Campers get up close with the dolphins. Courtesy, Clearwater Marine Aquarium
Dolphins are regarded as one of Earth’s most intelligent animals. But there’s a dynamic duo housed at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium that are bringing darn close to a human touch in helping children with physical disabilities learn how to persevere, grow, and thrive in the greater animal world that we call life.
Earlier this month, the aquarium held its 10th annual Camp No Limits for children with limb losses and limb differences. The kids and their families got to take a tour of the animal exhibits and meet the aquarium’s two most famous residents – Winter and Hope from the movie “Dolphin Tale.”
Campers and their families at Camp No Limits, January 15, 2020. Courtesy, Clearwater Marine Aquarium
But these are not your ordinary cute and smart dolphins. Winter lost her tail after becoming entangled in a crab trap line near Cape Canaveral back in 2005. She was later fitted with an artificial tail, thanks to the folks at the nearby Hanger Clinic in Sarasota. Hope lost her mom at two months old and never learned the survival skills needed to live in the wild. So she’ll be under the aquarium’s care for the rest of her life.
Together, Winter and Hope are teaching disabled children that the loss of a limb need not be a handicap. And that even under the good care of others, each life is empowered to fulfill its own destiny with confidence and purpose. It’s a good lesson for all of us.
See you on the trail,
Lisa
LMA Newsletter of 1-27-20
