Blogs

From the President - February 2023

Tuesday, February 14, 2023

Happy New Year, Friends!   I’m looking forward to another great year with DPMMR in 2023! Last year, we achieved so many of our goals, including securing our future by purchasing our headquarters, launching our Backlot Rescue Tour, which highlights the cornerstone of our mission, and welcoming a record number of guests to our facility. This year, we have many lofty goals ahead… but I know our team is ready to rise to the challenge. Typically, January & February would be f... Read More

From the President - December 2022

Wednesday, December 14, 2022

Greetings from sunny Key Largo!   Hurricanes, Holidays, and Happenings! Where did this year go? I cannot believe my eyes when I look at the calendar and see the month of December?! Fall is here and, thankfully, so is the end of hurricane season! Fortunately, Hurricanes Ian and Nicole left the DPMMR Connect Center unscathed and our dolphin and human family are safe, healthy, and ready for visitors this holiday season! As usual, the DPMMR team has been incredibly productive over the la... Read More

From the Pod - December 2022

Wednesday, December 14, 2022

Alfonz – Over the past few months, Alfonz remained ‘healthy as a horse’ and continues to be the 500+ pound goofball that we all love. Recently, Alfonz had the pleasure of working with one of our Level 2 Interns on a new behavior called the “Sprinkler”. Alfonz is usually the first dolphin that new trainers work with, as his patient demeanor is perfect for trainers who are still learning their craft as animal trainers.    In addition to working with our ... Read More

From the Field - December 2022

Wednesday, December 14, 2022

We had another great day in the field during our last photo ID survey. Immediately at the start of the survey we encountered our first group of dolphins on the oceanside, and what we initially thought to be a small group continued to grow, as more and more dolphins were observed in the area. The dolphins were dispersed over a very large area and remained that way throughout the entire sighting. When a pod is distributed in this way, it becomes very difficult to keep track of each individual w... Read More

Introducing our...Backlot Rescue Tour!

Sunday, April 24, 2022

Just two years ago, the entire DPMMR team sat under a tent for two days to strategize how we would navigate the challenges instigated by the Covid-19 pandemic. We discussed challenges and threats to our organization, identified problems, hypothesized solutions, and recognized missed opportunities and opportunities that should not be missed in the future.   Fortunately, these meetings fostered an idea that could solve more-than-one problem faced by DPMMR.   Now – we find ourselves si... Read More

From the Pod- April 2022

Friday, April 22, 2022

From the Pod-   Alfonz – This month Alfonz completed his annual physical exam and luckily has a clean bill of health! All the dolphins go through a complete physical twice a year which includes a blood sample, ultrasounds, a full body examination, and other diagnostics. Upon his full body examination, it was determined that Alfonz might be a little larger than what is considered healthy for an animal of his age and length, so we set to work increasing exercise with Alfonz and rearranging... Read More