What's New

The dolphins love seeing so many members!

Last Call for Members to R.S.V.P.!

The Members Only Event is coming up in a few days on Sunday, March 4th from 2:30 to 5:00 p.m.  If you have not already contacted us to R.S.V.P., please do so as soon as possible. We need to have an accurate count of the number of people to expect so that we have enough refreshments for everyone to enjoy!

DRC will close early that day for this special event that is exclusive to you, our family of supporters. The Education team will take you out on boardwalk tours to talk more about the dolphins and sea lions. There will be lots of opportunity to chat casually with other staff as well as your fellow members.

A spectacular dolphin presentation has been planned and it is always a highlight for this event!

We hope to see you on Sunday, March 5th, so please R.S.V.P. today if you have not told us previously that you will attend.  You can contact the Membership Department via email at drc-mbr@dolphins.org or by phone at 305-289-1121, ext. 229.

See you soon!

Jax the Artist

Jax recently established himself as a true Florida Keys artist. He participated in “The Connections Project,” a mosaic by almost 400 artists that is currently touring through the Keys until May 12. The Florida Keys Council for the Arts distributed 6x6 inch canvases to a wide variety of residents and asked them to express living in the Keys through art.  They received a huge variety of paintings, quilt patches, mixed media and photographs. The council then assembled all of the canvases into one giant, colorful mosaic.

Jax submitted a likeness of his unique tail fluke embellished with his own creative brushwork!  Jax’s story of survival is well-known throughout the Florida Keys.  Attacked by a bull shark as a baby in the St. John’s River, he was rescued and rehabilitated before he found his permanent home at Dolphin Research Center in 2008.  His painting shows his slightly disfigured fluke, which does not impact his swimming ability in the least. He has come to symbolize survival and resilience to everyone who meets this sweet dolphin!

Jax had a blast creating his masterpiece; like most of the dolphins, painting is one of his favorite activities. He often participates in our Paint with the Dolphin program with his best buddy, Tanner. The two have very different painting styles, so our guests end up with extremely vivid designs on theirt-shirts! 

 A lucky donor will be able to purchase Jax’s masterpiece, or any of the other individual canvases, for a $35 donation to the Florida Keys Council for the Arts.   

The presentation included slides, photos and videos. Students could also post questions.

DRC's Dr. Jaakkola Gives Webinar for Students

On February 10th, DRC's Director of Research Dr. Kelly Jaakkola presented a webinar as part of the 2017 National Biodiversity Teach-In. Her presentation, titled Studying Dolphins Up Close and Why it Matters, focused on what we’ve learned from studying dolphins up close and personal, and how this knowledge helps scientists correctly understand their behavior in the wild. She also discussed the major conservation threats to bottlenose dolphins (hint: it’s us!), and the role that dolphin facilities play in addressing these issues. The presentation also talked about the ethical issues involved in doing research and housing dolphins in marine mammal facilities — including what their life is like, how long they live, training practices, and dolphin intelligence.

The one hour webinar was viewed by 1300 participants from 14 states (CA, CO, CT, DE, FL, HI, IL, MA, NV, NY, OH, TX, VA, & WA), as well as from other countries including the Bahamas, Bermuda, Canada, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

Windley had a great time playing with the toy.

Windley's Having a Ball!

As Windley continues to grow out of babyhood, she begins to exhibit more athletic behaviors. Her favorite game is tossing a ball around the lagoon. If there is a ball left in her sight between sessions, she will throw it around until it is time to regroup for the next session. If she is participating in a Dolphin Encounter and happens upon a ball, guests are treated to a spontaneous game of toss before the swim continues!

A recent Ultimate Trainer for a Day guest made Windley’s day. The young woman visited Dolphin Research Center the previous year and remembered how much Windley loved playing with these particular toys. Windley’s third birthday was approaching, and the guest brought a dolphin-friendly ball all the way from her home in Wisconsin as a gift for her favorite dolphin.

Part of the Ultimate Trainer for a Day program is having a t-shirt painted by one of the dolphins.  The guest had requested Windley for the session so that she could present the birthday girl with her gift.

Very wisely, the trainer suggested that the present should wait until the end, or there likely would not be a paint session! In fact, everyone concluded that it would be wise to keep the ball out of sight altogether so that Windley could focus on the task at hand.

Sure enough, as soon as the guest presented Windley with the ball, she became so excited that she flew around the lagoon, tossing it into the air again and again. There was little doubt that Windley was thrilled with her gift, and our guest was equally as thrilled to make Windley’s third birthday her best ever!

Adult DolphinLab students get an up close look at a medical training demonstration.

Dolphin Camp, Teen DolphinLab & Adult DolphinLab Courses Filling Up!

If you are considering enrolling in an Adult DolphinLab class, or in sending your children or grandchildren to Dolphin Camp or Teen DolphinLab, we urge you to do your applications now. These popular experiences are booking up and some are already filled! 

Interact with the DRC dolphins and staff while having fun and also learning about marine mammals, ocean conservation and more. Each week features hands-on interaction with the dolphins as well as observation time, demonstrations, and other activities. Everything is geared to the appropriate age level.

Enrollment includes housing in the DRC dormitory, meals and all activities.

Remember that there is a 20% discount off of the Adult Basic DolphinLab course for members who support DRC at the Adopt-a-Dolphin level ($240 per year) or higher. (This does not apply to students applying for FKCC credit.)  

For more information about all of these courses, please click here.

Support DRC Everytime you Shop with Amazon Smile 

Thank you to all of you who have designated Dolphin Research Center to benefit when you purchase online through the Amazon Smile program. We receive a check every month which helps to support the dolphins and sea lions, as well as the entire DRC mission. 

If you aren't familiar with Amazon Smile, click here to find out more about the program.  Choose DRC as your designated charity and Amazon donates a portion of every purchase to our organization. Thanks again!

Founders Weekend 2017 Dates Set!

All Founder Level and Guardian Circle members, we hope you will plan now to join us for the next Founders Weekend on Saturday and Sunday, November 4th and 5th, 2017!

We love getting together for this fun-filled celebration with our most loyal and generous supporters. Founders are those members who $1000.00 or more each year to DRC. Guardian Circle members are those who donate at the Parent level for at least three years, Sponsor level at five years, or any level for ten years.

More details to come in the months ahead, but please mark your calendars now!

The Dolphin Society (above) newsletter covers a variety of topics relating to our mission while The Gray Cross (below) gives an update on our manatee rescue, as well as other issues associated with animal conservation.

Newsletters - A Benefit of Membership

We know how much the DRC member family enjoys hearing about our many activities, including stories about the dolphins and sea lions! The Dolphin Society Newsletter, published bi-monthly, and the Gray Cross which is published four times a year, are two ways that we share news and information with all of you.

Don't forget that if you're a newer member, or if you just want to reread previous issues, we have them archived electronically for you in the Members Only area of the DRC website. Just click here!

Spotlight on Diamond!

From the moment she joined the DRC family in 2014, this sassy, adorable sea lion won our hearts.  Check out her video here.

Download Sandy!

Big, powerful, and such a sweet charmer. That's Sandy. Download this action shot of him doing a spiral speed run by clicking here.

Share Your Finspiration!

How has visiting Dolphin Research Center inspired you?  What have you learned or experienced by getting to know the dolphins and sea lions?  How have we motivated you to share our teaching, learning, caring mission for the benefit of marine mammals and the environment we share?

We'd love to hear your stories.  Please email them to us at fins@dolphins.org !

Stay Connected on Social Media

Engaging with Dolphin Research Center on social media with your likes, comments and shares also helps DRC connect with even more people. 

Don't forget to use #DolphinResearchCenter on your photos and updates.  You can even share them with other Florida visitors using the hashtag #LoveFL!

See you online!