Our Mission is Simple: Connect to Protect.
DPMMR Mission Statement
DPMMR seeks to connect people with marine mammal conservation and do our part to help protect whales & dolphins.
Our Four Pillars
We're on a mission to protect whales & dolphins and the habitats upon which we all depend. We strive to achieve this by promoting animal welfare, facilitating impactful education programs, conducting scientific research, and operating the only whale & dolphin stranding organization in the Florida Keys.
Animal Welfare - We adopted seven non-releasable dolphins that depend on us for their lifelong care and one day hope to provide sanctuary for animals living in antiquated facilities or that otherwise couldn't survive on their own in the wild. Our commitment to these animals is to provide the best welfare possible and to constantly seek out improved welfare for the animals in our care and in our oceans. For these animals - we are their only hope and we owe it to them to give them the best life possible! After all, the animals we care for are a fundamental part of connecting guests to conservation.
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Education and Outreach - We recognize that to achieve our mission, we need the help of many. We also recognize that it is our responsibility to share our knowledge with as many as we can, facilitating powerful connections that lead to action. With this in mind, we offer a robust educational program line-up consisting of dolphin interaction programs, a comprehensive lecture series, virtual content, internships, university-level courses, and outreach events. These programs allow us to reach visitors and students of all ages, creating a conservation army equipped with the knowledge needed to help protect marine mammals.
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Scientific Investigation - There is so much to learn from the animals in our care as well as local populations of marine mammals. We're committed to funding and conducting scientific research that will help scientists protect whales and dolphins in every ocean across the globe. The information we gain from our studies is shared with the greater scientific community, contributing to the global understanding of bottlenose dolphins. With over 40 ongoing research studies spanning the fields of acoustics, behavior, cognition, conservation, welfare, veterinary science and training, our scientists are working diligently to make scientific discoveries that support marine mammal welfare and conservation.
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Rescue & Response - We're proud to operate the only whale & dolphin stranding organization in the Florida Keys, covering 10,000 square miles of marine habitat. If a whale or dolphin becomes injured, orphaned, or otherwise stranded - our team of marine mammal experts are the first to respond, providing life saving care whenever possible. Ultimately - we strive to open a permanent marine mammal hospital with the capacity to provide long-term rehabilitation for sick cetaceans prior to their release.
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Our Vision
Our vision is to operate sister facilities in the Florida Keys that fully and comprehensively support conservation efforts for marine mammals throughout the Florida Keys.
The first of these facilities - The Connect Center - will provide a permanent sanctuary for non-releasable dolphins and a place for visitors and students to make a connection with marine mammal conservation. The second facility - The Protect Center - will act as a permanent marine mammal hospital, providing a home-base for our stranding program and long-term veterinary care for sick and injured whales and dolphins. Further, The Protect Center will support conservation research programs.
Together, these two facilities will allow our team of experts to put their knowledge and experience to work helping marine mammals, positioning DPMMR as a leader in whale and dolphin conservation.
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