HAPPINESS Elise and friend, Clearwater Aquarium
crab line and near death. She was rescued and brought to the aquarium for rehabilitation. Unfortunately, her tail was severely damaged and fell off
called ‘Dot’, who was a huge hit, but naturally the most popular were Winter’s friends, Hope (who ended up starring in Dolphin Tale 2), and a particularly cheeky dolphin named Nicholas. All dolphins have unique vocalizations; many sound dramatically different from one another. Winter sounded like “Tweety Bird” apparently. And Elise said Nicholas “Sounds like a clown squeezing its nose.” Surely, Hollywood will come calling for him next? The following day, we decided to explore further afield. Dunedin, just 20 minutes north, is a cute artsy town with Scottish roots, and while St. Pete and Clearwater are bigger cities, Dunedin has more of a hometown feel. We took a walk through its farmer’s market, explored the many arts and crafts stores (come here for souvenirs, the glass art is stunning), and grabbed lunch at Pisces Sushi & Global Bistro (try the alligator meat Mardi Gras special, ‘Swamp Thing’, if you dare). Sadly, we only had a day in Dunedin, but wish we’d had more. One to explore the town. A second
soon after she arrived. Clearwater Aquarium, along with local partners, built her the world’s first prosthetic dolphin tail, and her story went on to inspire thousands of visitors, especially child amputees who would come to watch her swim. Hollywood heard about it and made a movie - Dolphin Tale - and guess who was cast in the starring role? That’s right, Winter the dolphin, of course. Unfortunately, she passed away a few years ago but her legacy of care remains. “We are an animal hospital first and foremost,” Marsha Strickhouser, the Director of Media Relations, explained. “Our entire remit is rescue, rehabilitate and release. The only animals that live here are the ones who are too badly injured to return to the wild.” We saw otters, sea turtles, pelicans, a tiny fish
DOG DAYS Street art, Dunedin
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