the undersea world of these gentle giants through educational multi-media exhibits, an undersea virtual reality experience, a walk-through lifesize whale gallery and an interactive kids’ zone.

If you’re interested in animal interaction experiences, CMA o ers opportunities for guests to meet dolphins, sea turtles, river otters, nurse sharks and sting rays.

“These opportunities are led by an animal care specialist so guests are able to learn more about the animals and why their forever home is here at CMA,” says Kelsy. “We take these one-onone interactions as a chance to educate guests about the things they can do to support these animals in the wild and make a di erence—we hope they then share this information with their friends and family.”

The aquarium also o ers boat tours, where you can see dolphins and other wildlife, and behind-the-scenes walking tours. Guests are encouraged to make reservations for these experiences because they do tend to sell out, but guests are able to make arrangements onsite if reservations are available. This summer, CMA is o ering on-site and virtual summer camps for kids in kindergarten through 12th grade. More information can be found at cmaquarium.org/experience/educationalkids-camps. Looking for more family-friendly summer fun? Mermaids will be on-site for ve weeks starting June 28. Check out the upcoming events tab on the website for details.

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